Options For 10 Gallon Tank

[tgo]

Hi there, I'm relatively new to the hobby and have a couple of important questions.

The pet store was not very helpful and I felt as though my questions were not answered right.

I am cycling a 10 gallon tank right now (with 2 zebra danios like recommended). I realize now (with no help from pet store staff) that I should cycle my tank before addding more zebra danios, and that I should have approx. 1 fish per gallon of water. But I would also like some sort of algae-eating fish or snail, any recommendations for a type? How many danios should I get (gradually, of course) in the end? Would 6 Danios plus a Mystery Snail be ok? Thanks!

 

[waterdrop]

Congratulations tgo! Two huge steps for you in your new hobby!!

1) You figured out on your own that the LFS is NOT the place to seek advice. (It -might- be a source of interesting conversations sometimes but you should always double-check the info with other hobbyists.)

2) You've done a search and stumbled on a great place full of avid hobbyists, many of whom have been into the details of good fishkeeping for decades and enjoy sharing their knowledge with newcomers to the hobby - a great bunch here!

The members will need more info on your situation: What's your tank size(10g.. I see)? What's your filter manufacturer/model? What media are in the filter? How many days/weeks have your danios been in the water? Have you done any water changes since they went in?

You are correct that a reasonable "guideline" for beginners is to stock no higher than 1 inch of fish body (fins don't count) per 1 US gallon of tank water volume. There are all sorts of problems with this guideline but its a good one for the first year while you get your head around the hobby. And just like you'd think, less than an inch is safer, more than an inch is riskier.

Yes, there are some excellent tiny algae eaters called otocinclus sp and if you like snails, there are a couple large types that people enjoy, its really a personal choice. The "otos" are fish that I would introduce later to a tank, not right after the fishless cycle, if I were a beginner. And yes, danios do enjoy being in a larger group, like 6 as you say, but of course that's going to depend on your tank size and other species choices too (well, 10 gallon, lol, I see it now!)

Anyway, start reading in our "Beginners Resource Center" and pay particular attention to "Fish-In Cycling" which is what you're doing of course.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[tgo]

thanks for the encouragement, I had read that Otos are not very hardy (but I wouldn't add them for awhile until algae builds up and the tank has cycled. My plan is to add one or two more danios when the tank has cycled, then a couple more again after another cycle, then add a snail again a few weeks later. Does this sound like a good plan?

We have pretty hard and alkaline water here (8.2) and I think an article said that Otos like soft, acidic water. Is this an issue? I would definately prefer to have some sort of algae eater with 6 danios in my tank when it matures. I would prefer to have just danios so they can school up (only a 10gallon tank) and have a good quality of life.

One more question, like I said I have 2 zebra danios in their right now and one is chasing the other (big one chasing the little one, but sometimes mutual) I have a boat that the little one will hide in, is there anything to worry about until the tank is cycled and I get one or two more? Thanks again!

 

[Truck]

you shouldnt put ottos in a 10 gallon, they need to be kept in groups and when in groups the algae wont be sustained in a tank this size.

 

[tgo]

oh yeah, I bought an Elite starter kit, not at home right now, but I am sure it is a carbon filter (maybe called a whisper something, can't remember). Thanks!

 

[tgo]

so what type of algae eater is best for a 10 gallon tank, a single siamese algae eater or a trumpet or apple or zebra snail? These look like the best options for a tank this size. Seems like Do the snails add more waste to the water (ie. affect the 1 inch/gallon rule)? Thanks again

 

[waterdrop]

You seem to have an idea that these various animals, both the algae eaters and the snails, would be a significant part of the cleanup of your tank. I have never found this to be the case much, but I'm sure others may have different opinions.

I would discuss SAE's further with other members. I believe there may be different sized variations of these, some of which can cause size problems if you don't know what you're getting in to.. so I'd be sure about that first.

I'm surprised about truck's comments about the otos, they are tiny fish and I would have thought perhaps 3 would be ok in a 10g, have not heard people say they particularly needed minimum group numbers, but perhaps that's good advice... Maybe truck would have some other algae eater suggestions for your situation.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[loachman]

I'm surprised about truck's comments about the otos, they are tiny fish and I would have thought perhaps 3 would be ok in a 10g, have not heard people say they particularly needed minimum group numbers, but perhaps that's good advice... Maybe truck would have some other algae eater suggestions for your situation.

Problem with Ottos is that they don't eat anything other than live algae IME. They tend to ignore vegetables, pellet, flake, and algae wafers so feeding them can be hard.

