The Dangora 10 Gallon Build and Log

[Dangora]

It wasn't too long ago when I made my first real thread on this site asking for some help. I got a 10 gallon on sale, set it up and threw in two dwarf gouramis and an albino cory (I didn't literally throw them! ) Due to lack of research of research and not cycling, the tank quickly went out of control and I listened to the advice given to me and brought the fish to a lfs that would take them. Anyways, here's a picture of that mistake:

Fast forward two months and some good research and this guy is ready to re-do the tank! I went all out on cleaning today and my room looks great! I leveled my dresser so my fish tank was good to go!

Just a little specifications on my fish tank:

Size: 10 Gallons
Lighting: 2 Aqueon Mini Compact Bulbs in Hood
Substrate: Eco Complete
Filter: AquaClear 20

I kind of just dumped the water and Eco Complete in the tank because I had somewhere to be but, the water had cleared by the time I got home. I dropped the driftwood in while the tank was cloudy so my hardscape is subject to change:

I'm going to do a low-light, low-maintenance planted tank. Some anubias, mosses, java fern, etc.

The only thing that I haven't pretty much already decided is the fish! I was thinking small fish that school. I'm really open on fish and would love to see your suggestions, so bring them on! The only question I really have is: will otos work in this tank? And if yes, how many? I love advice and suggestions so, hook me up, if you will

 

[Dangora]

The tank is currently fishless cycling. I had between 4-8ppm ammonia, closer to 8, so I just did a water change. Going out to dinner and I'll check the ammo later, hopefully it will be around 4.

Not thrilled with my Elite heater (I think 75w), I somehow adjusted the nob to find my tank at 95 degrees Fahrenheit! Now it's too low (like 73ish) which is great for fish, but it's supposed to be higher for the bb to grow, if I remember correctly (79-88ish?). Anyways, I adjusted it a little so I'll see what that is when I get home.

Running a Fusion 200 for my pump.

Thought I would include a recent picture of the tank in it's current state:

Still waiting for some good fish suggestions!

Thanks, Danny

 

[redsea]

Beautiful aquarium! It looks great!

 

[Dangora]

Thank you! It's nice to see the tank coming together after all the prep work. The driftwood worked better than i thought it would. I soaked it a lot but I love the soft tint it gives the water!

 

[redsea]

I love driftwood! The next freshwater build I do, I will go for a natural look and put some nice piece of driftwood in there.

 

[Dangora]

I wish I could find some nice pieces around here. Not many options. The big piece was on sale for like $5 I think at a local pet place I call it pet place because they don't know anything about fish

 

[Ellenquacker72]

Otos really would be better in at least a 20g since they are better in groups, and there is more algae in a bigger tank. But you could put 1or 2 honey gouramis with a small school of Pygmy or Venezuelan cories. Some shrimp are good little cleaners with very little bio load, same with some snails. Or a betta maybe? I had some platies in my 10 for a while, but they've been acting a lot happier and active in the 20g so I wouldn't suggest live bearers personally. Maybe a small school of ember tetras? Just a few ideas I'm sure someone more knowledgable will chime in soon, but there isn't a whole lot that can go in a 10 OR you could do a species tank with a couple of dwarf puffers, they're super cool!

 

[Dangora]

Yeah I know, space is limited. Thanks for the suggestions though, every bit of knowledge is helpful. I like ember tetras and pygmy cories but none are at any of the lfs I've been to, so I'm gonna try and stick with some commons. Weary about shipping costs and safe transport from online. I might get some harlequins, I do like those. Possibly a betta with tetras, I like that suggestion, thanks!

 

[New]

i used to have a heater like that, its either on or off...no settings, thats why i got rid of it

 

[Dangora]

Yeah I'm not crazy about it. I never saw a heater online with great reviews, and this one was on sale for $10 at my lfs so I figured why not. Probably will switch it with a fluval one at some point but I'm not too sure I want to pay like $50 for a really good one. The temperature in my house doesn't fluctuate much so I don't need a really good one.

 

[Dangora]

What do you use if you don't mind me asking? And do you like it better?

 

[Ellenquacker72]

I used to use an elite 50w for my ten gallon. Once I got used to using it it worked pretty well. It had a really hard time getting the temperature up, but once it got there it was fairly consistent, it would freak out every once and a while, but it served it's purpose.
But now I have my 'big gun' fluval 100w. I'm a big Fluval fan when it comes to heaters and filters, they work great, are a lot more efficient, and it was able to get my water temperature from 12 to 25 degrees Celsius in about an hour! I'm very impressed with how it's worked so far totally worth the 45$ (Canadian) I spent on it.

Harlequins would probably be good, since they're small, and I've seen them everywhere, so you shouldn't have a hard time finding them. I'm still hoping to find pygmies at my local Big Als sometime... Fingers crossed!

 

[Dangora]

Good luck finding the pygmies!

Checked ammo again tonight, still too high. I just finished a fairly large water change so ill see how the ammonia is looking probably tomorrow morning.

On the bright side, I finally got my heater to 83 but I turn off my power strip for the aquarium when I do water changes so I hope the heater doesn't reset

I was looking at fish today and I was thinking possibly red minor tetras. I've had them in the past and loved them. Don't know if a betta would accept them though..

 

[Ellenquacker72]

I was fairly interested in red minor tetras when I was first researching fish, but found out that get too big for a school of them in a ten, and can be quite agressive. But again, this isn't from perrsonal experience, just what I've heard.

 

[Dangora]

No, thanks for pointing that out, I should look into it. I was just browsing the internet and saw them.
My other thought today was maybe Celestial Pearl Danios and Pygmy Cats. I am becoming a little more open to the idea of ordering fish online and having them shipped. I can't say anything bad about it because I've never done it so I should try eventually. If not I'm sure my lfs could order me some.

 

[Dangora]

Finally!

Just did a test:
Ammonia - 4ppm
Temperature - 86°F

Time for some to grow

Also, I was in a pet store today and was looking at some gold neons. Very pretty; gonna research them as a possibility. Maybe like 5-7 neons and a betta?

 

[Ellenquacker72]

Neons and bettas usually work, but its a bit of a gamble with fin nipping by the neons. I've heard that cardinals are better, (I think) but you could give it a try with the gold neons. Are you thinking of potentially upgrading in the future?

Btw congrats for fishless cycling!

 

[Dangora]

Thank you

And by upgrading, you mean? Tank size?

 

[Dangora]

So I did a parameter test today:

Ammonia = 1-2 ppm
Nitrites = 5+ ppm
Nitrates = 20 ppm

I plan on adding some more ammonia tonight. I don't know if I'm close to the half way point or not. I know its early but I was figuring that the tank is small, so that might help. Also, the Eco Complete package had some water in it and the packaging claims that it already contains some beneficial bacteria. I don't know anything other than what the packaging says about it, but I'm curious as to whether it can actually be speeding up my cycling?

 

[Dangora]

Some pictures for those people who love visuals