Would like opinions from the experienced

[AlexsDaddy]

I have only ever had bettas, but would like to start getting into other types of tropicals. Been doing a lot of research on smallish peaceful community type fishes and I think I have narrowed it down to what I want. This stocking is going by the 10 square inches of surface area rather then the good ole 1" per gallon rule and from the research I've done on the fish I think it would be ok but I would like some opinions from the more experienced fishkeepers on here.

My 10 gal has 195 square inches of surface area. Going by the 1" of fish/10 square inches of surface area I could have up to 19 inches of fishes depending on the bioload they would produce.

What I would like to have is the following (if I can find them all):
4 Banded Rummy Nose Tetras
4 Turquoise Danios
1 or 2 Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami's as the centerpiece fish

 

[Mr Miagi]

My 10 gal has 195 square inches of surface area.

Is any one else confussed or is that a typo? Or is it me not knowing how to calculate SA? Im thinkg thats meant to be 19.5square inches?

 

[The-Wolf]

rummynoses need to be in 6 or more, to get thier full colouration and activness.
10 gal is too small for bengal/turquise danios devario devario, due to their size (4") and activness and you really need a min of 5 in a group.
for the gouramies stick to 1 male and 1 female

 

[AlexsDaddy]

My 10 gal has 195 square inches of surface area.

Is any one else confussed or is that a typo? Or is it me not knowing how to calculate SA? Im thinkg thats meant to be 19.5square inches?

To get the surface area in square inches you take the length (19.5 inches) multiplyed by the width (10 inches) and you get the surface area in square inches (195 square inches). Kinda like finding the amount of square feet in a room to do flooring or what not. Length times width.

Wolf, thanks. That's a no go on the danios then. The site I looked at must have been one of the wrong ones then. It said 2" for them. Maybe just the rummynoses and dwarfs then.

Edited for spelling.

 

[CFC]

For surface area you mulitply length by width to acheive the ammount of square inches your tank has and then divide it by 10 to see how many inches of fish you can have.

The fish per surface area is a reasonably good rule but only allows for a fully mature tank, i would not suggest adding more than 10" of fish to a 10g tank in the first 6 months.

 

[AlexsDaddy]

I thought I might have been missing something in the surface area rule. Thanks for letting me know. I was planning on only doing one type of fish at a time over a period of a couple months anyway to allow for any bacteria adjustments after cycling, and to make it easier on the wallet, so I guess 6 months won't be to hard to wait for.

 

[Mr Miagi]

For surface area you mulitply length by width to acheive the ammount of square inches your tank has and then divide it by 10 to see how many inches of fish you can have.

I thought thats the way it worked. A 10 gallon tank couldnt have a SA of 195 square".


Anyway, as Wolf stated, Rummy noses need a large schoal of 8 or more. Add that to 2 dwarf gouramis and you will be over stocked.

Id suggest planting the small 10gal, and adding a pair of the Dwarf gourami. Make sure there is ALOT of cover for the female though. If there isnt, she might be bullied. In which case, she will have to be removed.

 

[AlexsDaddy]

19.5" long x 10" wide = 195 square ". The dimensions are in my second post. You might have missed them. Oh well. Hmmmmmm, so which do I want more, the rummy's or the dwarfs.

 

[Angry_Platy]

You want platies, they would look nice in the tank

 

[Boxcar Muzzdogg]

Its a large possibility that the gouramis would pick on the smaller fish.

 

[Mr Miagi]

Its a large possibility that the gouramis would pick on the smaller fish.

Yes, true. Thats why AlexsDaddy is deciding on gouramis or the rummy's.
See second post above yours!

 

[@ombomb]

Personally I'd go with the Gouramis. Lovely fish and the only other fish that mine didn't get on with were Rams. I think the key with the Gouramis though, if you are getting any other fish that live in the same level of the tank, is adding them to a tank last as new additions seem to be viewed as a threat.

 

[AlexsDaddy]

I've been thinking. *smoke alarm going off in background* I've decided to go with the dwarfs. If there's a chance that the male would bully the female if I were to only get one of each, would it be better to get 2 females and 1 male to kind of spread it out a little or isn't there enough room for 3 in a 10 gal.

 

[Synirr]

I think three dwarf gouramis in a 10 gallon would be fine... that's the setup my grandmother has, and even though I only get to clean her tank about once a month (she's unable to do it herself) they're doing great. I'm sure the plants in that tank using up the toxins are what keeps it going strong.

Dwarf gouramis are spunky, cute little fish and I'm sure you'll enjoy them

 

[AlexsDaddy]

Thanks for the help all. I'm looking forward to the end of my cycle. I'm adding a stocking full of gravel from an established tank tomorrow to help speed up the process, and I'm going to throw in some plant bulbs as well as have some fake plants and a couple DIY caves in there for the females to hide in if the male happens to get too rough with them.