 

[CKutz]

i personally don't know if i would do 6 danios.. i'm no stocking expert, their index page does say 10 gallons though. but my gf had 3 in her tank, and they were just soo active, it seemed to me they were a bit cramped. all they do all day is dart around chasing each other, they drove me crazy, like watching a kid with ADD in a small room or something
maybe 4 would be ok though..her 3 seemed perfectly happy and healthy in a group of 3.
they also get to two inches, so if you want to go by the inch per gallon rule you would already be over by 2" without getting any other fish (that's not really a big deal though).

waterdrop, i agree with truck about the ottos.
from what i've read they do better in bigger groups, and it would sorta make sense since they are so small, they probably just feel more secure. but also it seems they are very difficult to keep..the algae in your tank probably won't be enough for them, and when i had one (it died in a month btw, it was on it's own in a 10 gal) and i could never get it to eat the veggies i put in, algea wafers, or anything. there are various theories about them just being very difficult in general to keep, and also not being in the best health when coming from fish wholesalers or wherever. my gf also had one in her tank and it lasted a month or two but also died, and hers didn't eat algae wafers either.
the ottos around you may be in better health though, it could just be certain supplies or something.

tgo, my 10 gal tank has never had algae, so an algae eater isn't always necessary. it has 2 15W bulbs, a filter rated for 10-20 gal tanks and i change 20% of water every week. and it barely gets any sunlight (none directly).
however look into ghost/glass shrimp, rubberlip/bulldog/bristlenose pleco. the shrimp eat algae. and i think those plecos eat algae well, and stay small enough for a 10 gallon but please research them more, they are just suggestions.
snails don't really eat a significant amount of algae to keep your tank looking nice (from what i've read).

if you just want bottom dwellers, check out pygmy cory cats, chain loaches, peacock goby (that's all i can think of at the moment). if some middle/bottom dwellers would be nice you could look into cherry barbs..i'm sure there are others having a brain fart.

 

[Pl*co]

If it's a heavily planted tank, you can have many more fish. for instance, not planted you can have 6 neons tetras, lots of plants you can have 15 (as long as ammonia/nitrates/nitrites, etc are all at the right number).

 

[mark.w.jones]

If it's a heavily planted tank, you can have many more fish. for instance, not planted you can have 6 neons tetras, lots of plants you can have 15 (as long as ammonia/nitrates/nitrites, etc are all at the right number).

I would disagree with this statement. Whilst plants do remove negligable amounts of free ammonia, nitrite and nitrate it is not reliable to do so to keep their levels sustainably low. Overstocking is the cause of most problems with water quality so I would never recommend that a beginner with such a small tank does this.

 

[waterdrop]

CKutz, thanks for the interesting comments about otos. To tell the truth I never had much more luck than you I don't think with otos, though its been so many years ago I can't remember the details. The things you cite were probably the reasons too, I never had them in very large groups and it could be that I didn't provide them with enough algae. Aaah, I hate to have to add yet another interesting fish to the list that have to have minimum numbers and thus push you to bigger tanks.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Pl*co]

If it's a heavily planted tank, you can have many more fish. for instance, not planted you can have 6 neons tetras, lots of plants you can have 15 (as long as ammonia/nitrates/nitrites, etc are all at the right number).

I would disagree with this statement. Whilst plants do remove negligable amounts of free ammonia, nitrite and nitrate it is not reliable to do so to keep their levels sustainably low. Overstocking is the cause of most problems with water quality so I would never recommend that a beginner with such a small tank does this.

According to people here its okay <a href="http/www.####/index.php?sh...+tank+more+fish" target="_blank">http/www.####/index.php?sh...+tank+more+fish</a>

Edit: The link isn't working but if you go to Ultimate Bettas, go to the Planted Tank section, and look for the post "Overstocking in Planted Tanks, Do the rules no longer apply?" which is on the 1st page, you'll see the thread Iwas trying to link to

 

[fatheadminnow]

If it's a heavily planted tank, you can have many more fish. for instance, not planted you can have 6 neons tetras, lots of plants you can have 15 (as long as ammonia/nitrates/nitrites, etc are all at the right number).

I would disagree with this statement. Whilst plants do remove negligable amounts of free ammonia, nitrite and nitrate it is not reliable to do so to keep their levels sustainably low. Overstocking is the cause of most problems with water quality so I would never recommend that a beginner with such a small tank does this.

According to people here its okay <a href="http/www.####/index.php?sh...+tank+more+fish" target="_blank">http/www.####/index.php?sh...+tank+more+fish</a>

Edit: The link isn't working but if you go to Ultimate Bettas, go to the Planted Tank section, and look for the post "Overstocking in Planted Tanks, Do the rules no longer apply?" you'll see the thread Iwas trying to link to

You could get away with 15 neon tetras in a non-planted 10 gallon tank.

-FHM

 

[CKutz]

waterdrop,
yea i know what you mean about the bigger tanks..but makes sense anyways, it's not like they live in little 10 gallon puddles naturally haha
the downsides of fish keeping i guess..
i'm not an otto expert, just from the research i did when i got one...if anyone wants to know why exactly they are so difficult to keep they would have to do more research on it. to me it seems they dont' handle shipping well, aren't provided with adequate food in lfs, and i also read something about waterways where they are caught being polluted with chemicals to make them less active/easier to catch. i was pretty skeptical of that last part..but i guess it could happen.

tgo,
some other suggestions, balloon molly, guppies, endlers livebearers, dwarf gourami
everyone boos dwarf gourami..but i don't feel they are really in such bad shape as people say. i think some are..but the last one i had was perfectly fine until i introduced new fish that had some type of bacterial infection or chemical poisioning (use a quarantine tank!). just try to pick one that is swimming around at the lfs, somewhat active, and aware of you.