[FrightyDog]

Hello all! I am starting a new tank. 10 gallons to be specific! Right now it is all i can afford because bigger is quite expensive. I would love 30 but i dont want to spend anything over 50$...anyways I would like to know (like in my saltwater new tank help) What i need and What i can put in there. I am for sure putting Alpha my Betta fish in there. He has been with 3 ghost shrimp in a 1 gallon with no filter no nothing. Just little rocks and a color wheel. He picked at them and atually took off the front legs of one (they are now all dead). So for this one I am going to have a cave for my little shrimp but what other fish can I add with him? What plants should I get, if i should get any? It is a brand new tank so should I wait to put the fish in it? Any help would be greaT so thank you!

 

[MoneyMitch]

need to know gh kh and ph, do you plan on doing any live plants?

 

[FrightyDog]

need to know gh kh and ph, do you plan on doing any live plants?

I do not know what gh and kh stand for. if you mean pH as in acidity I have not made it yet. I am getting it thrusday and I want to know all the means for it before I start any fish. And yes I do plan on getting live plants if 10 gallons is enough room

 

[fish monger]

Have you already purchased the tank ? If so, what came with it ? You could probably get a pretty complete 10g kit for $50.

 

[MoneyMitch]

10 gallons is plentyyyyyyyyy of room. gh and kh are part of what make up your ph... cant recommend any fish witout atelast a ph measurement.

 

[FrightyDog]

Ok then well thanks. I havent purchased the tank yet so I cannot tell you the pH levels. The only thing I can say is I am adding a betta fish. So should I continue this forum once I get everything set up? Any advice would be great

 

[MoneyMitch]

continuing to use the forum is totally up to you once you get your tank setup. but it is impossible to recommend fish for water paramiters that we have no idea what are. wrong recommendations can cause problems with the fish and likely death.

 

[FrightyDog]

continuing to use the forum is totally up to you once you get your tank setup. but it is impossible to recommend fish for water paramiters that we have no idea what are. wrong recommendations can cause problems with the fish and likely death.

Well thank you for that, but does ten gallon stop any fish from being allowed in there? Like angelfish?

 

[MoneyMitch]

yes, angelfish are too big as adults to be in there

 

[FrightyDog]

yes, angelfish are too big as adults to be in there

Any other fish (other than pondfish) that I can't put in there?

 

[fish monger]

There are many fish that you can't add and many that you can. The betta adds another aspect. I added my betta to a 20g community tank containing platys and tetras and he chased them constantly. It's a very real possibility that you'll end up with a ten gallon betta tank. Other people have had bettas exist peacefully within a community tank. You never know. You just have to be prepared for the worst. To be honest, as soon as you said the betta was definitely going in, I had a bad feeling. As a rule, they generally don't make good community fish...if not for their aggression, then that of fish that can't resist nipping at those long beautiful fins. Your betta will surely benefit from having more space, heat, filtration, and cover in the form of live plants. The rest is a gamble. Best of luck.

 

[FrightyDog]

Yes...I am considering not adding him because of how he interacted with my ghost shrimp. He had "moments" to attack them.

 

[JDM]

You can get the General Hardness (GH) and pH from your water utility if you are city water. Call or look it up online.

Given your betta behaviour with the shrimp I might suggest he will be aggressive with anything. If you have lots of plants and maybe a small piece of knarly driftwood you could keep cherry shrimp, maybe. I did that with my betta but in a 37 gallon tank but mine didn't bother with them at all.

A 10 gallon heated tank will be good for the betta as a solitary fish.

Jeff.

 

[FrightyDog]

Thanks. But I am going to leave him in my 1 gallon tank no heater or filter. He is doing excellent as is

 

[Byron]

FrightyDog, welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.

This thread has bounced around a bit, but as you asked at one point what fish could go in your 10g, I will mention our fish profiles, second heading from the left in the blue bar across the top of the page. Each profile has minimum tank sizes for the fish, and minimum numbers as some fish are shoaling and need a group.

