Need help stocking a 10 gallon tank please

[Mcaten]

Hi-
I’m getting back into the hobby mostly because of my sons. They wanted goldfish. Setup the tank, waited a week, bought the fish— epic fail; died in a week. Took tank down; cleaned everything. It’s up and running; chemistries are good. I have 1 clown pleco in there now (from the 1st round of buying). I want to get 4-5 neon tetras to seed the tank now and wait to introduce any more fish. My issue is: both kids want a “unique” fish. My preference would be to get 1 “trophy” fish, like a dwarf gourami or aggassiz’s dwarf cichlid. But can’t do that. I’ve looked at gouramis, mollies, Platies, kilifish. I don’t want to deal with breeding or the aggression that comes with male/female of the same species. What 2 fish would you advise to get? Thank you very much!!!

 

[Mcaten]

Hi-
I’m getting back into the hobby mostly because of my sons. They wanted goldfish. Setup the tank, waited a week, bought the fish— epic fail; died in a week. Took tank down; cleaned everything. It’s up and running; chemistries are good. I have 1 clown pleco in there now (from the 1st round of buying). I want to get 4-5 neon tetras to seed the tank now and wait to introduce any more fish. My issue is: both kids want a “unique” fish. My preference would be to get 1 “trophy” fish, like a dwarf gourami or aggassiz’s dwarf cichlid. But can’t do that. I’ve looked at gouramis, mollies, Platies, kilifish. I don’t want to deal with breeding or the aggression that comes with male/female of the same species. What 2 fish would you advise to get? Thank you very much!!!

Hi-
Additional info; GH-4, KH- 3, pH-6.4, no ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates

 

[Retired Viking]

I would not start off with neon tetras, they are more sensitive to changing water conditions and chances are you will lose most it not all of them in a few months at most. They are better to have in a well established tank that has been cycled and running for 6 months or longer. Also neon tetra are shoaling fish so at least 6 or more the better. Is your tank cycled? It usually takes around 6 weeks to do a standard cycle. Could you please explain how you cycled your tank. Sorry for asking but I want to help you make sure your fish survive.

 

[Retired Viking]

Hello and welcome to the form

 

[Quin]

Hi there! You do run into some problems with having two centerpiece fish without the issues mentioned above or population, as well as running the risk of overstocking in combination with other fish. I'd like to point out that a 10 isn't ideal for goldfish as a comfortable minimum for them is 30. They poop a lot. Ammonia issues might have killed your fish off if you don't already know the source.

It's very possible that you might have to get two different tanks, one for each boy. You could get another 10 and let them each pick their favorite fish off of a list that fits your parameters, or you could put a single betta in each (a 5 each would work too, but you already have a 10).

The good news for you is you have (assumably, since your numbers aren't labelled) soft water and slightly acidic pH. This opens up your options a lot, as I believe more fish and inverts sit in or around that range than not

 

[Mcaten]

I would not start off with neon tetras, they are more sensitive to changing water conditions and chances are you will lose most it not all of them in a few months at most. They are better to have in a well established tank that has been cycled and running for 6 months or longer. Also neon tetra are shoaling fish so at least 6 or more the better. Is your tank cycled? It usually takes around 6 weeks to do a standard cycle. Could you please explain how you cycled your tank. Sorry for asking but I want to help you make sure your fish survive.

Hi!
Thanks for the response! The problem is, I’m not sure if the tank is fully cycled. After I cleaned it out from the goldfish mess, the ammonia stayed around 1 ppm. I made several 50% water changes until I got 0 ammonia. I never saw the nitrites spike or convert to nitrates which makes me think the tank is not cycled. Only the pleco is in it now. I was thinking of introducing a small bio load to the tank to get the full cycle. Is that a bad plan? How do you suggest I get the tank cycled? I’ve added QuickStart a couple of times now. And, what kind of fish can I put together that the kids could pick? A few Pygmy Platies maybe? 2 female gouramis? And no tetras? Not sure where to start Thanks for any input!

 

[JuiceBox52]

The pleco in the tank should be enough of a bioload. Dont add anything else yet

 

[Retired Viking]

I would consider adding Tetra SafeStart Plus to the tank to give it a jump start and shorten the cycling time. I have successfully used it on other's tanks. Myself I prefer to do a planted/silent cycle instead.

 

[CassCats]

a 10 is too small for any of the fish mentioned, even the clown pleco as clown plecos (like all plecos) have a very high bioload too.

My honest opinion, upgrade to a 20 gallon or larger. Move over the substrate, the decor, plants, and filter to the 20 gallon. Boom instant cycle. House the clown pleco there.

Let it settle for a month or two, pick out a tetra you like. Go for a school of 6-8 depending on their size.

Don't get platies or mollies or guppies. Your water is too soft for them and they could suffer long term.

ONE dwarf gourami or a trio of honey gouramis. Dwarves are aggressive, so best stick to 1 only in a 20 gallon, and only ever 1 male to a tank at all. Honey gourami are friendlier and social with each other.

Bottom dweller, you got your clown pleco, and you could opt for a school of corydoras if you have sand substrate (no gravel for corydoras).


A 10 is too small for your ideas. Nano fish would be better, but your pleco is still too much poop machine for a 10g