For Fresjwater Tank Owners

[fedukeford]

i got my little brother into fish so he wanted to start a freshwater tank.... the onyl experiance i have is with salt water so he dosent kno what he needs.... so far he has 10 gallon tank, heater, filter, gravel, decorations... what else does he need?

 

[littlebuck]

pretty much all he needs, only thing left is fish really

 

[fedukeford]

he dosent need any like PH testers or anything?

 

[littlebuck]

i mean you can get a test kit but its not like saltwater. You can getr a cheap test kit and be set. other then that only fish.

 

[fedukeford]

ok thx about how many fish can he keep ( i kno its a TON more that saltwater)?

 

[littlebuck]

well i do mine about 1 inch per gallon but all depends on the fish you want

 

[fedukeford]

ok

 

[barebucta]

I have a freshwater tank as well as a saltwater tank. Tell him to get an Oscar, nice fish and very hardy. Pretty hard to kill even if you goof up. You have to cycle the tank for about 1 week so that the good bacteria bulids up. Same concept as saltwater except it may be a littl easier in my opinion.

 

[tscuda]

A Oscar will out grow a 10 gal tank in no time. Go with Tiger Barbs, Plattys, Molleys,a bunch of Neons and maybe 1 Beta. IMO I'd stay away from an Angel in that small of a tank. Any mix of those would be alright.

 

[pondy]

Well, an oscar would be a good idea if he thinks he is really going to like his aquarium. I say that because it will give him a great reason to get a larger tank. As for a ten gallon, I used to breed guppies and I love that. Fun, you can make you own fish or the colors anyways, or try, and they have babies quick. Other then that I would agree with the tetras(my favorite) and barbs, mollies, and platies. Betas maybe if you dont get guppies, also swords, and a very cool pleco. Not the regular ones, get a different kind, spend some money and get one like a golden nugget, awsome and spice up you tank alot.

 

[bronco300]

tests arent needed nearly as much in freshwater considering the fish are a lot more hardy than most saltwater...somenot, but i dont test my water that often and its been running over a year so yea....neons are always a good schooling fish and pretty fun to watch. or there are some different types of tetras that are cool as well...i personally dont like platys, mollies, or guppies anymore because i think they're pretty plain...i personally love a black ghost fish, costly, but amazing to watch....but i dontknow about it in a 10..and ya have to watch what fish ya put with it, supposidly theyeat neons at night, nocturnal feeders....they are blind, or have bad eye sight at least..but they are still so awesome, but dont get them if you cant keep a good eye on them and make sure they get feed, i've lost two because of going on a weekend trip and my friends forget to feed it the bloodworms at night...not all to pleased to lose 40 dollars that way. but anyways, i think therule is 1in per gallon...still dont want to overpopulate. oscars are fun if you like to see something eat other fish live or anything like that....otherwise i think they're ugly

maybe two small schools of fish would be cool

 

[oceanists]

get a jack dempsy

 

[danedodger]

Lots of good advice already said so I won't waste time repeating it

I think I'd figure out first what he might like to put in. If he chooses the aggressives he's going to be a little more limited in what types he can put in and generally he'll have less fish because even the ones that don't grow huge, like the oscar, are still going to grow larger than your average community fish. Some of the aggressives seem to have more personality, bond with their owners, and have habits that make them interesting to watch though.
On the other side there's the community fish. In general most of those you find in shops grow about 2-4" or so so he could put a lot more of them in and he'd have a larger selection to choose from.
Other than all of that you actually take care of a freshwater tank the same way you do salt! Set it up, set the temp, cycle the tank, only get a few at a time (go with 1-3 for 10 gallons I'd say unless they're tiny like neon tetras or bumble bee gobies, then you can maybe add a FEW more than that but don't push it), and do your partial water changes.
The livebearers, guppies, mollys, platys, and swortails most commonly, can be pretty interesting to breed but keep in mind that they're very prolific!!! It's not hard to have your tank overstocked in no time with these guys!!

 

[debbie]

Well interesting replies. I have been with the freshwater hobby & breeding for 20 years now. Most, not all the above mentioned fish are not suited to a 10 gal. Oscars are cute, but they grow really fast and need a min of 50 gal per oscar. They are called "tank busters" for a reason. They can by messy eaters and do require a big tank so please don't get one for your 10 gal.
Jack Dempsey there agin, to big for that size of tank. In a 10 gal this is what I would recommend:
School of 8-10 neon tetras
2-3 cory catfish
1 small pleco (remember they do grow very large, trade them in when they get to 4 1/2 inches long for another small one.
Driftwood
Live Java Fern, Java moss, anubias
This is just an example of what I would put into a 10 gal but other fish to consider are:
Rummy nose tetras
Cardinal tetras
Platies
Mollies
Guppies
White Cloud Mountain Minnows
Harlequins
Glow Light tetras
Bettas (males only one) (females 2) do not put both sexes together.
So as you can see the sky is the limit but there are many more that could go in there too. Stay away from your big fish or you will have nothing but problems. Ten gallons is really not a big tank and is suited best for small fish.
If you want help with selection of fish "before" you buy I would be glad to give my opinion.
Good luck....Deb

