Not enough swim room?

[Bl414]

I've got a 10 gallon that's in the process of cycling and I just got some more fake plants.

Is this too little room for the fish to swim?

 

[fred]

What kind of fish are you thinking about getting?

 

[Bl414]

I'm honestly not even sure yet, maybe a school of neon tetras. Any ideas?

 

[Homedog98]

Nice! Maybe some ottos, a small school of neons, and a betta?

 

[Bl414]

all of those? I'd be scared of overcrowding

 

[Homedog98]

That's actually perfect for a 10 gallon! 6 neons for your mid/top dwellers, 3 ottos as a cleanup crew, and the betta as a centerpiece fish. Then you can go nuts with snails and shrimp if you'd like... As they have almost no bioload.

 

[Bl414]

I thought it was one inch of fish per gallon though, its my first real tank and im just nervous i guess

 

[Bettababe1011]

Actually, mystery snails, a type of apple snail, have a large bioload for a snail. You should see how much my Gary puts off a day. He's almost as messy as my frog (exaggeration)

 

[Bettababe1011]

I thought it was one inch of fish per gallon though, its my first real tank and im just nervous i guess

Nope. That rule has too many exceptions. It's not even a good general stocking rule. Lol. Ask here and you will receive good advice.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

1 inch per gallon is a good basic rule but it doesn't always fit. Some fish 1 inch long will poop as much as a 5 inch fish, etc, while some 2 inch shrimp will poop as much as 5 x 5 inch fish.

 

[Homedog98]

I thought it was one inch of fish per gallon though, its my first real tank and im just nervous i guess

Not to sound harsh... But That rule is bogus in most cases... It basically says that you can have a 2 foot long pleco in a 24 gallon tank. All those fish have a very small bioload, and the ottos even cut down on tank maintenance if you've got algae!

 

[Bl414]

I guess that does make a lot of sense, I just want a thriving tank so i can keep learning and then move on from there I guess .

 

[Bettababe1011]

But ottos don't cut maintenance. Just thought I should add that. They are helpful with algae but don't cut maintenance.

 

[Homedog98]

But ottos don't cut maintenance. Just thought I should add that. They are helpful with algae but don't cut maintenance.

Well they cut maintenance with algae...

 

[Bettababe1011]

Yeah. But I know some newbies think it cuts all maintenance. I just wanted to make sure the OP was aware of it.

 

[Bl414]

true that, is a betta okay with all of those other fish though? I thought I read that sometimes it can be aggressive towards them

 

[Bettababe1011]

They can. It depends on the specific Betta.

Some make wonderful community fish, such as homedogs Betta Elvis. Others are too aggressive. It just takes some judgment.

 

[Homedog98]

They can. It depends on the specific Betta.

Some make wonderful community fish, such as homedogs Betta Elvis. Others are too aggressive. It just takes some judgment.

Yes... Elvis is great! He wouldn't hurt any of my fish at all. He just flares at them, the other fish look at him like he's speaking Latin, and speed away. And he always looks like he's just practicing when he does it. They all have such character! And the neons are WAY to fast for a betta to catch anyway.

 

[Bl414]

oh okay, is there any species of beta thats less aggressive or is it just that particular fish? I was planning on getting a nice one off aquabid or something, the ones at petsmart look like they're on their death bed.

 

[Bettababe1011]

Oh, and just for future reference, a male Betta and a male guppy are a bad combo. The Betta will often mistake the guppy for another male Betta because of the tail fins.

Also, a female and male Betta should not be kept together other than breeding. And that's no walk in the park. I you go that route, do your homework.

But anyways, bettas are awesome, and they got me into this hobby. I will never be bettaless for long after one of my finned Betta friends passes.