Stocking a 10 gal

[Mulder]

I've got a 10 gallon I've had up since August. Ammonia and nitrites are consistently 0ppm, nitrates stay around 10ppm. There's a few spikes of straight vallisneria and some hornwort. My adult mystery snail died a day or two ago, so the only occupants are some extremely tiny baby snails. They're the size of this o, and I have between four and a dozen. I've got a heater and I'm keeping the tank right around 72F, but I'm open to change. In fact, if the baby snails become food, I'm fine with that, too.

I'd like to put something else in the tank. I was thinking a single betta would be ideal, as far as it not needing a companion and doing well in the small tank. Are there other fish that do well singly or in small groups? I loved my goldfish, but are there any varieties that can live in a 10gal? I'd like something fairly hardy. I'm on a tight budget, so nothing particularly exotic or expensive.

Also, any advice on transporting fish via car for a four hour drive in the fall? I've got coolers, hand warmers, and there's even a 120v outlet in the car so I could plug in my spare heater and fill the cooler with water to float the bag.

 

[Newman]

I'd do pygmy cories in that 10 gallon. if you just keep them then you can easily breed a whole colony in there.
otocinclus catfish also work. chili rasbora, neon tetras, cardinals small fish like that work in groups of 5. but do only one type of fish in this schooling category.
If you are into plecos you can probably keep one bristlenose pleco in here and not much else. they grow to 5" or more when a few years old. fun fish to breed actually.

as for transporting, just put water in a 5 gal bucket, put in a heater and air stone w/ air pump and that should hold any fish for the ride.

Tropical fish need temps of 75F-80F as a good guideline.

and no goldfish for a 10 gallon unfortunately. unless you are looking to upgrade down the line.

 

[Newman]

Here is what i am thinking for budget stocking:
10 pymgy cories - $30
OR
5tetras/rasboras - $10
5 pygmy cories - $20
OR
Betta - $5.00-15.00
2 Otociclus - $7.00
OR
5 Cherry barbs - $10
OR
5 white cloud minnows - $10

OR 5 guppies, OR 3 platies, OR 4 balloon mollies, the list goes on and on.

 

[FishDad]

Betta with corys... cheap and hardy

 

[Thyra]

A betta with maybe 3 platies - they come in all colors and a couple of otos should work well. The betta will most likely keep any population growth down. Bettas dp like some vegetation near the surface I have found - even if its fake.

 

[Mulder]

lol I have the worst phobia about plecos after a childhood mishap. It involved a common pleco hitting the floor while I was cleaning the tank, and I can't even look at pics without shivering. The bristle nose do look different, but I'm not quite ready to face that fear.

I had the temp around 72 for neons/cardinals, but I had no luck with the five I got. I have had platies before, and I enjoyed them. I didn't even think of them. Maybe I'll start with a trio of them, and add a betta or an oto down the line. I may have a 20 gal tall available soon, if I'm certain the shelf can handle the weight of it full of water. I've got about two weeks before I get to go to the good lfs, so I'll do a bit of reading up. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[FreshyFresh]

I've got 3 silver hatchets and a tiny Japanese blue guppy in my 10g. It's starting to get overpopulated with shrimp, mostly red cherry, but some ghost because these fish won't eat the shrimp. Lots of snails in there too. It took a long time for the plants to perk up and take off in this tank, but boy did they.

 

[Newman]

if you can upgrade to a 20 gallon, then you can actually run one goldfish (any fancy variety) and not much else.

 

[FishDad]

I've got 3 silver hatchets and a tiny Japanese blue guppy in my 10g. It's starting to get overpopulated with shrimp, mostly red cherry, but some ghost because these fish won't eat the shrimp. Lots of snails in there too. It took a long time for the plants to perk up and take off in this tank, but boy did they.

I love hatchets. Very cool fish, always wanted to keep them.

 

[FreshyFresh]

I love hatchets. Very cool fish, always wanted to keep them.

Yeah, they're pretty neat, especially when you've got them in a proper group. I really don't have enough of them in my little 10g, but don't want more fish in there due to the small space.

