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View Full Version : how many neons or cardinals in 10 gallon?


wigglejaggles
10-31-2003, 10:42 AM
Hey now,

i would much rather understock than fit the most I can and be on the verdge of overstocking. I just hope 6 isnt being on the verdge of overstocking because I would never keep a schooling fish that couldnt be in a school...and I know that 6 is kind of pushing it still for them to be happy in a school.

here will be my tank specs:

aquaclear 150 filter
15 watt flourescant strip light
50 watt hagen heater
flourite substrate
java moss, java fern, and watersprite close to heavily planted so the tetras have alot of hiding places, but with enough open space for swimming.
nice piece of driftwood.


Ok...I also plan to change 50% of the water weekly.


So....would six be a good number? Would 8 be on the verdge of overstocking? I also wanted to put two corys in. Perhaps I will try to find the smallest corys available so they dont create as much waste.

thanks in advance! and remember....I dont evenw ant to come close to overstocking even tho I plan to change 50% of the water weekly. You might be thinking...why only a 10....I am in a dorm room and will have to move the tank at least 2-4 times a year, and the space available only allows me a 10. I want my fish to be very happy!!!! :)


take care,
Jared
OrionGirl
10-31-2003, 10:52 AM
7-8 cardinals and 3 smaller cories like pandas(cories also like being in groups) would be a mid-level stocking plan. For neons, 8-9 should be fine, with the same three cories. Cardinals get a bit larger than neons, so I wouldn't have 9 of them. Keep in mind that a 10 gallon tank is too small to really see the schooling behavior--there isn't really enough room for them to spread out while swimming. So, they'll always be hanging out, kind of spread out.

If you want fish that you will be able to see the schooling, the neons will be a bit better. Pygmy cories would be ideal--they stay less than an inch and school very well.
wigglejaggles
10-31-2003, 11:05 AM
hey now,

thank you very much for your insight. Should I not keep schooling tetras in a 10 gallon then? Will keeping them in a 10 gallon decrease their lifespan because they will not be able to school and be as happy?

maybe I should look into killifish.

take care,
Jared
wigglejaggles
10-31-2003, 11:16 AM
hey!

I just looked into pygmy corys and from what I read it seems they are excellent for smaller tanks!!

If I choose pygmy corys could I have more than three due to them being so small? so 8 neons and maybe 4 pygmys?

thanks for the ideas and tips.

take care,
Jared
OrionGirl
10-31-2003, 11:28 AM
Yes, you could have a few more pygmy cories--I would go with 5-6 of them. The neons won't be stressed by being in a smaller tank, you just can't see their behavior as well. Think of it like keeping a snake--it is content to live in a suitable setup, and be fed dead mice. But, you don't get to see it strike and such on these dead animals.

This is not the same as keeping an animal in a sterile environment--most schooling fish kept in bare tanks are more stressed than fish kept in the same size tank that includes cover.
Slappy*McFish
10-31-2003, 1:11 PM
I keep a school of 10 Glowlight Tetras in a 10gallon with 4 amano shrimp. They seem very happy and have actually bred a couple of times, but I never have cared enough to raise Glowlight tetra fry, so the eggs never last more than a day. Right now, my Glowlights are a deep brown color with an intense red stripe, and all the males are flaring at one another.
wigglejaggles
10-31-2003, 1:55 PM
Hey Now,

Thanks again Orion for the info!

Slappy, I love the cardamine lyrate in your 10 gallon, and most tetras actually prefer a diffused light...so the cardamine must do a nice job achieving that, and I bet the cardamine also gives those tetras a secure place to hide if ever felt threatened!

Now my question to you is this...my flourescant light is 15watts...i saw that yours is 30w. Will the cardamine lyrate flourish in my 10 gallon with 15watts?
Is the cardamine a tricky plant to take care of? This is my first aquarium, but boy do I really love how that cardamine looks!!! nice job!


take care,
Jared
Slappy*McFish
10-31-2003, 2:37 PM
Thanks.:cool: You may or may not do well @15wpg...depends on your light..I have 30w of NO lighting but 15w of compact fluorescent lighting might do just fine. I posted more on this in this thread: http://64.191.28.50/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17569..though CO2 isn't absolutely necessary, it will help tremendously..Flourish Excel works fine, as well.