 

[danedodger]

There are some varieties of plecos that don't grow as big as the more commonly found "black suckerfish"? Or there are other algae eaters out there to choose from. I don't remember their max size but don't chinese algae eaters only get about 4" or so and otocinclus cats a bit less than that? I've got otocinclus in one of my tanks at work and I never have to wipe algae in that tank! But on the other hand I say if you don't have an algae problem why bother with an algae eater at all? You'll just have to buy sinking algae wafers or something for them to eat and you can always control algae growth with good water practices.
And yeah, cory cats seem to be awesome at cleaning up the bottom of the tank! They're cute too, always nuzzling around in the gravel looking for stray bits of detrious. I've also got dojo loaches in one tank. I don't remember if they grow too big for a 10 gallon but they're also great at keeping the substrate clean and look cool. One of them keeps perching on top of the rock in there like he's king of the mountain!

 

[debbie]

Yes there are other cleaners, another one is the Bristlenose, they are cute with their bristles and only the males have a nice display of them. Otto cats are another you mentions, however I had a horrible experience with mine. If there is not for them to eat they will suck onto the fish and eat the slime coat off them. This happened to my precious Discus and I caught the buggar in the act too. So I am not fond of them or chinese algae eaters are another I would stay away from. But otto cats with some small fish would be fine. Two max in a 10 gal tank and yes I do also feed algae wafers too.
Cory cats are my favorite, they are so cute. I currently have one albino and 2 bronze in my 10 gal, they are quite funny to watch and when I do water changes they soon are seen laying eggs all over the tank. I have hatched them a couple of times but don't do it anymore. Food for everyone else in the tank the eggs are now.
Another lovley fish is the Rams, the Blue German Rams, Boulivian Rams, and the Golden Rams are another lovely fish for the aquarium.
Deb

 

[danedodger]

Yep, I agree, bristlenoses are pretty neato! I've got a few of those at work, chocolate plecos, and candy striped plecos so people have a choice from the regular old plecos and I like those two varieties more than the common black ones too. Especially the coloring on the chocolates and the markings on the candys along with the candys cuter shape.
I've never seen one of the otto cats suck on one of the other fish in there (albino tiger barbs)!!!!!!!! I have lost a few of the barbs lately though so I'll have to watch closer to see if this is the case or not. Good heads up for me, thanks! The chinese algae eaters I mention only as an alternative. I notice that they're very aggressive feeders so I watch them. What experience did you have that put you off them?
I have zero experience with the rams right now. If I get a free tank I may order a few after researching them some (I research ANYTHING before ordering not only for my own tank but for work too!! The one time I didn't I regretted it, a "freshwater" puffer who's doing very well in his own tank but will be a hard sell with his special requirements) since you like them so much. Aren't they semi to aggressive like some of the cichlids further down the aggressive scale (not the africans, IOW)? The jack demseys surprised me with how viscious they can get!! I had to seperate out the baby oscars of the same size or slightly bigger because the demseys were tearing them to shreds!!! I keep the demseys in their own tank now!!

 

[debbie]

The reason I don't like the otto cats and algae eaters is both are known to suck onto the bodies of fish. So I stay clear from them.
Cichlids are just that. They all have the cichlid trait from the graceful angels to the oscars to the africans they all have that mean streak somewhere in them.
I do like cichlids but you have to know them well on which ones are compatible with one another. I also like to see them in bigger tanks too.
My current 10 gal houses my two bolivian rams, I would never get these again. They are very timid, never come out and their not as pretty as the german or yellow rams. Quite drab. I have three cory cats and one reg pleco. Use to have a bristlenose but when they get older they stop cleaning the tank. So the reg plec I have and trade him in when i want a smaller one. Works for me.
Rams are nice, they do like softer water and if you have the space they make a lovley addition to an Angelfish tank.
Enjoy....Deb

 

[mudplayerx]

Let me know if your brother is interested in growing beautiful, lush real aquarium plants. I have extensive experience in this area of the freshwater hobby and would love to get someone else interested. If he is interested I can post some info in this thread.
It is fun and lucrative because most pet stores will buy freshwater plants from you. It is even better if you live in an area where the soil is red/clay.

 

[tim_12]

My fish list for my 10 gallon freshwater tank:
13 Cardinal neon tetras
4 Tiger Barbs
3 Pink fish (they come in all sorts of colors, their shape is the same as a tiger barb)
2 African frogs
1 Algea eating fish that doesnt eat algea
I also have a few Corkscrew Vallisneria and Moneywort stalks growing in there as well. They grow well under NO lights. The plants are a great indication of high nitrates. They'll stop growing if it gets out of hand. I do 25% water changes every week when I do my saltwater tank. If I were to do it again, I definatly wouldnt have gotten so many fish, but everyone seems to be getting along fine. The only thing you would need to worry about is avoiding fish with long of flashy fins, as they'll get eaten by the tiger barbs.