# Ideas for a 5-10 gallon species only tank



## PhilipPhish (Mar 6, 2011)

So I would like to do a species only tank in a 5 or 10 gallon tank.

I was thinking Silver Tipped tetras, but I was also wondering if any of you guys had some ideas?

I'm really looking for-


either lots of color, or really silvery


fish that swim in groups
Do you guys have any suggestions?

thanks!
~Sydnie


----------



## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

What are your pH, gH, and kH?
That will help determine what species can be kept in your water.


----------



## PhilipPhish (Mar 6, 2011)

Our city water is incredibly hard... its like perfect for live bearers, but I'm kinda tired of live bearers.

I don't know much about our water, or what any of that stuff is and how to test it.


----------



## Chesh (Feb 17, 2012)

There are lots of Danio varieties that would do well in a 10g species tank - if you're looking for some SERIOUS color, you could always try GloFish - which are neon-colored Danio.

You might also want to look into White Cloud Mountain Minnows. . . I really love this fish, they're silvery AND colorful!

I'd say definitely go with a 10g, whatever you choose. . . 

Unless you want to do a 5g tank with a couple of African Dwarf Frogs - they aren't colorful, silvery, OR fish, tho  Or a betta, of course, who would be very happy in a 5g!


----------



## PhilipPhish (Mar 6, 2011)

I'm also kinda leaning towards something exotic and interesting that will make people who look in the tank stop and go "Whoa, what is that!"

I kinda like the way the glo-fish look, how many would fit comfortable in a filtered, heated 10 gallon?


----------



## Varkolak (Jun 9, 2012)

Not sure on the water specs for them but look into sparkling gourami


----------



## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

PhilipPhish said:


> I'm also kinda leaning towards something exotic and interesting that will make people who look in the tank stop and go "Whoa, what is that!"
> 
> I kinda like the way the glo-fish look, how many would fit comfortable in a filtered, heated 10 gallon?


This fish is a modified zebra danio, and should have more space as noted in the profile. With hard water, options are quite limited. So many of the "dwarf" fish in the cyprinids that are becomming more widely available require soft water. Shrimp are OK of course.


----------



## Chesh (Feb 17, 2012)

Byron said:


> This fish is a modified zebra danio, and should have more space as noted in the profile. With hard water, options are quite limited. So many of the "dwarf" fish in the cyprinids that are becomming more widely available require soft water. Shrimp are OK of course.


Ahh, sorry. . . Byron's right, they are really ZOOMY fish, and would like the extra room. :| 

Hmmm. . . I'll keep thinking, maybe I can come up with another idea for you!


----------



## PhilipPhish (Mar 6, 2011)

Byron said:


> This fish is a modified zebra danio, and should have more space as noted in the profile. With hard water, options are quite limited. So many of the "dwarf" fish in the cyprinids that are becoming more widely available require soft water. Shrimp are OK of course.


What kind of fish do you suggest?

I'm not exactly sure how hard our tap water is because we have a water softener that uses salt.


----------



## PhilipPhish (Mar 6, 2011)

Could I make a brackish water tank in a 10 gallon?


----------



## Chesh (Feb 17, 2012)

PhilipPhish said:


> What kind of fish do you suggest?
> 
> I'm not exactly sure how hard our tap water is because we have a water softener that uses salt.


Now I'm not sure about this, but I think you might want to do some extra research into using this type of water softener with fish. . . and you will have to figure out exactly how hard or soft the water that you'll be using in the tank is before going any further. . .


----------



## PhilipPhish (Mar 6, 2011)

Chesherca said:


> Now I'm not sure about this, but I think you might want to do some extra research into using this type of water softener with fish. . . and you will have to figure out exactly how hard or soft the water that you'll be using in the tank is before going any further. . .


How do I test my pH?


----------



## Chesh (Feb 17, 2012)

API makes a test kit for Ph, I wanna say it costs around $7. They also make a test in the same price range for testing Gh and Kh. It's nice to have all of these tests to have a clearer picture of what the levels are in your tank.

On the subject, what test are you using to test your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels? Api's Master Test kit comes with liquid tests for all of the above, PLUS Ph test for around $30. It's one of the better testing kits you can get. . .


----------



## PhilipPhish (Mar 6, 2011)

Chesherca said:


> API makes a test kit for Ph, I wanna say it costs around $7. They also make a test in the same price range for testing Gh and Kh. It's nice to have all of these tests to have a clearer picture of what the levels are in your tank.
> 
> On the subject, what test are you using to test your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels? Api's Master Test kit comes with liquid tests for all of the above, PLUS Ph test for around $30. It's one of the better testing kits you can get. . .


