Is it possible to humanely place two dwarf gourami in a 10 gallon planted tank?

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

Amicus

AC Members
Apr 17, 2019
13
3
3
23
Do the rough edges of fake wood (resin I guess) cause fish to injure themselves when they brush against it?? I like driftwood but I learned that I don't care for the color of the tannins in fish tanks. I want to fasten java fern on it.
Aside from freak accidents, or very poorly made resin ornaments, I very much doubt resin ornaments are going to harm fish in any way. Re driftwood, the tannin is often not that dark, you can always soak it first in a bucket of water into which the tannins will leach, and waterlog the wood so it sink in your aquarium immediately, Tannins won't hang around forever, a few weeks and nothing's left. Not even that if you soak it in the aforementioned bucket first. Soaking times vary depending on the size and thickness of the wood.
 

nellafantasia

AC Members
Apr 6, 2019
67
3
8
76
Aside from freak accidents, or very poorly made resin ornaments, I very much doubt resin ornaments are going to harm fish in any way. Re driftwood, the tannin is often not that dark, you can always soak it first in a bucket of water into which the tannins will leach, and waterlog the wood so it sink in your aquarium immediately, Tannins won't hang around forever, a few weeks and nothing's left. Not even that if you soak it in the aforementioned bucket first. Soaking times vary depending on the size and thickness of the wood.
The beautiful piece of cedar driftwood I had collected myself, boiled it and soaked, it still turned my water like tea. I didn't think I would mind the natural look of water with tannin, but I discovered I much prefer the crystal clear water in an aquarium. Here in the Northwoods of Michigan all the rivers and waterfalls are like dark tea.

Thank you for the answer about the resin logs. I can hardly wait until I can add my fish. It has been close to 20 years since my beautiful gourami tank was hit by the marine form of Mycobacterium. It was tragic and so sad. Every last fish died. I even hunted up a fish pathologist through Mich State Univ who did a post mortem on a fish I sent to him on dry ice. He confirmed the diagnosis. So this time I only have a 10g at my house. I only plan to have one powder blue DG and some neon tetras. (The beautiful cardinal tetras will be more of a bio-load so I am sticking with about 8-10 neon tetras.) I hope to have more of the smaller neons than cardinal tetras.

Thanks again for your advice.
 

Amicus

AC Members
Apr 17, 2019
13
3
3
23
The beautiful piece of cedar driftwood I had collected myself, boiled it and soaked, it still turned my water like tea. I didn't think I would mind the natural look of water with tannin, but I discovered I much prefer the crystal clear water in an aquarium. Here in the Northwoods of Michigan all the rivers and waterfalls are like dark tea.

Thank you for the answer about the resin logs. I can hardly wait until I can add my fish. It has been close to 20 years since my beautiful gourami tank was hit by the marine form of Mycobacterium. It was tragic and so sad. Every last fish died. I even hunted up a fish pathologist through Mich State Univ who did a post mortem on a fish I sent to him on dry ice. He confirmed the diagnosis. So this time I only have a 10g at my house. I only plan to have one powder blue DG and some neon tetras. (The beautiful cardinal tetras will be more of a bio-load so I am sticking with about 8-10 neon tetras.) I hope to have more of the smaller neons than cardinal tetras.

Thanks again for your advice.
It can take ages re wood. Re the wood you collected yourself, it may have something specific to its variety that makes it act in a certain way, but stuff you buy from aquarium shops is prolly going to conform to standard practice. Sorry to hear about your fish keeping misfortune. I've never experienced a mass fish die off so can't offer much except for condolences and best wishes for your new set up.
I always try to approximate as closely as possible a fish's natural environment and have never had any troubles, but all people being different, all people will experience fish keeping differently.
 
  • Like
Reactions: nellafantasia

nellafantasia

AC Members
Apr 6, 2019
67
3
8
76
I am happy to provide an update on the status of setting up my 10G tank for an expected powder blue dwarf gourami.

I began this process on April 13, 2019. It is now May 15, 2019. It has been only 32 days. I was gone over the past 7 days. When I came home the ammonia was at 0 ppm, nitrites at0 ppm and nitrates at 20 ppm. Ph is 7.6.
I checked parameters for a couple more days and the ammonia is gone and the nitrites still at 0 ppm with nitrates at 20 ppm. So...….I got some fish. Last night from Petsupply Plus here in Iron Mountain. I have watched them as to how they manage their fish tanks. A woman works there who is a committed fish perspn. She ropes off the fish tank area the day fish are delivered and watches their behavior to remove any that give indications of illness.

So I brought home 11 neon tetras last night. I was so excited. When I got home from work today I checked water parameters which remained same. There is still 20 ppm of nitrates. I will do an approx. 50% water change tomorrow.

