10gal planted setup for hard water fish

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Iā€™ll try to keep this short.

currently this tank is being used for quarantine. Iā€™m picking up a few panda corydoras tomorrow that will be occupying this tank for the next few weeks.

this tank is currently being supplied with mostly RO water as my tap water is very hard.

however, once the cories are done their time out and in their display tank, this tank will become its own display in my younger boys room.

May source water is VERY hard usually around gh 300ppm.

I am using a lot of RO water to keep the hardness down in my 20gal, and was thinking perhaps of going with some hard water species for the 10gal once the pandas are out.

live bearers seem to be suitable, but Iā€™ve had guppies before, they donā€™t particularly excite me, but might be a cool fish for the boys.

I wouldnā€™t mind some shrimp in the tank, and Iā€™m not totally against using RO water in this tank, but I thought this might be an opportunity to diversify my fish keeping experience.

So, does anyone have some suggestions for some hard water fish that will do well in a 10gal setup? Iā€™ve got a few weeks of research before i make any decisions. Thanks for your input
 
Iā€™ll try to keep this short.

currently this tank is being used for quarantine. Iā€™m picking up a few panda corydoras tomorrow that will be occupying this tank for the next few weeks.

this tank is currently being supplied with mostly RO water as my tap water is very hard.

however, once the cories are done their time out and in their display tank, this tank will become its own display in my younger boys room.

May source water is VERY hard usually around gh 300ppm.

I am using a lot of RO water to keep the hardness down in my 20gal, and was thinking perhaps of going with some hard water species for the 10gal once the pandas are out.

live bearers seem to be suitable, but Iā€™ve had guppies before, they donā€™t particularly excite me, but might be a cool fish for the boys.

I wouldnā€™t mind some shrimp in the tank, and Iā€™m not totally against using RO water in this tank, but I thought this might be an opportunity to diversify my fish keeping experience.

So, does anyone have some suggestions for some hard water fish that will do well in a 10gal setup? Iā€™ve got a few weeks of research before i make any decisions. Thanks for your input
you are very lucky... wish i had hard water... guppies are cool, maybe swordtails? they like to school. find maybe the wild type ones not the platy-swordtrails. if you have live plants in that tank maybe you want some shrimp. maybe 1 mystery snail?
 
you are very lucky... wish i had hard water... guppies are cool, maybe swordtails? they like to school. find maybe the wild type ones not the platy-swordtrails. if you have live plants in that tank maybe you want some shrimp. maybe 1 mystery snail?
I was under the impression swordtails and platys got much bigger than guppies, I think I would prefer more small fish, than a few big ones. but Iā€™m open to new ideas.

just brainstorming here really. Iā€™m currently stocked with mts, assassin and nerite snails, so I could always pull from my 20 if I wanted snails.

currently I have hornwort, ludwigia and wisteria in the tank, nothing is permanent though.
 
I was under the impression swordtails and platys got much bigger than guppies, I think I would prefer more small fish, than a few big ones. but Iā€™m open to new ideas.

just brainstorming here really. Iā€™m currently stocked with mts, assassin and nerite snails, so I could always pull from my 20 if I wanted snails.

currently I have hornwort, ludwigia and wisteria in the tank, nothing is permanent though.
hmm small fish and guppies.... small rasboras? otos? endlers?
id think like 6 otos, 1-3 guppies or endlers, some inverts ( i think you should get lyretail or wild looking guppies/endlers they go nice with green plants)
maybe 1 molly as the centerpiece? idk about mollies though
 
You might be onto something with the endlers there... otocinclus wonā€™t do well in the hard water though.

I know guppies like to pick on cherry shrimp fry, I would assume endlers would be similar... have to look into that
 
You might be onto something with the endlers there... otocinclus wonā€™t do well in the hard water though.

I know guppies like to pick on cherry shrimp fry, I would assume endlers would be similar... have to look into that
guppies do like to eat cherry shrimp fry. maybe get a thick bush of hornwort? if you only get a few guppies or endlers, they wont attack the adults. also i saw that otos can live in 7.5 ph. but maybe your water is harder.
 
My ph is generally around 7.8.

my hardness however is around 300 ppm out of the tap, which is why I use RO water in my main tank to soften the water for the otos, cories and tetras in my main tank.
 
