Tank Stocking Opinions?

[Sussy]

I was thinking a heavily planted 10 gallon, spider wood, mopani wood, rocks, black sand with X1 plakat koi make beta and X5 Harlequin rasboras. What do y’all think?

 

[anewbie]

10 is a bit small for the rasbora but acceptable i guess. Still you could consider something smaller like cdp. Definitely not kubotai they are way too active for a 10. Chili rasbora would be another option. For the cdp the temp you have the beta would be closer to their upper limit.

 

[Sussy]

10 is a bit small for the rasbora but acceptable i guess. Still you could consider something smaller like cdp. Definitely not kubotai they are way too active for a 10. Chili rasbora would be another option. For the cdp the temp you have the beta would be closer to their upper limit.

Thanks! Besides a CPD (my store does NOT have them), what do you think would be more suitable? At some point i considered guppies but they have a high bio load for their size and they aren’t as hardy anymore. Also considered Chili’s but my store also does not have them so that’s my situation rn.

 

[anewbie]

ember tetra would be an option - they are red and stationary - you could do 6 to 10 if your water is soft (or not too hard). green neon tetra might be an option 5ish. They can be pretty shy (mine (25) hid so effectively i didn't see them for a year).

I would say ember is the better option unless you don't like red. Like i said the harqulein rasbora are not a bad choice and it sounds like your pet shop doesnt' offer many options.

 

[GaryE]

One of the mistakes I used to make was settling for fish I wasn't sure of because my source didn't have what I want. A decent store will get it, and little Bororas would be ideal. So would harlequins, as long as you did weekly partial water changes. If you're planning a lazy approach, just the Betta splendens.

Things come around in this hobby, and there's no need to add all the fish at once.

 

[Sussy]

ember tetra would be an option - they are red and stationary - you could do 6 to 10 if your water is soft (or not too hard). green neon tetra might be an option 5ish. They can be pretty shy (mine (25) hid so effectively i didn't see them for a year).

I would say ember is the better option unless you don't like red. Like i said the harqulein rasbora are not a bad choice and it sounds like your pet shop doesnt' offer many options.

I do believe they have Ember tetras, I’ll do some research on them and get back to you, but from what i’ve seen already that actually sounds like a great option.

 

[Whitecloudminnowguy09]

I keep Harlequins in a 20 long. That is almost too small for them; they are very active. Chilli Rasboras would be a good choice. But seeing as you have limited resources I would try for embers like everyone else has mentioned.

 

[fishorama]

I like rasboras! Espei are a bit smaller than harlies & a pretty coppery color. I would be very careful with dwarf rasboras or neons of any kind. We kept young neons with a betta. He ate a few but when almost adult they nipped at his fins; wrong temp too (we didn't know better)

Cardinal tetras might work if adult or almost, they like the warm betta temp. I haven't kept embers, they remind me too much of the fin nipper serpae. But their taller bodies might help. Are they temp compatible? Check!

 

[anewbie]

I like rasboras! Espei are a bit smaller than harlies & a pretty coppery color. I would be very careful with dwarf rasboras or neons of any kind. We kept young neons with a betta. He ate a few but when almost adult they nipped at his fins; wrong temp too (we didn't know better)

Cardinal tetras might work if adult or almost, they like the warm betta temp. I haven't kept embers, they remind me too much of the fin nipper serpae. But their taller bodies might help. Are they temp compatible? Check!

embers won't nip; cardinals are too large for a 10 and more likely to nip than neon. I have 50 of those cardinals in a 180 and they are are like piranha - i wouldln't dear put my finger near them during feeding. Actually i kid i only have 30 and they really aren't that bad - unlike some of my fishes (bloody geo) they wouldn't dear bit the fingers that feed them. Now those geophagus are a royal pain - they bite and they bite hard (i hand feed the discus and the young cf winemilleri are in their with them and they can never eat too much - they eat all day long every bit of food and they are constantly trying to grab the food out of the discus mouth) and no matter how hard i whack them they just come back for more. I swear one of these days i'm take them out of the tank and beat them black and blue until they learn to fear me. I just want the discus to eat in peace.

[I'd move them out if i had a good place to put them but they are an undescribed species so i don't want to get rid of them.]

 

[fishorama]

Ha ha @anewbie & your aggressive cardinals. Now serpae, there's a fin & arm hair biter! Cichlids of many species loved arm hair, my husband's more than delicate female arms.

I just looked up ember tetra temps & they'd be fine with a betta's. It's just 1 of my fish phobias, guilt by similarity to serpae by looks if not behavior, lol. I'll trust others actual experiences with them.

I think your discus are wilds, so it's interesting they hand feed. I thought my domestic juveniles were spoiled & would eat anything I held for them. Maybe they're all that way or can be?

 

[plebian]

I was thinking a heavily planted 10 gallon, spider wood, mopani wood, rocks, black sand with X1 plakat koi make beta and X5 Harlequin rasboras. What do y’all think?

That's barely big enough for the Betta.

 

[Sussy]

That's barely big enough for the Betta.

uhhh correct me if i’m wrong but isn’t a 5g a minimum for a betta? do you expect a 20 gallon..?

 

[Sussy]

I keep Harlequins in a 20 long. That is almost too small for them; they are very active. Chilli Rasboras would be a good choice. But seeing as you have limited resources I would try for embers like everyone else has mentioned.

ya ur probably right, they’re kinda larger compared to other smaller schooling fish that are good for 10 gallons. Scratch the harlequins, i’ll probably be getting an Ember Tetra School. (5-6 Tetras would be fine i’m assuming)

 

[Sussy]

embers won't nip; cardinals are too large for a 10 and more likely to nip than neon. I have 50 of those cardinals in a 180 and they are are like piranha - i wouldln't dear put my finger near them during feeding. Actually i kid i only have 30 and they really aren't that bad - unlike some of my fishes (bloody geo) they wouldn't dear bit the fingers that feed them. Now those geophagus are a royal pain - they bite and they bite hard (i hand feed the discus and the young cf winemilleri are in their with them and they can never eat too much - they eat all day long every bit of food and they are constantly trying to grab the food out of the discus mouth) and no matter how hard i whack them they just come back for more. I swear one of these days i'm take them out of the tank and beat them black and blue until they learn to fear me. I just want the discus to eat in peace.

[I'd move them out if i had a good place to put them but they are an undescribed species so i don't want to get rid of them.]

What’s your opinion on cherry barbs for this setup? It might be pushing it, i’m not sure though. I’ve kept cherry barbs before and they were great, just not sure how well they might do in a 10g.

 

[anewbie]

What’s your opinion on cherry barbs for this setup? It might be pushing it, i’m not sure though. I’ve kept cherry barbs before and they were great, just not sure how well they might do in a 10g.

As it turns out i have a group of 20 four years old. They are a bit on the large size for a 10 and they prefer being in a group. Mine pretty much cover the entire 72 inches in their 180 though they move a lot slower than kubotai rasbora

Having said that they are cheap and you could try some if you want.