Ok, so I have a 10g tank. mostly for the kids. now the fish have died and I have a chinese algae eater left. So i was thinking neon tetras. Any other kind I should consider? How many neons should I get, I heard that they travel in schools. The kids are not interested anymore so I guess I am taking over this responsiblity...... it's ok though, kinda fun.
neon tetras?
- Thread starter kirizarry
- Start date
well, you could get 3-4 female guppies and a male guppy. baby fishes in the tank might get the kids interested again. I would give away or flush the Chinese algae eater...they are really aggressive when they get bigger and are not suitable for most home aquariums. Get 3-5 ottos to replace him, they are way better at the job and will actually play together.
Neons are nice little fish. They are clean and peaceful and look beautiful when they have room to school. They must be kept in groups of at least 5. That would really max out a 10g. I also don't know if that's enough space to really appreciate the schooling behavior. Hmm. I just love these 'fill my tank' threads. Its so fun to come up with all these different scenarios and see others' suggestions.
I just started a female betta tank in a 10, but you sound like more of a beginner and that's a bit more advanced.
For starters, get rid of that algae eater. There is another thread on here detailing the pros and cons of siamese vs chinese algae eaters and the confusion of the two. Look for it. You shouldn't need one anyway once you learn how to keep your water properly balanced. (Yeah, easier said than done, I know!)Not to mention, that fish may be why your other fish have passed on.
OK, now in my mind, your tank is empty. So, I would start with a few plants for that lovely natural green color. You can get plants going in a 10g with compact fluorescent lights that fit into a standard cover. That's what I did. The bulbs are pricey, but they work and its a relatively cheap endeavor without changing the light ballast.
Then I would get a few cherry shrimp. Shrimp are really fun to watch and easy to care for too. Add a bright colored female betta. This is where I get stuck with this set-up. You have room for about 3-4 more fish. My first vote would be virgin female dwarf platies. Then you don't have to deal with overpopulation problems, but virgin females are virtually non-existant in the stores. (Why don't they DO that? People would pay more for these fish) Or 3 male guppies. This runs the risk of the guppies harassing each other if you get a feisty one. People do male only show tanks though, so you could try it. It would be a colorful and lively tank. Yes, the guppies get my vote for low maintenence.
Although, I don't think you need to completely discount a small school of neons. I would still oust the algae eater, just for space considerations. With neons, I would plant the tank, real or fake, with all medium and light green plants. Plant with space in the middle and around the sides. Don't tuck the plants right against the back wall. I have a school of 10 cardinals in my 75g, they look great swooping behind and around the tall plants. And all green will really cause their coloration to pop out.
I always resort to neons and livebearers. I will enjoy seeing what others suggest. Good luck!
I just started a female betta tank in a 10, but you sound like more of a beginner and that's a bit more advanced.
For starters, get rid of that algae eater. There is another thread on here detailing the pros and cons of siamese vs chinese algae eaters and the confusion of the two. Look for it. You shouldn't need one anyway once you learn how to keep your water properly balanced. (Yeah, easier said than done, I know!)Not to mention, that fish may be why your other fish have passed on.
OK, now in my mind, your tank is empty. So, I would start with a few plants for that lovely natural green color. You can get plants going in a 10g with compact fluorescent lights that fit into a standard cover. That's what I did. The bulbs are pricey, but they work and its a relatively cheap endeavor without changing the light ballast.
Then I would get a few cherry shrimp. Shrimp are really fun to watch and easy to care for too. Add a bright colored female betta. This is where I get stuck with this set-up. You have room for about 3-4 more fish. My first vote would be virgin female dwarf platies. Then you don't have to deal with overpopulation problems, but virgin females are virtually non-existant in the stores. (Why don't they DO that? People would pay more for these fish) Or 3 male guppies. This runs the risk of the guppies harassing each other if you get a feisty one. People do male only show tanks though, so you could try it. It would be a colorful and lively tank. Yes, the guppies get my vote for low maintenence.
Although, I don't think you need to completely discount a small school of neons. I would still oust the algae eater, just for space considerations. With neons, I would plant the tank, real or fake, with all medium and light green plants. Plant with space in the middle and around the sides. Don't tuck the plants right against the back wall. I have a school of 10 cardinals in my 75g, they look great swooping behind and around the tall plants. And all green will really cause their coloration to pop out.
I always resort to neons and livebearers. I will enjoy seeing what others suggest. Good luck!
when it comes to Chinese algae eaters, I have absolutely no qualms about "setting them out to sea". Also, no riot that could ever start here would be as bad as the Pleco VS Pl*co arguments on these board circa 2005.
