Stocking List With Some Questions

[newfishgirl]

Hi all! After some serious testing on my patience, my tank is finally cycled. Yay!!
I have a few lists of possible stocking ideas and I wanted to double check to make sure they are ok, which would be best along with a couple questions regarding them.
My tank is a 10g gallon with gravel substrate.  i have plastic plants but was thinking about adding hornwort as a floating plant for additional hiding for some of the fish on my lists that prefer it. Is that an okay idea?
It's current water parameters are: pH 7, Ammo: dropping from 4ppm to 0ppm in 12hrs time, Nitrite 0, and nitrate 80. I plan on doing a massive water change to reduce the nitrate to no higher than 20.
 
Here are my lists with corresponding questions.
 
Idea one:
1 honey gourami
6 neon tetras (or cardinal tetras?)
ghost shrimp
 
Is one gourami okay or do they do better as a pair? I read somewhere that they do better with low circulation. Is this true and if so I currently have two small air stones along with a filter for 5-10g so is that too much for them?
Also, for the neons, I read that it is better to add them to an established tank so does that mean they shouldn't be the first to be put in the tank?
 
Idea two:
1 betta (male or female better?)
6 neon tetras
4 male endlers (if I can find some)
red cherry shrimp
 
Are the endlers too close to bettas to combine them? 
Would the shrimp get eaten with this group?
 
Idea three:
1 dwarf gourami (male b/c I think they are prettier)
6 Rasbora (spotted, or mosqiuto?)
red cherry shrimp
 
Would the rasbora eat the shrimp? 
I read some contradicting things that rasboras are very active while others said they weren't. Does anyone know about these two?
I also read that rasboras should only be added to an established tank, is this true?
 
 
So how do these list look? Are the combinations okay? I'm up for others' opinions and different combos!!
And what in the world should be added first since so many of the shoaling fish need to go into an established tank? 
 
I'm planning on doing my massive wc tonight and would love to go get 2-3 fish tomorrow but I don't want to mess up so any advice would be wonderful.
Thanks!
 
 
 
 
 

 

[fluttermoth]

I've always found that neons do very badly in new tanks, even if they're properly cycled. It seems to be to do with the 'biofilm' that forms on the surfaces of the tank when it gets to 6+ months old. They can also be surprisingly nippy in smaller numbers, especially with bettas.
 
I would go with the six rasboras (if you go for one of the smaller rasboras, like chilli/mosquito, you could probably have eight), and then get a trio (1 male, two females) of whichever gourami you like best, or the betta.
 
That would put you a bit overstocked, but the rasboras need to be in a decent shoal, or they'll be very shy, and they're all small fish, with not much bioload. As long as you keep your maintenance up you'll be fine.
 
The rasboras should be fine in a new tank, but do add some live plants if you can; it always helps make the fish feel safer, and helps a little bit with your water quality.
 
Well done on finishing your cycle, btw!
 
Oh, I forgot about the shrimps; either ghost of cherry shrimp should be fine, but wait a few weeks to make sure your tank's stable before you add them; they're a bit more sensitive than fish. Some bettas will attack shrimps; I'm not sure about the gouramis, but I wouldn't have thought so.

 

[LeahMay]

Of the tetra i would go for cardinals as they're less likely to get sick and die in the first few weeks (that doesn't mean they wont)
and as fluttermoth said a trio of gourami is supposedly meant to work best, i have two tanks which prove exceptions to this however.
I would go, personally, with the betta option, get one betta and a nice shoal of cardinals (not neons) which will look great together. The endlers are ofc your call but personally i would just add to the tetra shoal.  

Nice ideas though! 

 

[newfishgirl]

I like both of those options.
For either of those, which fish should go in first?

 

[Mervin]

I had cardinals and found they were really sensitive compared to my neons, and were much larger, i've never had any trouble with neons. I also had a dwarf blue male gourami which became sick very quickly, we think he had the dwaf gourami virus

, but he was fine with the tetras and shrimps, no one has ever bothered my cherry shrimps, even when they were only 1cm big. The shrimps dart out of the way if anything gets too close, except one of my shrimps which thinks it's a fish and seems to swim about with the tetras all day. I have some normans lampeye fish in my small tank and their glowing blue eyes look awesome. I want to get a betta to go with my tetras (when I relocate them to the 35g tank) now the gourami had to be removed, but I am quite concerned about their fins being damaged. Has anyone kept bettas with tetras (like neon/glowlight) before (not skirt tetras - they are definitely nippers).
 
Your tank sounds like it is really well cycled if it is processing that much ammonia, you shouldn't have any trouble adding a shoal straight away. Since my plants have grown and arched over some of the top of the tank all of my fish seem happier than they were before (not to say they didn't look happy before!
 
I'd go with idea 2 if the betta will be ok with the tetras. The only reason I wouldn't go with the other ideas is because I've had a bad experience with a dwarf blue gourami.

 

[LeahMay]

I have never had a problem with neons either but some advise against it for newbie tanks.
I personally have a tank with 12x neon tetra and a colbalt blue coloured male betta and they look stunning together.
I'd pop your shoal in first then the betta! Males are the prettier betta but as you have correctly suggested just keeping the one either gender would work in your tank. Make sure your Betta is introduced to the tank properly though (adding tank water slowly over time) and i'd give it a couple of weeks between adding the tetra and the betta!
Totally forgot about the shrimp, they should be fine also!
We want pictures when you're done!!! Love a good betta tank!!!

 

[newfishgirl]

Ty! Now I just have to figure out which I want. Of course it'll probably depend on what the lfs has as well. Pics will definitely be posted

 

[LeahMay]

No probs! Yeahh, big choices to make and as soon as you step foot into your LFS all your ideas will change again in brightness of all the fish! Do keep us up to date with it all and yes pictures are a must!  

 

[Mervin]

Yeah defo put the shoal in first. I didn't know that shrimps shed their skin when they grow, I was really saddened when I first saw it lying on the bottom, I thought a shrimp had passed away, until he swam past. Then I realised what had happened. Just a heads up!
 
Have you noticed any signs of agression between the Betta and the neons? Does the betta get stressed with the shoal, or do the neons nip the bettas fins?

 

[LeahMay]

the neons very rarely even bother the betta. My betta tends to put himself in the middle of the shoal and do a few laps with them before resting again or coming to the surface for some air.  Not had any nipping nor any aggression though when i first added the betta he flared at them and his own reflection and the plant... you get the idea but once he settled down its been thumbs up from there!

 

[newfishgirl]

Oh, I almost forgot. Does anyone know if the 2 air stones along with the filter are too much circulation for either the betta or the gouramis?

 

[fluttermoth]

You don't need the air stones at all; none of my tanks have additional air in them.
 
Have one/two in, if you like the look of them; it shouldn't create a current that's too strong for your fish; you only get gentle movement from air stones.

 

[Mervin]

My gourami had trouble with the flow from the filter at first, he would swim into it and get blown around the tank but he soon learnt to stay away from it. Like the betta Leah mentioned, he would flare and display at his own reflection but he settled down quite quickly. Hmm I may get a betta then