Virgin aquariast stocking 10 gall long

[ZackReed]

Hey everybody, just received my 10 gallon long marineland biowheel led tank kit. I have not purchased anything else for it yet. Been reading alot on this forum and other sources for ideas on just what to do with it. I understand that I need to cycle the tank fully and that the process could take as long as a month. This is not to much of a problem for me as I'm looking to do things right and really wanting to build a little ecosystem and not just throw some fish in a tank. But before I can even begin the cycle I have to decide what type of substrate to use and to decide that I'm thinking It would help to settle on what marine life I should stock. So I'm looking for a bit of help really zeroing in on what I should go out and get. My general idea for the tank is one with perhaps one larger focal point fish, a couple of small schools and then a bunch of smaller creatures such as ruby shrimp and snails. I would also love a fiddler type crab if that is possible. Also hoping to eventually have live plants in it, just trying to not get in over my head. Any input is greatly appreciated, I at least want to get the cycle started soon, so help with substrate and other things that should be in the tank before I begin is especially needed. Thanks in advance!

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Hello! I can answer two of your questions about the plants and the substrate. If you want to grow plants i would reccomend buying eco-complete gravel. It is made up of pretty small rocks, and it contains bacteria that will help your plants thrive. It is also smooth substrate for any bottom dwellers! Evo complete will start your cycle for you if i am not mistaken and i love it.

Because a 10 gallon isnt very large you will be limited to what fish you can get, but shrimp and fiddler crabs will be able to live in a 10 gallon tank! You could have a school of tetras and a centerpiece fish like a betta or dwarf gourmi! You can have as many shrimp as your heart desires! Lol

 

[absolutangel04]

Fiddler crabs need access to air. If you have questions about them, I suggest PMing a member named siva because she has some crab experience.
So, 10g tanks have a lot of really great options, but a lot of them may need to be ordered because not all lfs carry them.
Celestial pearl danios, dwarf puffers, glowlight danios (not the same as GloFish), chili rasbora, micro rasbora, Endler's livebearers, guppies, platys, pygmy cories (C. habrosus, hastatus, pygmaeus), Asian stone catfish, rice fish, ember tetras, jellybean tetras, neons, green neons, scarlet badis, sparkling gourami, dwarf gourami, betta (there are a bunch more species than the ones you always see in the cups), croaking gourami, clown killifish, Norman's lampeye killifish, pygmy sunfish, least killifish, and shell dwelling cichlids. Keep in mind, not all of these fish are compatable, some need a species specific tank.

 

[smallfry53]

You said that cycling can take as long as a month, but from my experience (very little) and what I have been reading (quite a bit) cycling a tank takes at least a month unless it is heavily seeded. Just thought I'd throw my .02 in there. (with inflation these days not worth a whole lot )

 

[ZackReed]

Thanks all for the input, i definitely understand that my lfs is limited but I'm very comfortable with using online shops to purchase my fish and plantlife. Just wondering also, at what point do shrimp such as cherries equal a fish? Or a small crab for that matter. I've been pretty interested in shell dwelling cichlids, any input on how they interact with shrimp crab and snails? And if doing a school of them with a larger fish or a second school in addition to the crustaceans would be feasible?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Welcome!
This is a fresh water tank?
Fiddler crabs are brackish.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html
Here is the beginners guide.
There re two ways of cycling a tank. Fishless and fish in. Both can be done in a way that no fish comes to harm. There are details on both in the guide above.

 

[ZackReed]

Hello Mumma, yes and thank you, I've already read through that beginners guide written by librarygirl, it was very helpful. I dont have a problem with waiting on buying the fish and doing the cycle fishless, seems to be the smartest option. As or this being a freshwater tank, it's really nothing so far but an empty tank, I was thinking freshwater as it is my first time, but you never know. This may be a stupid question but....could I begin the cycle before I've even added any sort of substrate? Or would that not be the smartest idea?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

You can start the cycling process with a filter (with media), tank, water and of course the ammonia. Everything else can be added later on. It is recommended to have a heater because the bacteria multiply faster at higher temperatures.

 

[ZackReed]

Yep I got a submersible heater, any temp in particular I should aim for? Also, by media, do you just mean the cartridge for the filter?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Yep I got a submersible heater, any temp in particular I should aim for? Also, by media, do you just mean the cartridge for the filter?

