New 10 gallon tank question

[zackish]

I was thinking about starting a new 10 gallon tank with about 5 barbs in it. It was going to be pretty open with a few rocks and maybe a plant or 2. Right now I have a HOB filter running on my 29 with my rena xP2. The HOB has been running for months and is very established and is only still running because I got the rena only 2 weeks ago.
If I start a new 10 gallon tank in a few weeks can I just take the HOB right out of my 29 and put it in that 10 gallon without even cycling the 10 gallon? Will the bacteria in my HOB be enough to maintain the bio-load of the 10 gallon?

[RobbieG]

I would expect it to be fine as long as the bioload is relatively the same or less. I just did that going from a 29 to a 55 and had no problems.

Check the water JIC but you should be fine

What kind of barbs are you going with?

[zackish]

Just plain tiger barbs I am planning on. This will be a few weeks off. I have all the stuff necessary for the aquarium I just need to get my money in order for my turtle. I am upgrading my turtle from the 10 to a 20g long. I plan to then put the fish in the 10 gallon he is currently in.
However, I need new substrate and a bigger strip light and a filter for the turtle so it's going to cost me some $$$

[gm72]

In my opinion a 10 gallon is a little small for barbs, they like to move around a lot and will get 2-3" long. They definitely will survive but may not be too happy in such a small space. I think most people would agree that a tank about twice as long would be far more suitable to a tiger barb.

Robbie is right as long as the HOB is of sufficient size. What kind of HOB is it?

[zackish]

Very crappy, like the most basic of the basic HOB power filter with a bio-bag. But it's for a 30 gallon tank so I figured it would do fine on a 10, especially since my 10 is going to be pretty simple.
If a 10 is too small for tiger barbs, even only 3 of them, what do you reccommend as a fish. Maybe try to breed some livebearers? I have had swordtails before but wasn't to into them.

[gm72]

Well first of all I'd recommend that you upgrade your filtration to an AC 30. Awesome filter for a 10 gallon. Many of us here use them. "...its for a 30 gallon tank..." Be very careful here. Many manufacturers rate their filters far higher than their actual capacity. Most of us cut the "rating" about in half to determine appropriate filtration levels.

Livebearers in a 10 gallon tank would be much more appropriate and fun to breed, too. Tetras also offer a lot of options. I personally love von rio and neon tetras. Your options for a 10 gallon are extensive, and like I said, you COULD do tiger barbs, I just think the tank is too small. I think most others would agree on this.

[Drumachine09]

you COULD do tiger barbs, I just think the tank is too small. I think most others would agree on this.


My thoughts exactly. Tiger barbs are a schooling species, and need a school of about 6, more if possible, to be comfortable. considering barbs can get to about 3 inches, thats is a lot of fish for a 10 gallon. I second the livebearers suggestion.

[zackish]

How about that tom's mini canister filter off of bigalsonline.com?

And i may go with livebearers because I already have an abundance of tetras and such in my 29.

I am aware of the filter general rule of thumb and how much does the AC 50 go for?

[Zerileous]

you could do a mini community or species with smaller catfish (cories or otos). That would be pretty interesting IMO. I bet they behave very interestingly in proper sized groups (my otos were trouping around in single file earlier tonight...i only have room for three unfortunately :( ).

Also might want to look into rasboras. You could keep a larger school of harlequin rasboras in a 10 gallon, and while they may seem uninterested at first, they are very nice looking under high powered flourescent lighting.

Correct me if I am wrong, but would a pair of rams work in a 10 gallon?

Another option would be killi fish. They have some very interesting colors and have been refered to as "gems of aquaria".

One more suggestion is that you could always try a few bettas. (only one male) and maybe even breed them.

I am just trying to throw ideas out for you. I personally think that breeding livebearers is going to be too easy, and also uninteresting for you. When I recieved my 10 gallon tank, it had about 30 guppies in it because the person who set it up thought that breeding guppies would be fun. I had no choice but to underfeed the fish to encourage cannibalism and prevent waste build up until I could give most of them to my LFS.

