🐠 TOTM VOTE NOW: June 2025 Tank of the Month Contest (16 US gallons and smaller)

[connorlindeman]

POLL HAS ENDED

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Please Vote Now
We have 8 awesome tanks entered in Fishforums' June 2025 Tank of the Month contest featuring tanks sized at 16 US gallons and smaller! View all the tanks and descriptions below and then go to poll at the top of this thread, click on your choice for TOTM, and then click the "Cast" button.

Please DO NOT post any comments about any specific entry in this thread...such posts will promptly be deleted. You are not allowed to update your entry picture or video once voting has started.

Please Note:
Any attempt to influence competition results, other than by casting your allocated vote, is not permitted and may result in your entry being removed and / or further action being taken. You are not allowed to have friends or family join TFF for the main purpose of voting for you. This is a public poll so source of votes can be viewed.

Winner will be awarded a neat "Tank of the Month Winner" banner in their profile area and will be featured in a "TOTM Winner" thread for all to see and to comment on. Winner will also be added to our TOTM WALL OF FAME

You are allowed to change your vote if you wish.
This poll will end on June 18 at 5:21 P.M.

 

[Bluebubbles]

This is my new planted 10 gallon shrimp tank!
It’s home to around a dozen fire red cherry shrimps

I set this tank up almost 3 weeks ago for my shrimp who were in a 5 gallon. It’s heated (Around 24 degrees Celsius) and filtered. The cycled filter from their 5 gallon was transferred to this one so it’s cycled. I use a medium strength light and no co2.
This is my first time using a soil substrate and I’m loving how the scape turned out. I can’t wait to see the plants grow in!

Plants include Annubius and Java fern which I’ve had for over a decade now! They started as a little leaf and have how produced so many new bunches!
There’s also some Wisteria, Mermaid weed, Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig', Monte carlo, Moss, Duck weed and Red root floaters.

 

[Ram419]

Substrate: Fluval Bio Stratum, Aquarium Gravel Substrate for Aquatic Plant Growth, 4.4 lb
Hardscape: Spider Wood, Rock, Underwater Treasures Log with Hideout Fish Ornament, Seiryu Stone
Plants: Dwarf Sagittaria Subulata, Anubias Barteri (2), , java moss, duckweed, and a couple plants I'm not sure what they are called.

Tank: Aqueon Black Rimless
Heater: YukiHalu Small Submersible Aquarium Heater
Filter: UPETTOOLS Aquarium Biochemical Sponge Filter
Air pump: Tetra Whisper
Light: NICREW ClassicLED Aquarium Light with dimmer controller
Age: 2 years

Fish: Endler/Guppy Hybrid (7)
Fish Food: Xtreme Aquatic Food Spirulina-Krill Flakes / frozen brine shrimp once per week.

Shrimp: Red Cherry Shrimp (originally purchase 7 of them. They have multiplied but not by a whole lot.
Shrimp Food: Occasional unsalted green beans

Snails: Nerite (1) and a couple pest snails

Water changes done about once a week. Usually around 20%.
I dose Seachem Flourish and API Stress Zyme once per week.

 

[Back in the fold]

This is a ten gallon with NO fish in it but there is a thriving colony of scuds which are very shy and rarely venture out . I usually just see one or two take a flyer into the upper reaches on random occasions . Lots of small snails that have been in there a long time too . I have no idea where they came from but they’re only about the size of # 1 buckshot . There’s an Amazon Swordplant I’ve had for four years now and the Vesicularia dubyana Java Moss is thriving . No heater and a small sponge filter running at mid bubble speed . I’m trying some experimenting with lighting . I got a chicken light fixture and put a 5 watt LED bulb in it and the plants are responding . I do only a once in a blue moon water change since there’s no fish and it never gets an algae buildup or anything bad . If I do ever put fish in here I want Heterandria formosa . This aquarium looks like a good habitat for them .

 

[jossswonk]

This is my 10 gallon that is home to a single male betta who is just over a year old and some pest snails. As far as the plants go there's anubias nana, a red lilly, moneywort, and water wistaria. The tank has been set up for about 5 years or so. I'm not sure what kind of light is on it but it has the filter that the 10 gallon kit came with. It's a dirted tank but the nutrients from the soil aren't working anymore so I put root tabs in about every month and dose with API liquid fertilizer as needed. I do a water change about every week and trim plants every other week. It's probably one of my most low maintenance tanks but it's an absolute joy to have.

 

[Mudge]

Here’s my first ever tank — a 10 gallon that I basically rescued a couple months ago. It was already set up with gravel substrate (personally, I’d have chosen something darker). It also came with 7 zebra danios, some neocardina shrimp, a whole bunch of bladder snails, and the hornwort.

I have since rehomed the danios — I was informed here that they’d probably be better off in a bigger tank — and I then got 6 ember tetras, 2 active pygmy corys, 2 not-so active soda pop corys, and 3 assassin snails.

I also added the Amazon sword plants and what I believe is some variety of hygrophila. I have about 6 root tabs in place.

The tank was cycled when I got it, and the parameters have remained fairly consistent:

0 ammonia
0 nitrites
25 nitrates
12 GH
4 KH
7.8 pH

P.S. I am new to the hobby, so I welcome any observations or critique you might have about my set-up (i.e. can I keep embers healthy in relatively high pH levels? or will my assassins stop mating — they’ve been like this for a week, see picture — and get to work consuming more bladder snails?)