My ph is generally around 7.8.

my hardness however is around 300 ppm out of the tap, which is why I use RO water in my main tank to soften the water for the otos, cories and tetras in my main tank.
yeah do endlers or small wild type guppies against dark background, and lots of fresh green plants
 
Im not opposed to endlers. I like their colours, but they arenā€™t too elaborate. Guppies are a little too flashy for my taste.

But thatā€™s one idea, I have a few weeks to decide, so Iā€™m still looking for other ideas
 
Our water is340ppm/19dh.
Ive a 30G with Long Fin WCMMs, Guppyā€™s, Medaka and at the moment Least Killifish, which arenā€™t a killifish but are the worlds smallest livebearer and from the Carolinas originally. Theyll be going into a 10G species soon. I think they may be a little drab and sedate for young boys tastes though. The WCMMs are always charging around the tank and are very colourful, though non LFs arenā€™t as colourful or as big.
Mrs Lurch has a 10G with Endlers that she loves. Theyā€™re colourful and very active.
Zebra Danios are very active and the Long Fin variety look spectacular.

Ive a list of approx 30 small fish for small tanks suited to my 19dh/340ppm water which I compiled during lockdown when all LFS over here were closed and fish were hard to come by. Iā€™ll dig it out after breakfast.......late night watching the NFL last night.
 
I have Endlers and cherry shrimp in the same tank. It's planted, plus has rocks and bogwood. The shrimp have babies. In my very limited experience you can have both. I also have water that is hard. The tank those two are in is 8.2pH and 130ppm (my well is over 300). When I reworked the tank this summer the Endlers sat in a 10 gal under conditions I was not always proud of. I'll assure you that at least the n-class that I have a hardy little buggers.

I also have small kids and I mostly think they are great fish for kids. They are brightly colored, and my lightly line bred type have enough remaining variation to allow the males to be individually identified - so we have the one with the "M" tail, and the one with the "red line". Gives the kids a connection to them. There is a thrill each time there are new babies. As a bonus for me, the multitudes mean that despite them being individuals, we don't need to have a "fish funeral" each time one dies, which is cute at first but digging perfectly rectangular holes exactly 6" deep gets old fast. The fish are also shockingly aware of their surroundings. So, they come to greet you at the glass, especially if you have a regular feeding time. They seem to know I am the one who feeds them, as they react far more strongly to me, but the kids love that too. Because they are tolerant of such awful water, if you let the kid feed them (and here before I get blasted - with all proper supervision based on the age and responsibility of the child) an overfeeding or two won't be the end of the world. They are highly active and all over the tank which draws the kids' attention to them. Plus, now my kids have started to notice the males displaying to the females and they think it is hilarious watching them do a "shaky dance".

The one down side is that they are small. I have them in a 40gal, and the kids do wish there were bigger fish in there. All that beauty and behavior you have to be pretty close to see, and that can feel unnatural with a larger tank. In a 10gal, you might not have this issue though.

Good luck, and I hope this was a little useful to you.
 
Sounds similar to me :) Not quite as hard but from what I've been finding fish from Lake Inle are a good starting point. Emerald Rasbora and the closely related Galaxy Rasbora are good candidates as are Rummy Nose Rasbora.

Oil and Ninja Catfish are a cool bottom dweller and Rosy Loaches and some relatives work well too. The Medeka and Rice Fish mentioned above are a good option - not often seen but a really under rated fish I think.

Wills
 
As promised but late:
forktail blue eye
neon blue eye
Ricefish: Celebes or Javanese or indian or wolasi
WCMM
Medaka
EDR
Bloodfin Tetra
Endlers
Guppy
Glass Bloodfin Tetra
platy
dwarf gourami
wrestling halfbeak
xray tetra
florida flagfish
cherry barb
black bellied lima
delicate blue eye
least killlifish
tiger teddy
silvertip tetra
redflank bloodfin tetra
dwarf panchax
green panchax?
dusky millions fish?
 
Thank you everyone for the input, this is great, Iā€™ve got some reading and research to do.

I just added the pandas I picked up today, one of them looks a little sickly. But I will be posting that in a new thread.
 

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