Extra 10g mabey some kribs or Shell Dwellers

I like both those ideas

However, keeping kribs in a 10 gallon is tricky. I did it, sucessfully, for a while. The pair was mated (had been for years), and I decorated the tank REALLY well with tons of hiding places (wood, sticks, coconut shell, plants, rocks, etc). It was like a forest! Because, sometimes the male and female will fight, and they need space to escape each other. In a 10 gallon, thats difficult.

But equally, I didnt have much sucess with shellies in a 10 gallon. Although, I kept one of the most aggressive species (ocellatus). The male ended up killing off most of his females. I'm sure you could get one male and a few females of brevis and it would work fine (again you should probebly add lots of rocks to the tank). To get the pH up there you can just add crushed coral or shell to the tank or into the filter, that'll raise the pH for you. Sexing your shellies will depend on which species you go for.



I think your best bet is the shellies. They are neat fish
-Diana

Yeah, shellies would be good in a 10 if you get the right species. Don't get any of the more aggressive ones like the ocellatus or Stappersi/Meleagris.

Multifasciatus or the Brevis would be your best bet in a 10. The Multis are much more interesting and will produce quite a colony in there with no help from you whatsoever...lol....They are a very hardy, low maintenance fish. I have a 20 long that has two colonies in it. The main colony, which takes up most of the middle of the tank...and a smaller colony off to the side. I started out with one male and two females and now I must have 20-30 fry and juvies of various sizes in there, along with the original trio.

The brevis are very pretty, but they don't do much. You could have 2 or 3 pairs in a 10 gallon. They're territories are only about a 6 inch diameter space and they pretty much stay right close to thier shells. They aren't a harem fish, like I thought when I first purchased one male and two females. The male will choose a female and stick with her...she will spend most of her time IN the shell, while he hangs around just outside.

As far as sexing them...with the brevis and multies...the males are larger. If you pick out one larger one and 2 smaller ones you have a good chance of getting a trio. Other than that, it's pretty hard to tell. If you choose the multis, start out with a trio...you'll have a good size colony very quickly. Lots of shells as well. Look on ebay for "Whale eye" shells or escargot shells. You can sometimes come across a good deal there. I just purchased a package of 75 whale eye shells for about 10$..including shipping !

Another vote for the multifasciatus. They are very nice little fish, one of my absolute favorites, and will do well in a 10 gallon. I started out with one pair in a 10 gallon and now have a nice little colony in a 20L. Most likely they will breed with no extra effort on your part beyond normal good care.

I'll add my vote to the multifasciatus. A small colony should be nice in a 10g. I think brevis could work too if you really prefer them, though.

Great choice FlowerHorn ! Hope you can find some !

I'll go ahead and vote as well... I'd go with some shellies out of those two choices
However, did you look into any of the apistogramma species at all?

When sexing the multis, pick the biggest one in the tank (that's your male). To pick out females, look for slightly rounded bellies on small fish. Even in non-breeding females I can see a definate difference in "body-shape" Males always have a nice streamlined apearance. Sitting and watching behavior in the tank for awhile can also give you clues. Here's an article with a great pic showing the difference between M/F body shapes.

http://www.shelldwellers.com/index.php?action=loadpage&content=multies.htm

I wouldn't do Kribs in a 10g either unless I knew they were a mated pair. Apistogramma would do better, but you still run the risk of violence breaking out. A good apisto for 10g is A. borelli. Small and more peaceful than some other species.

http://www.thekrib.com/Apisto/A-borellii.html