Fish Tank advice neeed......

[godale03]

Hey Guys!

I got my daughter a 10 gallon fish tank a little over a month ago. It is filtered and has been cycled. Currently we have 4 Zebra Danios and 2 Male Guppies in the tank. They are all doing well. I have a few questions regarding adding a couple of more fish, if that is even possible. My questions are as follows...

1. I would like to add some neon tetras and/or cherry barbs as the guppies and Danios hang near the top. I would like to add some fish to hang out in the middle column of water. So, is this possible, meaning would I be over crowding? Also, if I could add them, how many would I need to add and do it safely? I know they are schooling fish. I am also open to other suggestions.

2. I would like to add a bottom feeder(s). I was looking at the Cory's but I am not sure if I can add those or not, because they are also schooling fish and I don't know if I could add enough of them to keep them happy and not over crowd the tank. I don't want to get the loaches or plecos because of the size they will grow to. We have no intention of going bigger.

We are new to the aquarium gig. This tank is in my daughters room and as beginners would like to add fish that are hardy, stay small due to tank size and are active enough so my daughter will enjoy watching them swim around.

Also, another side note... we only have a Petco to shop at local.

Thanks guys!

Tom

 

[grgbulldog]

It's great to hear you'really getting into aquariums with your daughter. Post pics.

Technically, you're pretty much stocked for a 10g, but I think you'd be fine adding some neons or corydoras. I kept a large betta and 4 peppered Cory cats for a couple years in a 10. Neons will actually spend more time on the bottom than you would think. Mine are usually within a couple inches of the substrate. Corydoras will hide a lot unless there is food in the tank. I think 4 corys or 4-6 neon would work. Neons are not as active as zebra danios either. If you add live rhizome plants such as anubias or java fern it would make the fish even happier, and they don't really need too much added light.

It's good to keep in mind that sometimes it can be hard to feed corys without over feeding everything else. I drop bottom feeder rounds in at night before I go to bed for them, but they come out during regular feeding.

Before buying neons, be very thorough in checking to make sure none in the tank have any white fungal spots on their fins. The last set of 12 I bought had some and it didn't really show until after 3 weeks of quarantine. I had to pull 2 out of my display tank.

 

[slowngreen]

I'd recommend looking for Petco's $/gallon sale and picking up a 20 Long. They are 30" wide and would be great for still staying small but giving your fish more side to side swimming. Plus they will be $20.

 

[grgbulldog]

^^^! Also, because they're so small, you can de-rim them and they look great. I have one like that.

 

[godale03]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the help. My daughter really enjoys watching and feeding them at night. I will keep an eye out for the longer tanks. I found out today that we are getting a pet smart soon. I know they usually have a good selection of fish. I just want to do this right and not overcrowd.

 

[godale03]

Just curious guys... and I realize that there is no hard numbers... at least that is what my googlefoo has led me to believe, but how many fish in the size range that I currently have, can you safely keep in a 10 gallon tank? My research has led me to believe anywhere from 4 to 10 or more have been safely kept. I figured that I would ask you guys to see if your numbers jived with what the web has advised. Thanks!

Tom

 

[grgbulldog]

What you have plus 4-6 neons or glolight tetras (not glofish), or 4 corydoras, but I would stay on the side of tetras for such a tiny tank. Corys can be messy. I would say cardinal tetras, black neons, etc will be too big. You could also think about African dwarf frogs. I would say get a betta as a centerpiece fish, but they're not very campatible with guppies.