Rolling Some Ideas Around In My Head...

[fishwatcher]

I'll have an empty 10-gal soon, and I would like to add something there. (I can not have an empty tank! That's like money being wasted! LOL)
Anyway, I don't want any typical community fish. I have a few of those already. Maybe something coldwater? Maybe a species tank?
What kind of set-ups do y'all have in small tanks?

 

[Squid]

I'll have an empty 10-gal soon, and I would like to add something there. (I can not have an empty tank! That's like money being wasted! LOL)
Anyway, I don't want any typical community fish. I have a few of those already. Maybe something coldwater? Maybe a species tank?
What kind of set-ups do y'all have in small tanks?

I keep getting tempted to put something into my hospital tank, but i am currently resisting... Do you already have one of those, or should you be keeping this one for that reason?

Squid

 

[fishwatcher]

I have a small 5-gal hospital/quarantine tank. I'm upgrading my 10-gal to a 20-gal, so this one is now open for use! Of course, I have to find somewhere to put it.
(I have 7 tanks already and a very small house... my hubby is getting paranoid that the fish will one day take over our home. I told him that they are already starting. I can hear them whispering when the lights are off.)

 

[tmack]

Hi. I'm not sure about the cold water tank, but I think bloodfin tetras do well in cold water?

This recent post may be of some help with ideas:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=181849

 

[DazedNCoNfUsEd]

Do some research on Dwarf Puffers. I've always thought about buying a 10 gallon for those, but right now 2 tanks is enough to keep my free time busy.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I have a small 5-gal hospital/quarantine tank. I'm upgrading my 10-gal to a 20-gal, so this one is now open for use! Of course, I have to find somewhere to put it.
(I have 7 tanks already and a very small house... my hubby is getting paranoid that the fish will one day take over our home. I told him that they are already starting. I can hear them whispering when the lights are off.)

What sorts of fish do you already currently own?

 

[fishwatcher]

Ah, let's see....
rams
different gouramis
betta
ADFs
crayfish
dwarf puffer
rummy-noses tetras
harlequin rasboras
platies
guppies
cory cats
kribensis babies
about to get a pair of curviceps, a red-tailed shark, and tiger barbs (not for the same tank!)

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

If you current fish have got plenty of room in their current tanks, then i'd probably advise getting something completely different like a shrimp of some sort like amano, cherry or ghost shrimp and some large snails like apple or giant ramshorn snails and perhaps a couple of african dwarf frogs .

 

[fishwatcher]

I have some ADFs, but the idea of a shrimp and snail tank is kind of cool. There aren't any kind of shrimp but ghost or marble around here though. I can't ever seem to keep ghost shrimp alive. I'm not sure if they get killed by the fish or if the water is too soft/acidic for them. It would be cool to have a tank filled with shrimp though. And the marble shrimp need salt, I think.
Ooohhh, what about a brackish tank? What kind of little salties could go in a 10? (And how exactly would I go about making is brackish? I know, ask in the salt water forum, right?)

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I have some ADFs, but the idea of a shrimp and snail tank is kind of cool. There aren't any kind of shrimp but ghost or marble around here though. I can't ever seem to keep ghost shrimp alive. I'm not sure if they get killed by the fish or if the water is too soft/acidic for them. It would be cool to have a tank filled with shrimp though. And the marble shrimp need salt, I think.
Ooohhh, what about a brackish tank? What kind of little salties could go in a 10? (And how exactly would I go about making is brackish? I know, ask in the salt water forum, right?)

I have no idea about brackish tanks, but as for snails if you don't have a great variety of them in your local shops, www.snailshop.co.uk is great as it has dozens of types of gorgeous snails available and other members here have had a lot of success buying snails off it;

http/www.snailshop.ashopcommerce.co.uk/c...cal-snails.html

If you ph is too acidic you can always chuck some shells in there like oyster shells to help make it more alkeline, making it ideal for shrimp and snails .

 

[my fat fish]

gigant aftrican snail they r cool but u cant fill ya tank with water if u get them lol

 

[fishwatcher]

Would a chunk of tufa rock work? (I already have a piece of that from when I had planned on doing a shell-dwelling tank.) Would doing water changes with water that is soft/acidic mess it up?

ETA: what about clams? Would they work with shrimp and snails?

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Would a chunk of tufa rock work? (I already have a piece of that from when I had planned on doing a shell-dwelling tank.) Would doing water changes with water that is soft/acidic mess it up?

ETA: what about clams? Would they work with shrimp and snails?

I think tufa rock makes things more alkeline so that would help, but things like oyster shells are particularly good as they are full of calcium which is good as the snails may occasionally graze over the shells and pick up the calcium from them, which is good for their own shell development.
I'm not sure how much the water changes will cause the ph to fluctuate, but you can get certain ph adjusting chemicals which can make the water more alkeline so when you do water changes you can change the water to make it more alkeline before you put it into the tank- i think this is the thing you need;

http/www.ph-ion.com/index.asp?PageAction...CFRxOPgodVz-olA

.

edit: I don't know much on clams though except they are a pain in the bum when they reproduce, many are pretty difficult to look after- there was an article i read on them with more info on this, i'll see if i can find it for you.

 

[J4MES]

Red Clawed Crabs?

J4MES

 

[fishwatcher]

I've even had the thought of a crab shack... 2-3 fiddlers or some freshwater crabs.
so many choices!