Some comments/suggestions on setup

Originally posted by LongTime

WARNING THIS HOBBY IS ADICTIVE! START SAVING YOUR MONEY NOW FOR A NEW TANK. :D
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And WHATEVER you do... if you're a bad impulse buyer like me.... stay away from the LFS that has a big saltwater section. Peer pressure x 100 ;) I found a new LFS last night with a wall full of saltwater tanks, and a 125 gallon reef tank, and all I could do was drool as I bought my puny little tetras and walked by the Lion Fish, clownfish, wrasses, and damsels :(

Hehe, but not to get off topic.... check all your home surroundings for the source of heat rise. Where are the windows, which direction do they face, how close are they... where are the HVAC vents... etc. I was concerned about it when I setup my tank, but so far the AC vent is far enough away to not make a difference, and the closest window is covered with blinds and curtains to knock out any sunlight.... so temperature fluctuations haven't been a problem for me fortunately. Temp stays a constant 78 on both ends of the tank.
 
No, temperature should be uniform throughout. It's especially surprising to hear it implied with something as small as a 10g. If you've got sufficient circulation (and you do, just turn the filter back to max) you shouldn't have any temp. gradient. Horizontal temperature gradients are very difficult to establish, if you're measuring it, I'm suspecting your thermometer: either the thermometer itself, its placement or your reading.

Definitely lose the incandecents. See if you can find the screw in power compacts at the hardware store or walmart. If you're not keeping live plants (are you?) the type of bulb doesn't matter. However, if you can find a full spectrum or "daylight" bulb, go with that. It's really personal preference, I prefer the colour, I find the "soft white" bulbs look too yellow. This will make temp. control much easier.
 
As for turning your filter down, I wouldn't. I had a aquaclear 150 turned all the way up on my 10 gallon and my fish seemed to like it. I had tiger barbs and zebra danios and cories, which all like fast moving water though. Still, 100gph is not a problem IMO.
 
For fish I would suggest something a little slower moving. Danios are very fast and won't look right in a 10 gallon.

A nice group or two of tetras, like glo-lites, neons, cardinals, rummynose, serpae or black neons would look good. Some of them have very intense colour too.

For bottom cleaning, kuhli loaches or small cories will do an excellent job catching any food that hits the bottom.

You can also think about other things besides fish, such as shrimp or african dwarf frogs. With these you have to make sure they are getting their fair sure of food but they add more interest to your tank I find.
 
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