Two questions: How do the tiny neon tetras eat? The pieces of flakes are too big for their mouths.
The neons are fighting! Two were really harassing one that did not look well and was
 

fishorama

AC Members
Jun 28, 2006
12,681
2,125
200
SF Bay area, CA
You can crush up flake foods into tiny bits or the neons will just bite them. You might consider small pelleted food too or frozen baby brine shrimp...Variety is good!

Tetras, like chickens, may pick on the weakest members of their group. Nipping fellow school individuals is how they weed out the "lesser" fish but also how they shoal together. If you have enough plants or other décor, this will be less.

All that said, 11 neons is pretty much a full 10g tank of fish. I know they seem small...but a 2.5 inch dwarf gourami will put you into the overstocked range...
 

nellafantasia

AC Members
Apr 6, 2019
67
3
8
76
HELP!!!! I think I ruined my biological filter (aka nitrogen cycle). I was thrilled to be at 0 ammonia and 0 nitrates. Then the second day with my fish I decided I would be a good fishkeeper and clean the tank real good. I used my python vacuum on the gravel. I found that when I pushed the vacuum deep into the gravel I got clouds of a fine hazy suspension. I was really going at it.

Then the next day I noticed a dead fish and another was isolating and swimming very weakly, sank to the bottom. I euthanized him. Checked the water and there was low ammonia and low nitrites. After a 50% water change and then a few hours later 20% water change ammonia was negligible and no nitrates. Today there is ammonia 0.2 ppm and still no nitrites and nitrates 2.0 ppm. All the fish have excellent color and behaving normally. So there is ammonia and no nitrites.

I am pretty sure I was vacuuming up beneficial bacteria when I cleaned. I added stress-zyme with each water change. Still there is ammonia with no nitrites! Nitrates remain at 2 ppm. What can I do?? ( One of the fish I did not want was bloated at the start. So I am down to 8 tetras.)
 

RemyCake

Registered Member
May 18, 2019
3
0
1
Iowa
Camera Used
iPhone xs max
HELP!!!! I think I ruined my biological filter (aka nitrogen cycle). I was thrilled to be at 0 ammonia and 0 nitrates. Then the second day with my fish I decided I would be a good fishkeeper and clean the tank real good. I used my python vacuum on the gravel. I found that when I pushed the vacuum deep into the gravel I got clouds of a fine hazy suspension. I was really going at it.

Then the next day I noticed a dead fish and another was isolating and swimming very weakly, sank to the bottom. I euthanized him. Checked the water and there was low ammonia and low nitrites. After a 50% water change and then a few hours later 20% water change ammonia was negligible and no nitrates. Today there is ammonia 0.2 ppm and still no nitrites and nitrates 2.0 ppm. All the fish have excellent color and behaving normally. So there is ammonia and no nitrites.

I am pretty sure I was vacuuming up beneficial bacteria when I cleaned. I added stress-zyme with each water change. Still there is ammonia with no nitrites! Nitrates remain at 2 ppm. What can I do?? ( One of the fish I did not want was bloated at the start. So I am down to 8 tetras.)
Do you have any plants? They can pull straight ammonia without to having to go through the bacteria for the “usual” nitrogen cycle of ammonia...nitrite...to nitrate. So that could be what you’re reading.

Also if you didn’t remove your filter media or scrape down your glass then There should be enough bacteria to re-establish rather quickly.

I’d add some floating plants ASAP if you’re really worried as they suck up nutrients (like ammonia and nitrates) straight from the water column. They’re nature’s filters. Easy ones to get a hold of are frogbit, salvinia, water lettuce, water hyacinths (these are often illegal because they proliferate so fast so check your state?)
 

nellafantasia

AC Members
Apr 6, 2019
67
3
8
76
Do you have any plants? They can pull straight ammonia without to having to go through the bacteria for the “usual” nitrogen cycle of ammonia...nitrite...to nitrate. So that could be what you’re reading.

Also if you didn’t remove your filter media or scrape down your glass then There should be enough bacteria to re-establish rather quickly.

I’d add some floating plants ASAP if you’re really worried as they suck up nutrients (like ammonia and nitrates) straight from the water column. They’re nature’s filters. Easy ones to get a hold of are frogbit, salvinia, water lettuce, water hyacinths (these are often illegal because they proliferate so fast so check your state?)
Thank you so much for your rapid response. I do have some floating watersprite, some pennywort and a bit of hornwort. But I need more. Got java fern too. I will be adding more floating plants today if my mail is delivered.
 

the loach

AC Members
Aug 6, 2018
1,599
835
120
You can't vacuum nitrifying bacteria away. It is normal for the substrate to have detritus in it, but what kind of substrate are you using? What is the pH and KH? What kind of tetras are we talking about? How much and how often do you feed? When did you add the tetras?
 

RemyCake

Registered Member
May 18, 2019
3
0
1
Iowa
Camera Used
iPhone xs max
No problem! I literally did the exact same thing lol! But instead of the gravel I killed a lot of the pacteroa in my filter during “deep cleaning”
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store