Knowing your water parameters is essential though, as some fish need specific ranges. As someone suggested, you can get this info from your municipal water supply people, they likely have a website. The GH is the general hardness, and pH refers to the acidity/alkalinity. Selecting fish suited to your tap water is always wiser and easier.

Byron.

 

[FrightyDog]

Update

Finally got the tank! The filter set up, water had amquel and novaqua added to detoxify the water, light set up, getting gravel and fish today (cheap hardy fish to help the cycle). I also finally got a measuring thing! My measurements were
Ammonia=.5
Nitrate= 20
Nitrite=0
(Hardness) GH=0
Chlorine=0
(Alkalinity) KH= 300 (High)
pH= 8.4 (Also high)
So there are my measurements. I am not too happy on the alkalinity and pH. So Anything to add now that its updated?
---
Edit: What should my gameplan be today? Go to the store and buy gravel, and fish, and plants(?)

 

[Byron]

Finally got the tank! The filter set up, water had amquel and novaqua added to detoxify the water, light set up, getting gravel and fish today (cheap hardy fish to help the cycle). I also finally got a measuring thing! My measurements were
Ammonia=.5
Nitrate= 20
Nitrite=0
(Hardness) GH=0
Chlorine=0
(Alkalinity) KH= 300 (High)
pH= 8.4 (Also high)
So there are my measurements. I am not too happy on the alkalinity and pH. So Anything to add now that its updated?
---
Edit: What should my gameplan be today? Go to the store and buy gravel, and fish, and plants(?)

First on those numbers, presumably that is the tap water on its own. Recheck the nitrate. If your tap water really is 20ppm, we can discuss ways to lower it. Confirm the GH being 0 and the KH being 300ppm with the municipal water folks. This is a bit odd.

First thing to do is plant the tank, so decide on the substrate, and get some plants. Floating are ideal especially in new tanks as they grow fast and therefore use more nutrients including ammonia/ammonium.

On the substrate, either fine gravel or sand is best. If you intend substrate fish like corys, sand is what you should get. I use basic play sand. A 50 pound bag costs a few dollars from stores like Home Depot or Lowe's.

Byron.

 

[FrightyDog]

First on those numbers, presumably that is the tap water on its own. Recheck the nitrate. If your tap water really is 20ppm, we can discuss ways to lower it. Confirm the GH being 0 and the KH being 300ppm with the municipal water folks. This is a bit odd.

First thing to do is plant the tank, so decide on the substrate, and get some plants. Floating are ideal especially in new tanks as they grow fast and therefore use more nutrients including ammonia/ammonium.

On the substrate, either fine gravel or sand is best. If you intend substrate fish like corys, sand is what you should get. I use basic play sand. A 50 pound bag costs a few dollars from stores like Home Depot or Lowe's.

Byron.

Wouldn't sand be harder to clean? And ok I am stocking it with cycling fish today to help the filter (since I just set up the tank lat night) so plants wouldn't hurt the cycle? And also the new numbers are
Nitrate=20
Nitrite=0
GH=0
Chlorine=0
KH= fits 180 i didnt look closely enough at the color chart and went with the latter but it is not that deep of blue.
pH=between 7.8-8.4 i say it is about 8

 

[Byron]

Wouldn't sand be harder to clean? And ok I am stocking it with cycling fish today to help the filter (since I just set up the tank lat night) so plants wouldn't hurt the cycle? And also the new numbers are
Nitrate=20
Nitrite=0
GH=0
Chlorine=0
KH= fits 180 i didnt look closely enough at the color chart and went with the latter but it is not that deep of blue.
pH=between 7.8-8.4 i say it is about 8

No, do not put fish in a new tank. The plants are put in first, to avoid a "cycle" that will otherwise harm fish.

 

[FrightyDog]

Umm

I had no choice. My sister bought "final sale fish"
1 green tiger barb (as small as the danio so very very young)
3 platys (about an inchpretty grown)
3 zebra danio (about 4 cm but pretty grown as well if i had to guess)
-.- no plants. no decoration. What do i do. I have to put the fish in. I asked the store no refunds or "give-backs" for that matter