new five gallon

[straitjacket]

Tetras and rams sound good in a 10 but I'm not sure about mixing bettas and shrimp. I wouldn't do it.
I've got a similar project *BOUNCINGS ! Only I'm sticking with my 5gl . I'm making my own background (I've just got to coat it with cement now) and am browsing sites for a 34-36watt PC or CF light fixture or retrofit sos I can grow any demanding groundcover plant (H. callitrichoides or glosso), red stem-plant or epiphytic plant (x-mass moss or ricca) that I want.
I know I want shrimp for sure and have a rescued croaking gourami I could put in there but I'm not sure of that yet. I thought of a betta at first but knowing I'm dead set on shrimp I didn't want to risk it. I even found the most perfect little red-faced female I could have taken but didn't. I'm kinda kicking myself for that one .
In your case I would put the betta in the 6 and ditch the shrimp. If you've got your heart set on shrimp though, perhaps you can look into another nano-tank for both? If you got the money for it that is. *thumbsups
Post somepictures after you get the 6 up and running! I love to see what folks can do with nanos!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

2 or 3 kuhli loaches would fit in the 10 gallon with tetras and a ram. Loaches like groups. And kuhli loaches don't bother any other fish, and other fish don't bother them. I've found that the black kuhlis are more active and don't hide as much as the prettier striped ones.

If you don't know what Reagan will do with shrimp, I'd say add them to the tank first. That way, it doesn't seem like they're intruding on his territory, or like you're feeding him with big food. If he stays up near the top most of the time, he probably won't care about the shrimp.

I've read that you need less wpg on a small tank than a big one... there's less water for the light to have to pass through.

 

[straitjacket]

The amount of lighting you need depends on the tank depth as well as the plants you'd like to keep. I'm looking into some light demanding plants. There are many other types of plants that will do very well with minimum lighting such as java moss, java ferns, Anubias and many of the Cryptocorynes.
I just found 2 Crypt. wendtii plantlets in a tank that's only had 1" of water in it and no light. I imagine they would be perfect for a tank with 1 WPG or even less.

 

[azndeath]

I say you put a little shool of white clouds !

 

[discus4everGrl]

rummy nose tetras are cool and different.