I'll have to look into it!

I've never tested my nitrates, ammonia, ect before.


----------



## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Yes, you can do brackish, but a 10g is quite limited space. I'm not familiar enough with brackish fish to suggest possibiles. If you decide on this, posting in the brackish fish section might get more response.

To the water, i would ascertain the GH and KH from the water supply folks (this would be pre-softener water), without knowing the numbers it's hard to know how to proceed, it may not be all that hard. They should know pH too, but this is a test worth doing with any aquarium from time to time. A pH test kit by API is worth having. Their Master Kit has pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite are important in new tanks. Nitrate and ph is a useful test periodically in established aquaria.

As someone mentioned, the salts added by the softener can cause problems for soft water fish, but not all softeners work the same.


----------



## PhilipPhish (Mar 6, 2011)

I think I'm going to have to completely redo my 30 gallon set up. I need to cycle it, test the water, re-decorate, and maybe do live plants.

How long does it take for a 5 or 10 gallon to cycle?


----------



## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

PhilipPhish said:


> I think I'm going to have to completely redo my 30 gallon set up. I need to cycle it, test the water, re-decorate, and maybe do live plants.
> 
> How long does it take for a 5 or 10 gallon to cycle?


Cycling takes from 2 to 8 weeks normally, but can be longer. The period depends upon the specific biology in the tank. 

With live plants, especially fast growing ones and floating plants, there is no discernable "cycle" because the plants use the ammonia fast. The nitrifying bacteria will still establish but it will basically be undetectable with our test kits because the plants grab most of the ammonia.


----------



## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Maybe you should do a shrimp tank! I love my shrimp, and in a planted tank with enough of them, they are all over the place.
Or another lovely fish is endlers livebearers, they would love your water. You can get all males to prevent breeding (they are like guppies). The males are these teeny splashes of color, but the females are these 2 inch brown blobs, quite funny actually.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## PhilipPhish (Mar 6, 2011)

Byron said:


> Cycling takes from 2 to 8 weeks normally, but can be longer. The period depends upon the specific biology in the tank.
> 
> With live plants, especially fast growing ones and floating plants, there is no discernable "cycle" because the plants use the ammonia fast. The nitrifying bacteria will still establish but it will basically be undetectable with our test kits because the plants grab most of the ammonia.


So if I do live plants, I won't need to cycle my tank? I just empty the current water and siphon the gravel and put plants in there? Or do I need a specific kind of substrate and lighting and stuff?


----------



## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Well for substrate sand works.. For lighting, you need a fluorescent light with a rating of at least 6500 kelvin, which most light tubes should say their rating..
And to avoid the cycle, you need lots and lots of plants, not just a few. :-D


----------



## PhilipPhish (Mar 6, 2011)

What kind of plants would do good in hard water?

I'm going to be babysitting a lot in the month of July, so I'm going to make a list of new stuff to get with my money.



10 gallon-X2
water testing kits
sand(what kind do you guys recommend?)
drift wood
river rocks


----------



## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

PhilipPhish said:


> What kind of plants would do good in hard water?
> 
> I'm going to be babysitting a lot in the month of July, so I'm going to make a list of new stuff to get with my money.
> 
> ...


Vallisneria does incredible in hard water, so definitely Corkscrew Vallisneria for a 10g [see the profile]. Most plants will be fine too, they are more adaptable than fish.

I use Quikrete Play Sand, from Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. Cheap and looks authentic.


----------



## PhilipPhish (Mar 6, 2011)

I'm probably going to redo my 30 gallon and put sand and live plants in it.
I've heard that sand can build up toxic bubbles and its really hard to clean. Is this true? Are there ways I can prevent toxins/make cleaning easier?


----------



## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

PhilipPhish said:


> I'm probably going to redo my 30 gallon and put sand and live plants in it.
> I've heard that sand can build up toxic bubbles and its really hard to clean. Is this true? Are there ways I can prevent toxins/make cleaning easier?


This worry kept me away from sand for years. Keeping the depth less--say 2 inches overall, having substrate-rooted plants, and Malaysian Livebearing snails, all do the job. In 2 years of sand tanks I've had no issues. I rarely vacuum the substrate, the waste organics should be broken down naturally by snails and bacteria and provide nutrients. This is all explained more in my article on bacteria:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-articles/bacteria-freshwater-aquarium-74891/


----------



## PhilipPhish (Mar 6, 2011)

Thanks Byron! I'll definitely go read it!


----------

