10lt Tank - How Many Fish?

[Jozlyn]

Your tank looks fantastic, what type of fish do you have in there?

They are Microrasbora Nana.

Thanks

 

[kribensis12]

I think that you should invest in atleast a 20g. In illinois they are only 35 dollars for a empty one( just a tank, no lid or anything).

 

[Lynden]

Personally i wouldnt put any fish no matter how small into a tank of less than 10 gallons on a permament basis and even a 10 gallon tank only offers a floor area of 18x12" (1.5 square feet). 10 litres is the volume that the average household bucket holds and im sure if someone said they were keeping fish in a bucket there would be a few choice words said.

Everyone knows how much I agree with this. Well put, as always CFC.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I would put cherry shrimps in this. Up the invertebrates!

 

[George Farmer]

Personally i wouldnt put any fish no matter how small into a tank of less than 10 gallons on a permament basis and even a 10 gallon tank only offers a floor area of 18x12" (1.5 square feet). 10 litres is the volume that the average household bucket holds and im sure if someone said they were keeping fish in a bucket there would be a few choice words said.

Everyone knows how much I agree with this. Well put, as always CFC.

I've tried to "bite my tongue", but I feel compelled to continue defending my decision to stock a 10 litre (2.5 gal.) with fish.

The suggestion that perhaps my actions are not acceptable, for whatever reason are a concern for me, as I'm sure they would be to any responsible fishkeeper.

I am a little confused as to what exactly the problem is with stocking 1.6cm (0.6") fish in a 30x20x20cm (12x8x8") aquarium.

The risk of poor water quality perhaps?

This is not an issue, I perform 50% water changes every other day, filter with a 160lph HOB filter filled with effective bio-media, plant growth alone strips the water column of toxic nitrogen compound and heavy metals. I can hand-on-heart say that my water is top notch and entirely suitable for the aquarium's occupants.

Swimming space?

The aquarium is 300mm long. The fish are 16mm. That's over 18x the fish length in swimming space. The generally accepted max. guideline is 6x. Of course, it's not as cut and dry as that. How many clown loaches with an adult potential size of 30cm+ (12"+) do we see in 120cm (48") tanks or less, yet this is deemed acceptable to many.

Environmental stability?

Not a problem. Temp. remains stable, no heating is required as my house is warm and my fish prefer it cooler than most tropicals at around 23C (73.4F). As discussed, the water quality is excellent due to the water changes and plant growth.

I'm sure the fish wouldn't have spawned, that has been suggested, if there were less than ideal conditions.

I understand those suggesting that 10 gal. should be a minimum, as they hold the fish welfare in the highest regard, that is a good thing indeed. But please understand that there may be exceptions to the "rules", as with most things in this hobby. And if one is experienced and knowledgeable enough then these "rules" can be bent with no detriment to the quality of life to the aquarium's occupants.

The nano aquarium is with us and is increasing in popularity all the time. I for one was not a keen fan to begin with, full of concern for water quality issues etc. However, I took the plunge and have not looked back since. Tiny volumes are not for the inexperienced but if a few guidelines are followed then there is no reason why we can't keep healthy fish in small volumes, less than 10 gal.

One final point. Do you think Practical Fishkeeping magazine would allow me to write an article on my nano and pay a professional photographer to shoot it if it were an unsuitable size? Think about that too for a minute.

In the interest of my animals' welfare I am of course willing to hear why I shouldn't be stocking the way I do, so please feel free to tell me.

 

[Majjie]

I agree with George - a public forum should be all about exploring what can be done - whilst always putting the welfare of the fish first - and perhaps making an extra effort to emphasise this last point.

If the only topics which can be discussed are those suitable for beginners - then all the more experienced fishkeepers would leave the forum after a while.

There has been some discussion recently about how many pygmy corys can be kept in a small tank. I love pygmys and would hate to think of them being kept with boisterous companions or in tanks which were empty of plants or weren't regularly cleaned - but having 8 or 10 of them in a 5 gallon tank wouldn't worry me at all. They'd be entirely happy because they love each others' company. It's the people who want to stick rigidly to the "rules" that wouldn't be happy.

Having said that - 10 litres is tiny! I'd go with dwarfgourami and put cherry or tiger shrimps in it.

 

[Dave Spencer]

I would like to make a few relevant points regarding this thread:

1) George has been very successful keeping fish in a 10l nano tank. The pictures speak for themselves and clearly show that it can be done.

2) Some people will need to open their minds a little regarding the minimum size for a tank.

3) George obviously hasn`t pointed it out himself, but I think we all know how experienced and talented he is. Most of all, though, he has been meticulous with the husbandry of this set up. Will anyone else thinking of setting up a nano this small be bothering to read his journal on the planted tank forum? Give it a go and broaden your horizons.