[coachfraley]

German rams stay pretty small, and they are VERY pretty fish. They also have a ton of personality. They do require good water quality, so you would need to get a good filter and keep up on those water changes.

You would probably be best off getting a pair (as Zerileous suggested), because 2 males can get pretty intense (although I have never seen any damage done).

Good luck!

[HeWhoWalksBehindTheRows]

Maybe you could go with a couple of Mollies and an Albino Cory Cat to keep the gravel clean. That's one option.

[zackish]

Maybe you could go with a couple of Mollies and an Albino Cory Cat to keep the gravel clean. That's one option.

That's funny, that is EXACTLY what I was thinking. Breeding Mollies or Platys.

[amanda_]

A 10 gallon has sufficient space for German Rams but its not a good idea because they are so sensitive to water changes and the smaller the tank, the more fluctuations in water quality there are. They also prefer soft water so a reverse osmosis system is a good idea, but not necessary.

There is not enough space for the barbs to be happy. They like a lot of swimming space and plant cover as well.

[zackish]

My GH is almost 0. I have a good water softener system built into my tap and I was told that german ram might even be too demanding for my 29.
Even if it could fit in a 10 I don't want just one fish in my tank.

[Zerileous]

well, be careful with your softener system. If it is a typical salt based system you may not want to use it in the aquarium. I don't know much about them, but make sure its okay for your tank before using it.

You could always go with all male livebearers, or if you do breed them, you should go ahead and make plans for accomodating or selling/giving away the fry. Maybe your LFS will take em for free or even store credit, but make sure you have the capacity for em. If you really want to breed them, you need a small tank for the egnant female to give birth, then move her back to the main tank and raise the fry until they are too large to be eaten. Just make sure you know what your getting into. This isn't a okay they will mate and my 4 fish will be 10 fish a year down the line deal. You could also develop a tank with lots of hiding spots and not isolate the female.

[zackish]

My softener system is good for my fish. I have been running them in it for 3 weeks and doing water changes. If anything my plants are having trouble growing in such soft water.

As for the fish, I wish my LFS's took them. Maybe if I keep visiting there and if I breed enough fish they will end up taking them. They don't know me very well yet and I am not going to give them like 5 fish at a time. If I get serious and I am breeding like 20 fish or something or having a high success rate I will talk to them.
I know very little about breeding, except for bettas. I couldn't even tell you how many eggs are usually laid and how many live statistically.

[Zerileous]

well, with platties, they are called livebearers for a reason (they dont lay eggs, they bear live fry). Anyhow when a female pops a bunch of babies come out. If you leave them in the tank with the adults, most will be eaten unless they have alot of moss and other hiding spots (like thick plant growth). This is why the female is usually isolated before birth.

I honestly do not think you will find it that rewarding to breed these guys, but thats just my opinion. You might enjoy crossing different varieties or whatever. After a few generatons however, you will need to add new genetic material or else you will notice birth defects.

[zackish]

well, with platties, they are called livebearers for a reason (they dont lay eggs, they bear live fry). Anyhow when a female pops a bunch of babies come out. If you leave them in the tank with the adults, most will be eaten unless they have alot of moss and other hiding spots (like thick plant growth). This is why the female is usually isolated before birth.

I honestly do not think you will find it that rewarding to breed these guys, but thats just my opinion. You might enjoy crossing different varieties or whatever. After a few generatons however, you will need to add new genetic material or else you will notice birth defects.

That's getting pretty serious. What do you think I should breed that would be easy and rewarding. I have tried betas but wasn't to successful with that.

[gm72]

You'll probably notice a decline in coloration before the birth defects, but yes, eventually you'll have some messed up fish.

Livebearers like swordtails, mollies, platys, guppies, etc. are very easy. Put a male in with a few females and wait. The next step up for breeding challenges probably would be something like a betta or dwarf gouramis.