fish selection! 10g

[blipblop]

well... since the other thread has gotten to be quite long... i'm in the midst of a fishless cycle and have been thinking about some fish.... here it goes.. if it has a question make it means i don't know how many i should put

1 dwarf gourami
? cardinal tetras
3 corycats
? ghost shrimp

will the ghost shrimps get eaten ?!? and is this compatible and not overstocked for a 10g tank? thanks!

 

[TankGirl]

That sounds like a very reasonable stock list. I did the very same thing, with a DG and cardinals in a 10, and the DG would not let the cardinals out from behind a cave - actually I never saw him do anything to them but they would not swim out in the open ever. I moved them into the 55 and they were all over the place, schooling and cavorting about. I don't know if it was the confines of the 10, or if it was the DG.

I would try 4 or 5 of the cardinals. Get perhaps 3 ghost shrimp and if there is enough cover they will be fine.

 

[lmw80]

Yes, that sounds like a great list for a 10 gallon! Just be careful with the ghost shrimp as the DG may take them as snacks. Make sure there are lots of hiding spots for the shrimp and cardnials.

 

[blipblop]

i'm going to have a couple plants and a castle like decoration with holes n stuff.. i hope that'll do allright.

 

[Menagerie]

The plants will help hide the shrimp. The castle is more for you than the fish They may use it as shelter. I have an 18" long castle in my 50 gal. The fish prefer the fake plants and real wood (or it could be my imagination ).

 

[TankGirl]

I have a castle-like cave type thing that I used in the 10, and the cardinals definitely used that as shelter. I think you will be fine, and obviously you have done your homework!

 

[purplestarfish]

It sounds good; good luck! Personally, I think the whole DG corralling the cardinal tetras is a combination of the small tank and the personality of gouramis (they are often bullies to each other or other fish). My own gouramis used to haggle each other constantly while in a 20 gallon, the slightly larger one beating up the slightly smaller one, but I moved them to a 55 gallon and now they only occasionally bother each other. Furthermore, I have a new gourami only about half their size and they have never once bothered it. So it's not only that the DG is larger than cardinal tetras, it's also that it's the "big fish of the little pond" (I know, I know, different meaning!) and therefore has the power to control them if it feels like it. But anyway. Not all gouramis will do that, and your tank sounds very nicely planned; no matter what happens, there will be shelter for whatever fish needs it for a little relief. Good luck! 8)

 

[blipblop]

yea, i measure my tank and i don't think i'm going to put the castle-like thing, i'm just going to put 3 silk plants in there... there doesn't seem to be any cardinal tetras at my LFS or cory cats. they have... albino cory? maybe they'll have them later, i'm still fishless cycling, what other fish do well in groups of 4-5? and serve as an alternative to the neons and cardinals?

 

[TankGirl]

You might be able to do harlequin rasboras, they stay relatively small.
White cloud mountain minnows are also one of my favorites and do not seem to mind closer quarters.

I too moved my DG to a 55 and he is much happier and less of a troublemaker.

 

[Menagerie]

White clouds or the gold white clouds. They are small and will still add great color to the tank.

 

[krap101]

you can buy feeder white clouds. a dozen (usually more) for 2$ and less when you buy more bulk

 

[Menagerie]

Never use feeder fish as pets. They may have disease and shorter lives. They were never met as pets.

 

[TankGirl]

I second that - avoid feeder fish, even as feeder fish. They are raised under poor conditions and will often bring disease or other troubles to the fish that eats them.

 

[blipblop]

how should i introduce the fish? one/2 at a time or what.... here's what is going to eventually fill my 10G

1 dwarf gourami
3 cories[whatever i find nice]
4-5 schooling tetras.., glowlites maybe
3 ghost shrimps...

my ammonia is starting to drop and my nitrITE is starting to rise so my cycle is going well... is there any particular order i should introduce my fish and throughout how long of a time span? thanks

 

[smallfry]

Here's a thought: maybe add the dwarf gourami last and give the other fish a chance to get acclimated to their surroundings? (I hate to say it, but you may even decide to wait on the gourami until you have a bigger tank) I LOVE the looks of dwarf gourami, but they may stress out the other fish too much - especially in such a small space. 10g isn't large when you're "running" (or swimming very fast and frantic) from a bully...
If you held off on the gourami you could get 6-7 schooling fish which would be better than 4 or 5...the larger the school, the more "natural" their behavior will be....and they will tend to act as one fish. Good luck - not sure if this helps or not...

 

[smallfry]

Oh - to answer your question about timing/order of fish - I'm not an expert, but the slower the better as far as adding fish. If it was me, I would add the Cories, wait 2 weeks, then add the shrimp, wait 2 to 3 weeks, then add the school (3 at a time if you want a total of 6). If less then 6, you could probably add them all at once if you've been patient about adding the previous fish. Even when your tank is "cycled" you still need to allow time for the filter to catch up to the bio-load. Filtering for 3 shrimp is quite different then filtering for a whole tank full of fishies, obviously.
* The above time table is assuming that chemical levels are correct and there's no fish disease/deaths, etc. (If your patience can withstand it, waiting 3-4 weeks between additions is even better)

 

[blipblop]

haha cool! thanks i think i will hold out on the gourami and just get a larger school of fish! thanks a lot! =]

 

[TankGirl]

That is good advice - my DG was okay in the 10, but I really felt like he was happier in the larger tank. On the other hand, I would consider keep one in a 10 again but not with other fish. Allivymar used to have 3, then 2 DG in a 10 and I don't know how but they got along. It depends on the individuals.

I would get your school of tetras, start with 4, and wait a couple of weeks before adding the cory cats - I would make sure the tank was stable before adding them. Monitor your water, because the bacteria will grow/die off to match the bioload you have.

 

[blipblop]

thanks for the advice! i have some fake silk plants coming soon and how would i go to putting them in? i didn't want to just shove my hand in there as my hand i prolly full of stuff that sholdn't be there. i was thinking of wrapping my hand in plastic wrap and then putting the plants in.

also one more questiona bout cycling.. i have nitrites now.. when the nitrate kit comes in, i'm going to test. What if I have nitrates? then do i do a water change and then i can add fish? thanks....

 

[TankGirl]

I hope that you will have nitrate - and yes, most people try to keep nitrate below 40ppm with water changes.

I have my hands in my tanks all of the time! Just wash your hands first and get all soap residue off, and that is fine, unless you are concerned about possibly touching fishy poo, and then you can find some gloves (kindof like Playtex dishwashing gloves) at several online fish supply sites that are long and you can use them for tank maintenance. I also have some very long forceps that I use for planting live plants.