Old guy...small tank

[Gwallace]

I have been in the hobby for over 40 years.  I have always kept large tanks of at least 55 gallons and I currently have 10 75 gallon tanks in my fishroom.  I have also always kept large Cichlids and they remain my passion still today.

All of a sudden I get the hankering for a small aquarium on my desk.  I bought a 10 gallon cube.  It is currently set up and running on my desk and I love having it close at hand.

My issue is that I have no idea what to put in it!  I think I would like it to be busy but not "frantic".  I will post a picture of the set up.  It is mid cycle right now and the cloudiness is just a bacterial bloom that will clear in a few days.  All suggestions are welcome.

I forgot to add...I am not an aquascaper!  I know it's not the greatest looking tank out there but hopefully the plants will grow in and hide my ineptness...LOL

[Flumpweesel]

My favourite tiny fish is the pygmy Cory (because no one told them they are tiny they are the chihuahua of the fish tank).

Next up would be neon or cardinals tetra they are just so bright and quite well behaved.

I'm often tempted by Enders but I try to keep clear of live bearers.

Apistos are very friendly but in my experience don't like each other, single kribs are also fun.

[lefty o]

cherry shrimp, chili rasbora's... lots of nice small fish to choose from.

[Gwallace]

Cherry shrimp are a definite possibility.  Thanks.

[Anjum]

I like the suggestion of pygmy cories, that could be fun in that scape. I like my harlequin rasboras for movement w/out being too busy/frantic. Although in a 10g cube, I'd maybe go smaller, like chili's or cpds, just so you could have a slightly larger school. 

Btw I think your scape looks great! It'll look quite nice when it's all grown in 🙂

[Gwallace]

On 7/3/2022 at 12:26 PM, Flumpweesel said:

My favourite tiny fish is the pygmy Cory (because no one told them they are tiny they are the chihuahua of the fish tank).

Next up would be neon or cardinals tetra they are just so bright and quite well behaved.

I'm often tempted by Enders but I try to keep clear of live bearers.

Apistos are very friendly but in my experience don't like each other, single kribs are also fun.

Great idea on the Pygmy Corys...Thanks.

On 7/3/2022 at 1:51 PM, Anjum said:

I like the suggestion of pygmy cories, that could be fun in that scape. I like my harlequin rasboras for movement w/out being too busy/frantic. Although in a 10g cube, I'd maybe go smaller, like chili's or cpds, just so you could have a slightly larger school. 

Btw I think your scape looks great! It'll look quite nice when it's all grown in 🙂

Thanks.  It seems to be doing well so far.

[Flumpweesel]

Looks like Cory was listening to you.

 

 

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/3/2022 at 10:03 AM, Gwallace said:

I forgot to add...I am not an aquascaper!  I know it's not the greatest looking tank out there but hopefully the plants will grow in and hide my ineptness...LOL

I actually really like the tank!

If you've never had a tank dedicated to amanos, I'd highly recommend that with something like otos and just focus on plants and a passive enjoyment.  I guarantee there will be plenty of activity to keep you interested.  Again, that's if it's something you haven't had before. 

If you want to do something a bit more exotic, I'd recommend checking out some of the talks by Chris Lukhaup and trying to find something unique that he shows off that is interesting to you.  For me, I really like the tiger shrimp, black rose shrimp, jade shrimp, etc.  They all have unique water requirements and you can find something that fits your water and potentially be a "fancy" shrimp that isn't common to the hobby or your local shops.

He does have a talk on the Aquarium Co-Op youtube, members only.  It's a really fun one.  For more details obviously on care requirements you need to do a bit of research, but it's a good one to try to see all the varieties and a bit about how new varieties are introduced.

[PineSong]

I love my male Endlers. They are not as hyper/frantic as male guppies and they do not harrass each other as much--more dancing and showing off for each other, less chasing. French blue star boys or red chili Endlers would look great with that dark substrate and plants 🙂

[dan12boy]

You could try a single pea puffer since I believe they have a lot of experience. You could also get a single paradise fish. You could also have some clown killifish alongside pygmy cories and some cherry or amano shrimp.