10gallon!!! - what fish to get

[jaybastian]

Good afternoon, fish lovers!

This is my first ever post.
I've just finished cycling my tank after 3 to 4 weeks, and I currently have 3 zebra danios and 2 mickey mouse platies, with 6 ghost shrimp at the bottom. i'm looking to fill it up to as much as possible and i have live plants-- i don't know what other fish to get. i understand it's 1 fish/gallon of water, so i had these written down but would like some feedback?

3 danios & 1 other fish
2 danios & 2 (guppies, platies, mollies, swordtails, tetras, barbs, rasboras)

i hear they're pretty combatible, but wanted to know if tetras/mollies could also be kept in pairs// tetras seem to be schooling fish and idk if they'd be good if i just bought two.

thanks everyone =]]

[Northernguy]

Welcome to the Fabulous AC!:22:
All livebearers should be at least 2 females per male,3 is better.It allows one female to get a rest while the other is being chased. Not a good idea in a ten because they drop fry roughly every month. All male is ok too!
Tetras should be in schools of at least 6.
What sex are your platys?

[Walmart Wannabe]

in my ten gal i have 4 Tiger Barbs a Cory Catfish and people tell me that it is overpopulated so i wouldn't add more but i' sorta new at this to

[jaybastian]

my mickey mice platies are both male; ive read and the long fin behind its anal fin means it male, if it doenst look like a fan.s yes; thats two male platies. would this be a problem?
and since tetras should be bought in groups of 6, shouldn't that be the same with my zebra danios? the lady at petco said 3 is fine for cycling, and ic an come back for more. however, the only thing stopping me from getting 2 or 3 more danios is i'm not too fond of their color, and i want to buy other colorful fish.

and i'm going to purchase a java fern later today as well. any suggestions on other plants to buy?

[Northernguy]

TBs need bigger schools to keep aggression down and corys need schools of at least 6 to comfortable in any tank.Thats why they are not recomended for a ten.Dwarf corys are better suited for a ten.

[mac]

Really IMO I would skip platys in a 10 gallon, and more so with the Danios.

I would look more into fish like Ember Tetras. Neons or Cardinal Tetras. Along with Glow light Tetras. They would work out great.

Then you could get some Pgmy Corys to go with the other fish.

As for plants Java Fern is a nice plant, takes some time to grow but really dose well. Other plants would be Crypts, and Rotala IMO and IME.

Good luck..

mac

[jaybastian]

do schools of fish have to be the same kind?

that is, am i allowed to get 3 or 4 tetras of any kind? like neon tetras? im kind of bored of the zebra danio's appearance and want to change it up. i can stay away from the palty/molly and go for schooling fish. i just want to get something other than the danios.

[jackson17]

Not really, same kinds school together. Neons and cories would look great in a 10 gallon.

But, the 1 fish per gallon rule is not good IMO.

[Z Fish Man]

I started my 10g off with danios too but decided I didn't like them cause they were too nippy so I took them back. What's in my tank is in my sig. but a lot of people wouldn't recommend what I have in there as they all could use about a 20g instead. I justify it by having a heavily planted tank and the BN pleco might have to be rehomed eventually but he seems happy now. Like the others said I would recommend the smaller tetras and shrimp or dwarf cories.

[mac]

As for fish most fish need schools. And not mixed schools of different fish.

But a school of there own species. IMO a good school size is at least 7.
I have found just one to two more fish makes so much of a difference.

As for the 1 inch per gallon rule. Forget it, the rule is to full of holes to be of any use at all.

mac

[jaybastian]

awesome,

thanks guys this is great info! and just to spot it for future referecne: what would be abnormal school behavior?

[mac]

Well depends on the type of fish. How many, what they are eating, how healthy they are, what the tank is like, the water conditions ect ect, for showing abnormal behavior.

mac

[jaybastian]

ok so i currently have:
3 zebra danios
3 albino tiger barbs
2 mickey mouse platies
1 oto

is this a bad mix? they seem to be coexisting fine for the mos tpart, except for the fact that my ghost shrimp are missing now; i dont nkow if it was because of my aquascaping or if it was due to the semi-aggressiveness of the barbs.

my question is, should i return the barbs and get 3 or 4 more danios instead? i personally dont like their dull color... or can i get 3 or 4 more barbs in exchange for my danios?

[troy]

I would return the barbs.

[jaybastian]

why? i observed them again today and they're all okay, still.

what should i be looking out for? fin-nippage? what are signs of aggression?

[red eyes]

barbs need room to roam and need at least a group of 5.
get a few more zebras or platys and at least 2 more otos.

[jaybastian]

how harmful is it if schooling fish don't have enough fish to school with?

is it possibly safe for me to return my danios and get more barbs to live with my platies?

[jaybastian]

i returned my albino tiger barbs, and got 2 more danios and a platy and a molly. my tank's a lot more enjoyable for everyone

[robflanker]

I think mollys get too big.

I'd return and then your stocking should be ok I think.

Can you repost what you have in there right now?

[jaybastian]

a full 10 fish; i believe its overcrowded, based on a lot of posts i've read:
5 zebra danios
2 mickey mouse platies
1 sunfire platy
1 black molly
1 oto
2 to 4 ghost shrimp
3 live plants

i visited petco for a water test, and my nitrite/nitrate levels are still high. i just finished doing a water change. any advice/constructive criticism?

[robflanker]

Did you cycle? If not, you have way too many fish to accurate fish-in cycle

You need to return some fish I thinl. You should start with the molly, then the platies. Keep the zebra danios for now, to cycle, and then we can think about restocking.

Better to return them, get your money back, cycle properly, and then go back and get them again - then have them die off and lose the $$.

You should also buy your own testing kit - API Liquid Freshwater Master test kit; you'll need tests for Nitrate, Nitrite, pH, Ammonia (all in that kit)

[jaybastian]

i returned my molly. one of my platys died. and another one has ich.

it's still cycling. im down to 8 fish in my tank. ive been monitoring the whole tank now and hopefully things will settle soon. im just going to get a bigger tank off of craigslist so that i won't have to worry about doing so many f*cking water changes.

it's become so tedious that's it's becoming too difficult to enjoy my fish.

[robflanker]

A larger tank wont change your number of water changes, it'll just increase the volume you have to change....

thats also why fishless cycling is the easiest way to go - no w/c until you add fish