Stocking of a new 10 gallon tank

[aili8447]

Hello! New to the site and new to keeping fish (had a betta but that's all) I have a ten gallon tank that I just set up Saturday. I bought everything used from Ebay with the exception of the tank. I washed everything in warm water with a new toothbrush-it was pretty gross! I set it up and I know I need to cycle it but I'm lost to what fish I should buy. I know I want a community tank unless it wouldn't be a good option. I found one site that gave me some options but when I researched the fish some of them seemed too aggresive to me to be in a community tank.
Here are the options:
Stocking 1: 1 dwarf gourami, 6 neons, 12 ghost shrimp, 1 snail

Stocking 2:1 honey gourami, 6 harlequin rasboras, 6 ghost shrimp, 1 snail

Stocking 3: 8 neons, 6 ghost shrimp, 1 snail

Stocking 4: 1 dwarf gourami, 3 platies, 4 pygmy corydoras, 1 snail

I read that the gourami can be aggresive. I also read that neons will harrass other fish, and that corydoras are not good to have in tanks with gravel which is what I have. So if I don't go with these options what can I have in there? Also if I'm going to cycle my tank using fish-which by the way kind of makes me cringe, what if it dies I'll feel guilty-what on earth should I buy that would not make the tank overcrowded with the above options? I know you can cycle the tank without fish but the website I found didn't know much about it. I'm kind of confused but want to do things right.

 

[Pallen81]

I read that the gourami can be aggresive. I also read that neons will harrass other fish, and that corydoras are not good to have in tanks with gravel which is what I have.

First of all, Welcome to AC and fishkeeping!

Since 10 gallons isn't all that much you don't want to overstock your tank or it will be more stressful then relaxing. Neons and Corys will do fine in a smaller sized tank. Never in my experience have I seen Neons ever harassing anyone. They are tiny, schooling fish that should be kept in schools of around 6. They make great community fish. Dwarf Gouramis are slow moving fish that aren't aggressive in most scenarios. Sometimes the larger Orange Gourami's can get a bit nippy as they get older. But a Dwarf shouldn't pose any real threats to tankmates. I think you'd be fine with a few Neons, a Gourami and a bottom feeder of some sort. I've had Corys in gravel, no big deal, they do fine. Anything more then that and you will be pushing the limit. I've had many Ghost Shrimp in my day and they seem to only last a fews days to a few months at best. They just aren't that hardy, but they are interesting to see scavanging around the tank for food. I like them.

Be sure to research the adult size of any fish you may want to get. Many will simply grow too big for a 10 gallon. The general (often not followed) guideline is 1 inch of fish per gallon. You can squeeze around this if your maintence routine and water change schedule is strict.

Other fish that are fairly hardy, stay small and are active are zebra danios and white clouds. They seem to be favorites.

A fish cycle will certainly be hard on your fish and there is def a chance it may die. You'll want to have test kits for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and pH. These are pretty much essential for any fish keeper. The fish live in the water, you gotta make sure its good for them. Testing your tank often during the cycle will help you make decisions about water changes etc. If your ammonia levels rise above .25 you might want to do a small water change to ease the pain on your fishies gills. The cycle could take from 2-5 weeks. All depends really. I've had some go really fast and others slowly.

Read the stickies at the top of the forum pages and you'll get a wealth of information.

Any other questions... don't hesitate to ask. Your fish will thank you. we're all here to help.