 

[seangee]

My Fluval Flex 15 has been running for around 10 years. Home to 7 ember tetra, some red rili shrimp and countless MTS.
pH 7
dGH 6
dKH 3
Temp 25 normally, as it summer its now up to 26 and the heater is off. Filter is a piece of sponge shoved in the back.
Standard light running at 40% plants are basic, hygrophila siamensis 52b, limnophila sessiliflora, 2 types of anubias and some swords. Oh and the frogbit. The alternanthera rosaefolia is rescued from my community tank because the leaves are too delicate for the attentions of the BN in there. Minimal maintenance with 75% weekly W/C and trimming / thinning when needed. The wood has been in there for 10 years and is falling apart. Tannin courtesy of alder cones

 

[MrsShrimp]

Ok, here goes then...
I'm entering my new-ish 10g tank which is coming up to a year old.
I love this tank. I know it’s not perfect by any means but I am constantly amazed at what you can do with a small setup.
First things first.. it’s a basic tank from Pets at Home. I have left the lighting in which is standard white and blue LEDs that came with the tank but want to upgrade as the plants don’t seem to be thriving and tend to attract algae.

Fish are one female Honey Gourami, 1 male Dwarf Gourami (both get on well amazingly!), 1 Sparkling Gourami who likes to be left alone and who thinks he’s a frog by occasionally croaking! Sadly his mate died so he’s all alone but seems perfectly happy that way.
Three Black Phantom Tetra, 4 Cardinal.
Two Bronze Corydoras
Shrimps – 4 Armano, 3 Bamboo
Snails – 3 Nerite and 2 zebra

Plants are Anubias Barteri which is attached to drift wood in one corner and also planted in to the hole in the centre of the plane-wreck.
Anubias nana bonsai glued to small drift wood.
Hygrophila Floratica
Water wisteria
Moss balls

The substrate is Fluval Stratum overlaid with rounded gravel.
The two stones with holes like coral are collected from a beach in the beautiful Gower Peninsular, Wales.
Plane-wreck from Pets at Home!.. along with the stone tunnel that the corys love resting inside.

It may seem over-stocked on the fish front but I carry out weekly 40-50% water changes with treated tap water, dose weekly with 1ml ph down and 2 squirts daily C02 which I may drop as it might be causing the algae problem. Root Tabs monthly.

I like to think the tank is cycled. Testing is done by the pet shop. All parameters are good except for the ph which is high at 8.5 hence using ph down.
Interpet filter is fairly new as one that came with the tank packed in.
Heated to 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Air pump/stone in one corner

I inherited this tank from my dad and have built on what was there and added all the plants, wood, decoration, fish and shrimps. The corys, cardinal tetra and sparkler plus brown nerite snails came with the tank. The rest died and the tank wasn’t in good condition so I resurrected it and added my own touch and the fish I love .. oh, and shrimps that I never thought I’d have but have grown to love as they have their own characters!

 

[sharkweek178]

This is my 10 gallon betta tank, starring a betta who wasn't feeling like cooperating with posing for any pictures. It's the same betta as my avatar. He has colored up quite nicely in the year since I've gotten him. He's a betta splendens, plakat variety.
The plants are salvinia minima, anacharis, java moss (attached to random pebbles) , java fern windelov, dwarf sagittaria, Anubias coffefolia (attached to river rock), Anubias nana petite (attached to a piece of PVC pipe fitting), bacopa caroliniana and a couple Marimo moss balls. Along with some Manzanita twigs, a piece of Mopani wood, and a floating betta log.
I use Hygger lights and a Hygger heater. And just a simple sponge filter. Water parameters are hardness: 136 ppm, pH: 7.2. Temperature is kept at 80 degrees. Weekly water change of 50-60%.
I feed Fluval Bug Bites betta formula, Omega One Betta Flakes. He also gets frozen bloodworms, daphnia and mysis shrimp. And live mosquito larvae, grindal worms and flightless fruit flies. I don't feed him too much at any one time. I just like to give him a variety. I also give him a lot of fasting days for his digestion.
So that's my tank.

 

[connorlindeman]

End of Entries:
Slowly scroll upward as you review the 8 awesome entries and then in the poll at the top of this thread, click on your choice for Tank of the Month. Be sure to click the CAST button to register your vote.

 

[connorlindeman]

23 Votes and counting. Keep them coming!
VOTE VOTE VOTE!

 

[connorlindeman]

25 votes so far. We can do better then that! Help decide our winner in this very close contest.

In just a few days we will begin accepting entries in out Fish of the Month contest. We will be featuring Bettas. If you have a Betta, get those pictures ready!

 

[connorlindeman]

VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!
This contest is close!
Right now we are also accepting entries in our Fish of the Month Contest. If you have a betta, enter it here! https://www.fishforums.net/threads/...nth-contest-16-us-gallons-and-smaller.497360/

 

[connorlindeman]

Only 2 votes separate first and second place. Keep the votes coming in!

 

[connorlindeman]

The poll will close in just a few hours. Get your votes in before its too late!
Right now we are accepting entries in our Fish of the Month contest. If you have a betta, consider entering it here: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/enter-now-june-2025-fish-of-the-month-contest-bettas.497513/