First time 10 gallon tank setup

[hikaru199]

So of course this is going to be my first time setting up an aquarium, and like all beginners I have a lot of questions. I have read up on a lot of stuff and have looked at a lot of forums, but before I start anything I wanted one last check.

My setup is going to be a 10 gallon aquarium kit by top fin, comes with a heater, a HOB power filter ~80 gph, an out of tank thermometer, and a light hood.(which might be LED, but I might switch to one for the plants.) The substrate will be fine sand, the plants I am looking at will be Java ferns, Java moss, and Anubias nana. I do not now if I will be puting fertilizer or topsoil in the tank. There will also be natural driftwood in the tank, will soak it enough to only get a light color to the water. Also getting an API Master test kit, so no worries there.

I am looks to getting either 4-5 platies, all female, or 5-6 zebra danios, all female. Then 4 spotted cory catfish, all female.

My questions are:

Will the bioload be too much with platies and cories?

With tetra safestart could I add all the cories in or maybe even all of them at once?

Also how much sand to put in, because many say that an inch for cories is good because they will go through that much?

Is sand bad for keeping bacteria in the tank, if so how can I offset this?

Will a second or better filter be needed?

Thank you for your time, and anything that you have advice on that falls away from my limited information and questions are welcome, even better fish to keep, though I really want the cory catfish!

 

[Newman]

if the filter is rated for 20gallons or up then yes it's good enough.
i dont think a 10 gallon is enough for 4 platies and cory cats. unless you get pygmy cory cats.
I'd go with endlers because they are smaller then get 3-4 proper sized panda cories.
maybe you could have like 5 endlers and then breed from there however many you need. 3 females, 2 males.
zebra danios are ok but only do 3 of them and you can't do the panda cories with larger fish like danios.

no you should not add fish all at once. do one group first, wait 2 weeks then do the next group.
I would do the cycling additive with the endlers because i think they are hardier. in that case wait at least two weeks if not more until all levels are normal. no ammonia, no nitrites, some nitrates. (less than 40ppm).

2" of sand is fine. sand is good for every purpose.

if you want just cories, get about 10 pygmy cories in that tank, and you'll be able to start breeding them for more. that would be a lot of fun i think. you could get a nice school that way easily. and it lets you learn how to keep fish properly (tending to their parameters to make them happy enough to breed and thrive.)

 

[Thyra]

I have not personally used Tetra Safe Start, but from reading other's experience it may well be a waste of money. Adding fish slowly, testing water daily at first and doing partial water changes daily until you get some nitrates and zero ammonia and nitrites will also get your tank cycled.

 

[FishDad]

I would avoid the fine sand like play sand. Stick with an aquarium grade, pre washed coarse sand. Play sand will destroy your impellers.

 

[OrangeCones]

The substrate will be fine sand, the plants I am looking at will be Java ferns, Java moss, and Anubias nana. I do not now if I will be puting fertilizer or topsoil in the tank.

None of the plants you mention root in the substrate, so you would not need topsoil under the sand. All can take in fertilizers in the water column, but likely not necessary. The fish should be able to provide any needed fertilizer.

Also getting an API Master test kit, so no worries there.

Wonderful!!!!!!

 

[FreshyFresh]

Welcome hikaru199!

You're a head of the game IMO, given you're asking the right questions prior to setting up your tank. You've got to establish a proper nitrogen cycle in your tank, be it with fish-in or fishless. If you can get some used, established bio filtration media and a bunch of gravel from an established tank, your set to add 2 fish or so and monitor parameters until you've verified you generate nothing but nitrates. (this is a whole'nother topic for you)

Platys are friendly and active buggers, but are poop machines. I wouldn't put more than one in a 10g along with some other fish.

Sand looks great, but can be a pain with filters, especially in a small tank like this. I like polished natural pebble gravel (very tiny pebbles). It's small/smooth/fine enough for corys to root around in and it looks nice IMO. You could anchor plants in it too, but like OC said, the plants you mentioned don't need to be rooted at all. Good choice to begin with!

If you can find a fine, dark substrate and a dark background, it makes your fishes coloration pop a bit more.