View Full Version : 10 Gallon stocking question
shady3210
10-25-2005, 11:47 PM
I recently got a ten gallon tank. I'm hoping to stock it with:
1 German Blue Ram
6 Rummy nose tetras (or cardinals maybe)
2 panda cory
1 or 2 otos
Is this overstocking the tank? And I wasn't sure which to add first if this is ok. I'm adding a seeded filter from a 25 gallon and already have live plants in the 10 gallon. Thanks!
:girl:
willy:-)
10-26-2005, 10:28 AM
It is cutting it close but if you do lots of regular manitnance it should be okay, but you should either get the corys or ottos, not both, because each should have 3+ of their own kind. Also watch your ram they get territorial and your other fish won't have to much ecscaping space.
reignman40
10-26-2005, 12:02 PM
I agree you're right at your limit. I also agree you should get one or the other, cories or otos. 3 of whichever u choose.
shady3210
10-26-2005, 3:08 PM
Ok thanks i'll pick either corrys or ottos. And about the ram I was hopeing with only 1 it wouldn't get to territorial.
FreddytheFish
10-26-2005, 3:27 PM
Sounds fine. I don't want to sound repetative, but I agree with reignman and will, go w/ either corys or ottos
shady3210
10-26-2005, 4:30 PM
Anyone have advice on which order they should be added? I will have a filter comeing from a fully cycled tank and plants.(tank is actually set up now without filter/fish just plants)
knashash
10-26-2005, 5:06 PM
I recently got a ten gallon tank. I'm hoping to stock it with:
1 German Blue Ram
6 Rummy nose tetras (or cardinals maybe)
2 panda cory
1 or 2 otos
Is this overstocking the tank? And I wasn't sure which to add first if this is ok. I'm adding a seeded filter from a 25 gallon and already have live plants in the 10 gallon. Thanks!
:girl:
I would have to advise you gainst getting the German Blue Ram. 10 Gallons is a questionable amount of space for a Ram with those other fish in there. Also Rams really will do much better in pairs and lastly, in that little amount of space I would bet that the Rams will attack the cories every chance they get. Stick with the cardinals or rummynose, cories(at least 3 or 4 pandas) and ottos. Keep in mind also ALL of these fish are of the most delicate that I have dealt with and are difficult to acclimate.
Ghostshrimp55
10-28-2005, 11:09 PM
Hi. I'm kind of new to the whole community tank thing as well and agree with some of the suggestions so far.
I know nothing about rams but, if they need a lot of space then don't go with them. Do a google search to get their stats.
If you can't go with rams, I'd recommend golden honey gouramis. They stay small and do not need a lot of space as they don't tend to roam too much. They are also extremely peaceful and timid. I often catch them hanging out with my corys. I have 4 in my 55 and they're great. They also like a planted environment.
As for the order in which they should be added:
Otos are little algae eating pigs and a fat oto is a happy oto, so that means they need a lot of food. They are also extremely sensitive to start off with since they are mostly wild-caught using an extremely harmful method involving cyanide. Since you're going to have an instantly cycled tank with plants, you most likely won't have enough algae to feed one oto, let alone a group. Plus, you only have a 10 gallon tank so you most likely won't have enough algae to feed more than one anyway. You may want to reconsider these guys as an option.
If you do go with one or two otos, however, I would add them after you add the corys (at least 3 of these). Feed the cories with flake food and/or blanched lettuce, zucchini or cucumber. They'll generate a little excess waste and hopefully you'll see some algae develop as a result. Once that happens, add the oto(s). They'll clean the algae in your tank over night. After that, use one of those veggie clip things and place blanched leafy greens in the tank for them to eat. You shuould actually do this right away to guarantee that they have something to eat. If you keep adding greens, they'll always have something to eat.
Next, add the gouramis (if you go with them) and then the tetras. The qouramis will also eat the blanched greens, btw, so they should be happy. They also eat flake food.
Make sure you have enough light for your plants and maintain a good fertilizer regiment. If all goes well, you should be fine. Your plants will even help with the bio load since they consume both ammonia and nitrates.
Good luck!
I wouldn't put otos in an uncycled tank...you'll loose them for sure. Have you read the sticky on cycling a tank ? If you are going with a fish cycle...I think I'd start with a few tetras....only because I know the corys, otos and rams would NOT do well in a cycling tank. I'm not sure about how hardy the tetras are though....
