How Do I Stock A 10 Gallon?

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GGss6

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I have a ten gallon and I want to know what to stock it with. I know there are lots of topics like this. But I didn't like the types of fish people put. I would like to put some platys and silver hatchetfish in there. Other than that i don't know. I want fish that do not produce too much waste and are not too challenging to take care of.
 
thats quite a small tank, isnt the silverhatchet a flying fish?

actually on googleing them i would seriously think twice about the silver hatchetfish, your tank isnt big enough they are schooling fish and jump quite some distance
 
Platys make a decent amount of waste to be fair and a 10 gallon isn't big enough for too many of them either. Hatchetfish require a longer tank and a min of 6. If you had a 20 gallon you could probably get 3 Platys, a shoal of 6 Hatchets, a shoal of 6 of your favorite Tetra and maybe 6 Corries for the bottom. Make sure you have a good lid too since Hatchets are great jumpers and get sand substrate if you want Corries.
 
Marble Hatchetfish perhaps; Silver Hatchets too big and too active. Do be aware that Hatchets are very nervous fish, and won't live long with anything boisterous. Hatchets are also extremely sensitive to water quality problems (don't add them for at least two months from setting the tank up and cycling it) and they also need water that isn't too hard (2-15 degrees dH, pH 6-7.5).

In 10 gallons, consider a school of Marble Hatchetfish, Lampeyes or Ricefish at the top, in the midwater something like a school of Golden Pencilfish, Dwarf Rasboras, Dwarf Danios or Ember Tetras, and at the bottom either a pair of Whiptails, a trio of Kuhli Loaches, a trio of Otocinclus or a school of Pygmy Corydoras. Dwarf African Frogs can work too.

There are countless options for 10-gallon tanks that work well if you're after specialist fish and don't mind setting the tank up for a single species. A small harem of Apistogramma, a colony of Tanganyikan Shell-Dwellers, a pair of Peacock Gudgeons, a group of Wrestling Halfbeaks, some Dwarf Puffers, perhaps even a pair or trio of non-annual Killifish if you can find them. With care, some of these could cohabit with tankmates, but these specialist fish will do better, and be more rewarding (show brighter colours or be breedable) if kept alone.

I happen to think 10-gallon tanks look best if allowed to "go wild", so I tend to stock with plants that I can largely leave alone (floating Indian Fern, Java moss and Anubias) and then add whatever shrimps, snails and small fish I'd like to keep and breed. After a while, the tank acquires almost a reef tank feel, with algae, plants, shrimps, snails and fish all multiplying away merrily without any input from me. Watching these tanks is really rewarding, and maintenance is minimal.

Cheers, Neale
 
As always Neale, you've given fantastic advice there! As suggested group of shell dwellers would be something different and their behaviours are fascinating to watch!
smile.png
 
ok don't freak out on me I don't have the tank yet....
Platys make a decent amount of waste to be fair and a 10 gallon isn't big enough for too many of them either. Hatchetfish require a longer tank and a min of 6. If you had a 20 gallon you could probably get 3 Platys, a shoal of 6 Hatchets, a shoal of 6 of your favorite Tetra and maybe 6 Corries for the bottom. Make sure you have a good lid too since Hatchets are great jumpers and get sand substrate if you want Corries.
Wouldn't that be a little much for a 20 gallon? maybe 4 hatchets, 4 platys, and 5 tetras. I don't really like bottom feeders very much...
 
A 20 gallon long is a 30 inch long tank which means it has large footprint with a lot of surface area. This would be good for Hatchets. I also suggested 6 Hatchets & 6 Tetras because these fish should be kept in a minimum shoal of this number. Same for the Corries, but you said you didn't like the bottom feeders. Even with the Corries I wouldn't consider the tank overstocked at all, just well stocked. You could actually add more Tetras or Hatchets in a tank this long. Also, I realize you have your heart set on a big group of Platys but I have a 55 gallon tank with 2 male Platys and a male Swordtail & they fight non stop. In fact I had a Molly in there also but he had to be moved to a different tank because he was beating on the Varitus Platy so badly. I can only imagine how much they'd fight in a smaller tank................

Oh, and by 6 of your favorite Tetras I meant smaller, less aggressive Tetras like Neons or Glowlights since all Tetras are not created equal.
 
A 20 gallon long is a 30 inch long tank which means it has large footprint with a lot of surface area. This would be good for Hatchets. I also suggested 6 Hatchets & 6 Tetras because these fish should be kept in a minimum shoal of this number. Same for the Corries, but you said you didn't like the bottom feeders. Even with the Corries I wouldn't consider the tank overstocked at all, just well stocked. You could actually add more Tetras or Hatchets in a tank this long. Also, I realize you have your heart set on a big group of Platys but I have a 55 gallon tank with 2 male Platys and a male Swordtail & they fight non stop. In fact I had a Molly in there also but he had to be moved to a different tank because he was beating on the Varitus Platy so badly. I can only imagine how much they'd fight in a smaller tank................

Oh, and by 6 of your favorite Tetras I meant smaller, less aggressive Tetras like Neons or Glowlights since all Tetras are not created equal.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11459463&ab=fishmenu_b123112aquaticsale&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInUS%2FNo
Would this work? It isn't 30 inches across, it's 24 inches across.
 
That would depend on it's width. For the tank Ruskul is talking about it's footprint should be as large as possible. So it could be 30l x 10 w. For a 24l it should 16w ideally. But I don't think they make tanks to quite those specifications, I think the one you;re looking at is: 24 1/4 l x 12.5 w x 16 3/4 h. (That's the most common measurement for a 10 gal if I remember correctly)

I like the idea of letting the tank go a little wild. I may try that with my 5 gal Betta project
 
That would depend on it's width. For the tank Ruskul is talking about it's footprint should be as large as possible. So it could be 30l x 10 w. For a 24l it should 16w ideally. But I don't think they make tanks to quite those specifications, I think the one you;re looking at is: 24 1/4 l x 12.5 w x 16 3/4 h. (That's the most common measurement for a 10 gal if I remember correctly)

I like the idea of letting the tank go a little wild. I may try that with my 5 gal Betta project
you just gave the measurements for a 20 gallon....
 
That would depend on it's width. For the tank Ruskul is talking about it's footprint should be as large as possible. So it could be 30l x 10 w. For a 24l it should 16w ideally. But I don't think they make tanks to quite those specifications, I think the one you;re looking at is: 24 1/4 l x 12.5 w x 16 3/4 h. (That's the most common measurement for a 10 gal if I remember correctly)

I like the idea of letting the tank go a little wild. I may try that with my 5 gal Betta project
you just gave the measurements for a 20 gallon....

Yes, those are the rough dimensions of a 20 gallon HIGH, not a 20 gallon LONG. I do believe a 20 gallon high could work but you'd be pretty much maxed out with 6 Hatchets, 3 or 4 Platys & 6 of a smaller type Tetra. That's my opinion of course, some may disagree.
 

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