Not exactly sure on the temp. I know it says in the fishless cycle guide what to aim for. Media is anything in the filter. Cartridge, floss, sponge, ceramic rings, bio balls, bio wheel, carbon, etc.

 

[KaylNeko]

A fiddler crab's out unless you want to do just a fiddler crab tank and provide it with brackish water and a beach. If you want crabs, you might look into micro crabs--they're freshwater and fully aquatic.

If you go with shellies, it'll be a species tank of maybe 2, I think, in a ten gallon. If you really want schools of fish, look into maybe a school of ember tetras, chili rasboras, or celestial pearl danios, and a small school of dwarf corys.

Cherry shrimp take a lot to "equal" the bioload of a fish. I think you'll run into room issues before you run into biological issues. Just do some research on what fish you're interested in and their compatibility with shrimp--a lot of fish will eat them if they catch them, but aren't much of an issue because they can't catch them.

 

[ZackReed]

Hah, they quick little guys huh? Thanks for the input I'll look into the micro crabs and the fish you mentioned, but for now I'm headed to the fish store to pick up a test kit, ammonia, couple buckets, and a substrate, still not quite sure if I wanna go with a dark moon sand or Eco complete. I am planning on doing simple live plants in my tank, read that they can help the cycle so I might buy a few as well.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

A cheaper option is pool filter sand. If your not going crazy with the plants IMO a specialized plant substrate is a waste of money.

 

[ZackReed]

Yea I think I came to the same conclusion. Is there any really difference between it and pet store sand besides probably being cheaper? Because I was kind of interested in a black sand or a dark tanned color sand and I'm thinking pool filter sands just come in the one color?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Yea I think I came to the same conclusion. Is there any really difference between it and pet store sand besides probably being cheaper? Because I was kind of interested in a black sand or a dark tanned color sand and I'm thinking pool filter sands just come in the one color?

Only the price. PFS comes in almost white to darker tan color. You have to do a bit of searching if you want a specific color. If you want black sand there is black beauty blasting slag. I personally don't trust it but others use it as a cheap alternative to black sand.

 

[absolutangel04]

I am going to throw in here that shellies are awesome. There are several species that would fit in a 10g tank, but be sure to look for the right species because some shellies are bigger than others. Neolamprologus multifasciatus is the one I recommend for you. I t has several common names, but you will find some good info if you google the latin name. I believe jetajockey keeps a tank of multis, so I suggest PMing him if you have any specific questions.
Shellies should be in a species-only tank, so if you want tankmates I suggest looking at something else.

 

[ZackReed]

Ok good tip! I should start my cycle tonight, but I have one other question, I have a penguin 100 biowheel filter. The filter came with a carbons filter cartridge, I've been tryin to research this but keep coming up with dissenting answers. Does the carbon in that filter screw up a fishless cycle? And if not, and I go ahead and stick the cartridge in, can I just never replace it and use it until it basically falls apart? I understand that the carbon is only needed to eliminate fish meds. And I know that throwing away a filter is bad, in that I'm throwing out all the good bacteria I hopefully soon will be growing. Basically I'm asking if I need to purchase another form of media from the petshop or if I can just roll with the carbon cartridge.

 

[ZackReed]

I am going to throw in here that shellies are awesome. There are several species that would fit in a 10g tank, but be sure to look for the right species because some shellies are bigger than others. Neolamprologus multifasciatus is the one I recommend for you. I t has several common names, but you will find some good info if you google the latin name. I believe jetajockey keeps a tank of multis, so I suggest PMing him if you have any specific questions.
Shellies should be in a species-only tank, so if you want tankmates I suggest looking at something else.

Yea angel I watched a video of some shell dwellers and really liked them, but my plan from the beginning was a more communal varied tank, so was little disappointed that the shell dwellers we're out of the running

 

[absolutangel04]

I understand. Thats why I opted away form them while stocking my most recent 10g tank as well.
Have you looked up some of the other fish we suggested?

 

[ZackReed]

I understand. Thats why I opted away form them while stocking my most recent 10g tank as well.
Have you looked up some of the other fish we suggested?

Yep! I think I'm digging some type of dwarf rasboras, ember tetras perhaps, Norman lampeyes or similar killifish, and also white cloud minnows. And of course some red cherry shrimp possibly a suitable crab species and snails, definitely interested in little guys that help clean my tank for me.