The only time they're not bobbing at the surface is when they get stirred up during a water change. They are truly a 'top layer' fish. They never leave the surface. Gotta have a good top on the tank, 'cause they will leap out if spooked and they spook easily.

 

[Mulder]

Oh jeeze. I didn't even think of inverts. Some shrimp would be awesome. I guess I'm just going to have to wait until I get to the store and see what they have. I'm going on the 21st.

I do have a 20 gal tall, but I'm not entirely sure how to properly clean it. The previous occupant was a green anole who finally succumbed to old age. I've had all manner of dirt and beneficial bugs in there, as well as feeder bugs, so I'm not sure how to clean it well enough to be fish safe. I'm debating keeping it a "dry" tank so I can bleach it, but I don't really have any plans for it at all.

I recently ditched the last plastic plant and added some narrow leaf Java ferns. I trimmed all the shredded-looking vallisneria leaves, but I think they're doing well. There are some new leaves growing from each patch, as well as one new runner. I ended up tossing all the hornwort. I like the shape of the plant, but any healthy green hornwort I introduced would turn a sickly yellow brown pretty quickly.

 

[Newman]

you can't keep shrimp with predatory fish or with goldfish and they need lots of hiding places and a dense planted tank if you were to keep a colony of them.
a 20g high tank is great for one goldfish. you can clean it simply by spraying it very well with a hose to get all dirt out, then dry it up real well. you can use super diluted bleach if you want, but its not necessary.

 

[OrangeCones]

As long as its rinsed well with water and dried completely, you can use full strength bleach on an aquarium.

 

[Newman]

you can?
the bleach will fully evaporate when it is dried? I was afraid some might soak into the silicone or w/e. just a guess though idk what actually happens.

 

[Mulder]

Theoretically, even if some leached into the silicone, I should be able to soak it out again with enough water. I've been looking around my apartment, but I'm not sure there's anywhere I can put that much weight. I don't have the floorspace for an actual aquarium stand, either. Where it is now is fine for a dry tank with a total weight of around thirty pounds, but I estimate I'd have that weight in substrate in an aquatic tank.

My tank's lightly planted. If the java ferns take off, that could change for the future, but I'll avoid inverts now. I've got an empty 10 gal, too. Maybe setting that up for heavy planting with dirt would be a good project when I'm unemployed for a month coming up. By then, I should see if the ferns were viable.

And I've turned into an addict thinking three tanks and an investment or two into the future. Lol

 

[Newman]

keep the 10 gallon then and go with slight stocking. no goldfish.
do you like softwater fish like tetras and the like? or hard water fish like guppies or platies?

 

[FishDad]

And I've turned into an addict thinking three tanks and an investment or two into the future. Lol

Welcome to the club. You know a ten gallon planted with neon tetras and a betta can be a stunning tank, FWIW.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

With bleach: rinse well, and then a bit of dechlorinator will actually remove any residual bleach.

If the 20g tank was used for non-aquatic purposes, fill it outside (or in a garage) at first to verify that it is still water tight. If it were me, I'd leave it full of water for a day or two just to be sure, before bringing it in. Better safe than sorry (and wet...).

There are a whole bunch of little nano fish which would really bring a 10g to life - sparkling gouramis, neon/cardinal/various other tiny tetras, rasboras, daisy's ricefish (cute little blue/red fish), dwarf cories, male guppies. A betta with a crew of dwarf cories would be a nice setup too.

 

[Mulder]

I don't have much preference for hard water vs soft water fish, but that raises an interesting point. I tried tetras and didn't get any survivors over about three weeks. I should check on my water hardness. I'm on city water, so I thought it would be pretty soft, but I just assumed. I never checked.

I'm going to store the 20gal. I really don't have a lot of money to be doing much of anything, fish or reptiles. I'm on a pretty tight budget until January, in addition to the tight living space. I just don't have anything I can feasibly set the 20 up for at the moment.

 

[FishDad]

Betta then. Cheap and hardy.