I agree with choosing either the otos or the corys...not both. I would go with the corys rather than the otos myself. Otos aren't that hardy and they are rather picky about the kind of algae they will eat. You may not get enough of what they like and they wouldn't do well. Corys are cute and they keep the bottom of your tank nice and clean. Fun to watch too, where the otos..you won't see much of them usually.
I think one ram would be ok in a 10. I have two friends that have a pair of rams in a 10 gallon with other fish and they do well. They can get a bit nippy with other fish when they are spawning or guarding eggs and fry...but if you only have one you won't have that problem. One would get along fine with the other fish in your tank....they are a pretty mild fish for a cichlid. However...they do not do well with overly aggressive fish. They can dish it out, but they can't take it very well....lol........oooooopsss....just remembered something....rams don't have a good reputation for getting along with corys very well. The corys share the same space as the rams...namely the bottom of the tank....hhhmmm.......I don't know if one ram that doesn't have eggs or fry to protect would mind a few corys or not.......if you decide to try it be ready to have a new home for one or the other.
Ghostshrimp55
10-29-2005, 11:42 AM
Shady, you have a seeded filter and live plants to start your tank with. You'll be fine putting corys in there right away. EMG is the first person I've ever come across who said corys are delicate. I cycled my 55 with 6 cories and 6 danios to start after trying fishless cycling with a heavy dose of filter squeezings in the new filter, some gravel from an established tank and a whole bag of biospira. Well, when the tank wasn't cycled after almost 3 weeks, I did a 90% water change (to remove most of the 3 ppm ammonia that was in there) and started with 6 corys and 6 zebra danios and 5 plants. I most likely had bacteria left in my filter and that's probably why the tank was cycled in 4 days to meet the current bio load. All fish are happy. I did one 30% water change every day for 3 days and then said, let's see what happens to the ammonia if I let it sit (bacause ammonia was never reaching above .25ppm and nitrites were always at or slightly above .3ppm). I let it sit for a day, tested and had 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 10ppm nitrates. It's been holding ever since. When I introduce a small batch of new fish I do a 25% water change after a day or so just to minimize the stress of a small amount of ammonia. After that the levels drop down to 0 and nitrates are very low.
You'll be in pretty much the same situation with a seeded filter and some plants. I wouldn't worry about the corys at all. They are actually very tough and will be fine as long as you monitor your levels and do water changes when things get out of whack. You'll come across people who will say never introduce fish into an uncycled tank and you'll find some who will say it's fine. It all depends on how willing you are to do the waiting or work that comes with each method. What I described above worked very well for me. I have a clean, active tank with no problems. I think you'll be okay.
As far as otocinclus cats are concerned, don't add them untill your tank is cycled with the corys. As I have said, these fish are delicate and require a little bit of work on your part to stay happy. Put some blanched leafy greens or some blanched zucchini or cucumber in there and they'll be quite happy.
Good luck!
Shady, EMG is the first person I've ever come across who said corys are delicate.
Lol....funny, I don't recall saying anything about corys being "delicate"...I did however mention that OTOCINCLUS are..... I did say I wouldn't cycle with corys though...
Corys are fine as long as you have more than one. One cory by itself is not a happy fish. They don't feel safe by themselves and get stressed right to death. As long as you have at LEAST one other cory...they usually do ok. But for a 10 gallon I would look for one of the smaller species of cory...dwarf corys or pandas.
Ghostshrimp55
10-30-2005, 12:41 AM
only because I know the corys, otos and rams would NOT do well in a cycling tank.
Sorry EMG. I was reacting to the above. I definitely agree that you need more than one cory to make them happy. But they are pretty hardy. That's in their nature. Most bottom feeders don't live in ideal conditions in nature. Bottom waters are typically much lower in oxygen and often have more toxins than the the upper water levels (unless we're talking fast-moving streams and rivers). The bottom is where most of the organic decay occurs and bottom feeders typically disturb the sediment layers, releasing toxins into the water. Corys, by nature, should be able to handle the conditions that come about simply by being bottom feeders.
So, yeah, IMO and IME, you can cycle with corys. Keep them in groups and keep up on water changes and you'll be fine Shady.
Lol....yeah, they do seem to be. I lost a couple of corys once when I was new to the hobby and pretty ignorant. I lost them because they were the only corys in the tank. I had put them in with a betta. Added one, it died within a week, then I got another and put it in...that one died too...so I had assumed at that time that they just weren't that tuff.
That was awhile ago.....I've since learned better... :rolleyes: