Setting up a new 10 gallon

Tomorrow I am going to buy a ten gallon tank and I don't really know what to put in it. I think I am going to make it pretty heavily planted but I don't know which fish to put in there. Any suggestions? I was probaly thinking of putting a small snails (I don't really like them but at least they will help with keeping the tank clean and cleaning up waste and algae) and a betta and a few of my pregnant feeder guppies, or a betta and some colorful platies (probaly those ehite ones or those yellow ones) and guppies, but that is just I thought. However, any new suggestions will be very much welcome.

 

If you add ramshorn snails or pond snails, you'll quickly be overrun. It's easier to control the population with apple snails, but they're really bad about eating plants. So you'd probably be better off w/o snails (but you may get some in on the plants anyway). A better solution for algae cleanup would be oto catfish, but don't add any until there is already algae in your tank or they may starve to death. But once they're established, they should keep the tank pretty much spotless.

The species of fish you have in mind should be fine (may be an aggression problem with the betta and guppies, though). For them I would use the 1" rule to figure stocking levels (remember to use the adult size of the fish). And depending on how heavily planted it is, you may be able to fudge the 1" rule a little.

-Chelle

 

Alright, I see, thank you again for your post.

 

loaches like snails, but as t-cheele said theyd multiply to quick for the loaches. pleccos like to clean everything, including the glass.

guppies are a good choice, but i dont like the idea of using them as feeder guppies, just my view. no offensice meant. maybe some corries, they like eating bits off the floor.

mollies are good also, vary in colour.

 

I don't use my feeder guppies as feeders, I don't know why ppl make that assumption, but I don't, I just like breeding and keeping them for the heck of it. Also, I was thinking that an oto catfish would be too small for my 10 gallon. In addition, would the betta eat the feeder guppies, cause I wouldn't like that.

 

I have 2 otos in my 10gallon (with a female betta, dwarf gourami, pygmy cories, and adfs). They're perfeclty fine.

And yes, there's a chance a betta would attack guppies.

-Chelle

 

If its a male betta...Mine killed all my 4 breeding guppys :x

 

You might also need to bear in mind that bettas are actually omnivores, needing more than just vegetables in their diet. People assume that because they're usually kept with plants that they are vegetarians, which they are not. If you're hoping for fry in that tank... I wouldn't expect them to last long with the betta. You did say that the tank would be heavily planted, however, which may help.

Also, bettas will attack anything they think is another betta, whether it is actually a betta or not. Anything with showy fins, including guppies, is a possible target for a confused betta. Mollies (not lyretails) and platies are probably better tankmates for a betta just to avoid any accidental deaths or dismemberments.

 

I've kept one of my betta's with my guppies before with no problem. If you are going to keep him with guppies watch him closely to see if he shows and signs of agression towards them. I sat infromt of the tank with a net in my hand for an hour and a half to make sure he wouldn't attack them.

If you do put a betta in I'd go with the Platy's. My Platy's are about the same size as my betta and they look realy nice together in the tank.

 

i assumed because feeder fish to me means breeding small fish for larger fish, as if you were just breeding them youd say im breeding guppies. everyone to their own!

how about tetra's.

theres loads of types

 

I've had a bad experience keeping Serpae tetras with guppies. I had the Serpaes in my 10g a work and my coworker put 4 guppies in with them. In 2 days there were 3 dead guppies, all 3 of which had no fins left. I would be hesitant to add tetras to a tank with guppies -- I'm certainly never going to do it again.

 

I've never put Serpae tetra's with my guppies, but I do have them in a tank with neons.

I've heard that tetra's are supposed to be fin nippers but all of my guppies have intact fins/tails and they never went after my betta's either. Guess I just have weird tetras. Just like me to get stuck with the oddballs!

 

Oh I would have assumed that since feeder guppies are less colorful and not as big as regular guppies that the betta would not mistake it for another betta, my main concern is whether or not the feeder guppy can fit in the betta's mouth. How about ghost shrimp, would ghost shrimp be compatible with the feeder guppies.

 

i havent had much luck with ghost shrimp, i think that a shrimp would most likely be compatible with the guppies but you may expirience some hostility if a male beta is present, but someone may want to correct me im not 100% sure, a shrimp with some guppies and a platy or 2 would be good if you ask me. best of luck with the new tank -tl

 

Well, bettas are sort of unique, as far as 'community fish' are concerned, in that they will kill something without any intention of eating it. Bettas have pretty small mouths, but a betta is entirely capable of assassinating a guppy simply out of confusion. I've never seen breeder guppies, so my opinion is hypothetical at this point. I will say that if the breeder guppies have flowing fins, even if they're not colorful, the betta will probably at least flare at them if not kill them.

Aqueous's idea of putting the guppies in the same tank and watching them for awhile may be something to consider. Kind of a probationary period.

 

if a plant isnt toxic to a guppy, (java fern is) then you may find that your heavily planted tank becomes very stalky.

But its hat each individual livebearer likes.
Mine ate an entire fern and a plant with purple leaves on one side, they just demolished it in a day, so make sure you fish are compatible with the plants!


xx

 

chelle check my post on oscar tankmates pg 3. thanks -tl

 

I'm just getting into planted tanks so I'm still not very knowledgable about all the differnt types of plants yet.

Personally, I have anacharis (which is only doing so-so), an Amazon sword (huge and doing great), lace java fern (doing very well), water clover (otos keep eating it ), and pothos (acutally a houseplant, but doing fairly well).

-Chelle

 

i tried keeping live plants in my 10g. the plants fell apart when i tried planting them and my fish kept eating them and ripping them out. however, they look great in tanks and im gonigto try live plants again Saturday.