(Another) 10 Gallon Tank: African Dwarf Frogs + Shrimp + ?

Seamoe

Yes, yet another 10 gallon tank. I definitely want:

- 2 African Dwarf Frogs in there

- 1 or more Shrimp

- Some kind of sucker fish (like an Otocinclus, for both algae control and variety)

But I'm unsure about the compatibility here or what fish I should get. I would like to go for tropical fish, though.

I'd also like to add some live plants. This will be new to me, as I've always used plastic plants and have never dabbled with live plants or tried to seriously plan out a small aquatic community before.

Any suggestions?

Flashygrrl

Not sure about danios, they seem a bit hyperactive for them. Guppies might work, I dunno if the dwarfs are dumb enough to try grabbing their fins. Maybe rasboras or tetras?

Seamoe

I've been considering Guppies. If I do get Guppies, can I put different types and colors of Guppies together with one another, instead of others of the same type and color?

okiemavis

I'd go for a top dweller myself as opposed to the guppies, as you'll want to prevent too much food competition for the slow eating frogs. Two Honey Gourami would work, or one gourami of a more territorial species.

gunmetal

if you do plan to stock different guppies you may want to have all the same sex as any fry will typically have little or no color. these ones can make good feeders though...

Seamoe

Hmm. Indeed, I concur. I think it's an important consideration. I'm glad I found such a helpful place!

So, so far the criteria dictate the fish must be:

- suitable for a ten gallon tank

- tropical

- hardy (enough for a beginner)

- top dwelling

- peaceful, non-aggressive


That should cut down on the number of candidates, no? What would be a good way to look this up and compare fish?

I would also like to mix the above fish an algae eating fish, a snail and a shrimp, if possible. I've been looking at the aquascapes, and I'm leaning towards emphasizing plant life more than I had previously considered.

okiemavis

Plants are great, they're a completely different facet of fish keeping which I love. You should plan your substrate carefully as a slightly more expensive one designed for planted tanks will save you a lot of time and effort in the long run. As for narrowing down the fish, unfortunately your guidelines doesn't narrow it down as much as you may think. Fortunately, you've already decided on some fish, so we can narrow it down further by the water parameters those fish require.

For the snail, what kind were you thinking? Unfortunately most of the really big ones are voracious plant eaters, as are many others. The only snail I can name off the top of my head that is truly plant safe are Malaysian Trumpet Snails, which are quite pretty, but not very large or varied.

Technically, ADF's are subtropical, which means they do best in temperatures slightly lower than most tropical fish like. However, there are lots of great fish who also prefer this temperature range that are often sold as tropical fish. For instance, white cloud minnows would look great in that tank.

SST

Not all varieties of apple snails, or mystery snails, eat plants. Pomacea bridgesii (or brigs, for short) will not eat plants. Brigs come in a variety of colors. Their bigger cousins, the Pomacea canaliculata (cana) will grow huge and eat all your plants. Just be careful at the LFS at which one you're purchasing.

You can find more information at: http://www.applesnail.net

bhone20

arren't apples better and less bio producing at cleaning than plecos,I thought snails will clean your plastic plants, is that true?

teh13371

A good plant to have (it may grow a bit fast and large, though) and is also my favorite plant is Java Fern. it grows fast, so snails wont affect it so much, and I think it looks cool.