Dave.

 

[Majjie]

I should perhaps have said that I have absolutely no doubt that George's tank is fine and that the fish are entirely happy. The only reason I'd go with the shrimp for a tank that size is that I wouldn't want to keep up with quite such regular maintenance

 

[Themuleous]

I've got a 4g 24x8x8" and never had any problems with fish health, despite keeping numerous dwarf rasboras which are notoriously sensitive to poor water conditions. I've never lost a single one due to ill heath, them jumping out yes (that’s a different matter entirely) but not from illness or disease.

Perhaps maybe limit the sale of small tanks to the more experienced fishkeepers, but to rule them out completely would be to take away one of the last great challenges in fishkeeping, even marines are far easier then they ever were.

Sam

 

[black angel]

For what its worth i think its beautiful.
George knows what he is doing but if a newbie did it we would all be giving it this

I personally couldnt do it as I dont have the know how but its great to see those that can.

 

[MoreCoffee]

A 10 litre tank is no good for anything as a permament home, the only thing it could be used for is a photography tank to temporarily hold fish while you photograph them.

I can't say I totally agree with that statement, but DO think that anybody asking advice on tank sizes and stocking levels should be advised to understock until they gain more confidence and experience and it should be emphisised that fishkeeping in nano tanks is a very specialised area and should only be attempted by people who have an understanding of what is involved.

I'd personally like to see far more advice offered out by LFS to people looking to stock mid sized tanks, particularly in relation to the size of a fish when fully grown.
Clown loaches have already been mentioned, but angels and particularly plecs are also fish that can turn into 'tank busters'. Thankfully that at level of advice is always available on forums such as TFF !

IMHO, I believe that fish can be successfully kept in small tanks as long as the person running that tank has chosen the fish with care and maintains the tank to the highest standards and most importantly of all ..... knows what they are doing ! I know George qualifies in all those catagories !
The fish size of the fish (max adult size) has obviously been taken into account when stocking the tank and I have no doubt whatsoever that if George saw any signs of stress in his fish he'd act immediately to resolve it.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Please let it be noted that when I suggested shrimps, this was not in opposition to George's tank in any way; it was a genuine suggestion, because I happen to think shrimps are great fun.

Looking over the other posts, it strikes me that part of the difference in opinion might be because people aren't thinking about the same fish. What George and other nano tank experts advocate are what you might call nano species, things like microrasboras, ember tetras etc. These may be difficult to find in your average lfs, I certainly have never seen them around my way. What may ring alarm bells for lots of caring fishkeepers is the thought of the sort of small fish that you do find in most lfs- things like guppies and the more common run of tetras, fish that are really not suitable for what you might call a small nano tank.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Please let it be noted that when I suggested shrimps, this was not in opposition to George's tank in any way; it was a genuine suggestion, because I happen to think shrimps are great fun.

Looking over the other posts, it strikes me that part of the difference in opinion might be because people aren't thinking about the same fish. What George and other nano tank experts advocate are what you might call nano species, things like microrasboras, ember tetras etc. These may be difficult to find in your average lfs, I certainly have never seen them around my way. What may ring alarm bells for lots of caring fishkeepers is the thought of the sort of small fish that you do find in most lfs- things like guppies and the more common run of tetras, fish that are really not suitable for what you might call a small nano tank.

I also have no problem with nano shrimp only setups. They can make for excellent tanks, particularly Cherry, Bumble bee or CRS shrimp. These can be as difficult to find as the 'nano' fish species, but if you can find them they are certainly an option worth looking at.

However, water quality will still need to be a major consideration.
Nano tanks may be small, but they are high maintenance compared to larger tank, small volumes of water can be unforgiving. If the maintenance routine is adhered to fish, shrimp and plants are all possible .... but in general I think anything below 5gal is getting into a specialised area and should only be attempted by people who know what they are doing.

 

[dwarfgourami]

in general I think anything below 5gal is getting into a specialised area and should only be attempted by people who know what they are doing.

Absolutely, we should stress that when we hand out advice.

 

[CFC]

I know that at least two European countries have laws against keeping fish in tanks less than 40 litres ( Finland, Italy and possibly Germany too, though im not sure on the last one) and most likely more will follow their example. Since our European counterparts have been leaps and bounds in front of the rest of the world in the aquatics hobby and industry for decades i am inclined to think that their judgement is sound.

Small tanks are very unforgiving of mistakes and require an almost military regime of maintainance to keep them stable and healthy enviroments for their inhabbitants, very few people are aware of or prepared for this level of husbandry and a small tank can very quickly become a disaster.

Hats off and good luck to those that do keep these tiny tanks successfully but its not something i could ever recomend and i will continue to advise that 40 litres be the smallest tank that any fish species should be kept in.