**story time**
when i started my first tank, a pet store employee sold me 2 Chinese algae eaters as Siamese algae eaters. they quickly grew to 3 inches and proceeded to rip scales off my fish in the middle of the night while they slept. I had no idea it was happening until I witnessed it after the death of like 6 fish.
Since then my vengeance against the species is unrelenting and total.
I would bet my admission that I have Euthanized fish using various methods (both gin and vodka being the best I have used) would attract more attention. Or that I used to feed "culled" Betta fry, platy fry, gourami fry and convict fry to my Oscars.
or the one that will make people really mad, the fact that I fed all 40 of my fancy guppies to my Oscars when I was getting kicked out of where I was living. The 29 they were in was already sold for $75 (and being picked up) and no one wanted the guppies, not even local pet stores. I made the effort, but they were destined to be fed to the Oscars, who were sold 4 days later (for $100 for the fish and another $150 for their tank). While it isn't the kind of thing I would go out of my way to do again, the Oscars were so thrilled to see the colorful swarm of guppies.
**story time**
when i started my first tank, a pet store employee sold me 2 Chinese algae eaters as Siamese algae eaters. they quickly grew to 3 inches and proceeded to rip scales off my fish in the middle of the night while they slept. I had no idea it was happening until I witnessed it after the death of like 6 fish.
Since then my vengeance against the species is unrelenting and total.
I would bet my admission that I have Euthanized fish using various methods (both gin and vodka being the best I have used) would attract more attention. Or that I used to feed "culled" Betta fry, platy fry, gourami fry and convict fry to my Oscars.
or the one that will make people really mad, the fact that I fed all 40 of my fancy guppies to my Oscars when I was getting kicked out of where I was living. The 29 they were in was already sold for $75 (and being picked up) and no one wanted the guppies, not even local pet stores. I made the effort, but they were destined to be fed to the Oscars, who were sold 4 days later (for $100 for the fish and another $150 for their tank). While it isn't the kind of thing I would go out of my way to do again, the Oscars were so thrilled to see the colorful swarm of guppies.
Wow.. extreme!
But back to the thread. Again, I'll agree with everyone else, try and trade in your algae eater at the store. If they don't take it, (I see no reason why they wouldn't), try to find a friend with a LARGE (like, 75 gallons up) tank with equally boisterous fish to rehome him in. He'll just get large and aggressive, perhaps 9 or 10 inches, and turn from eating algae to point blank refusing to.
I personally wouldn't bother with an algae eater such as otos, So for bottom fish I'd perhaps get 3 or 4 pygmy cories. I reckon on top of that, as long as you keep on top of water changes, you could still keep 5 neons, or 5 male guppies which are colourful and active, and quite fun to watch, and so may get your children interested again. As mentioned though, I don't think neons would stay shoaling for too long once they realise there's no threat in the tank and they're the largest fish in there.
But back to the thread. Again, I'll agree with everyone else, try and trade in your algae eater at the store. If they don't take it, (I see no reason why they wouldn't), try to find a friend with a LARGE (like, 75 gallons up) tank with equally boisterous fish to rehome him in. He'll just get large and aggressive, perhaps 9 or 10 inches, and turn from eating algae to point blank refusing to.
I personally wouldn't bother with an algae eater such as otos, So for bottom fish I'd perhaps get 3 or 4 pygmy cories. I reckon on top of that, as long as you keep on top of water changes, you could still keep 5 neons, or 5 male guppies which are colourful and active, and quite fun to watch, and so may get your children interested again. As mentioned though, I don't think neons would stay shoaling for too long once they realise there's no threat in the tank and they're the largest fish in there.
harlequin rasboras are also a great schooling fish, I'm a big fan of them. I also love live-bearers like guppies and platys. The babies are ADORABLE!
here's some pictures of mine: http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/photography-fish-forum/59648-my-platy-fry-houdini-3.html
you're gonna want some live-bearer babies once you see him
good luck
here's some pictures of mine: http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/photography-fish-forum/59648-my-platy-fry-houdini-3.html
you're gonna want some live-bearer babies once you see him
good luck
harlequin rasboras are also a great schooling fish, I'm a big fan of them. I also love live-bearers like guppies and platys. The babies are ADORABLE!
here's some pictures of mine: http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/photography-fish-forum/59648-my-platy-fry-houdini-3.html
you're gonna want some live-bearer babies once you see him
good luck
here's some pictures of mine: http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/photography-fish-forum/59648-my-platy-fry-houdini-3.html
you're gonna want some live-bearer babies once you see him
good luck
here's a good link on white cloud mountain minnows
White Cloud Mountain Minnow, Tanichthys albonubes Profile, with care, maintenance requirements and breeding information for your tropical fish
White Cloud Mountain Minnow, Tanichthys albonubes Profile, with care, maintenance requirements and breeding information for your tropical fish