Katherine Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 My kids (8 and 5) have been asking for their own tanks for a long time. My husband just ok'ed letting them choose things for a shared 10g tank, that they will be helping me take care of. So far they're sure they want 2 of the mystery snails from my 75g, as well as some anubias and some subwassertang. Everything else is up for discussion at this point. They already decided not to do a betta after I said we might have to put the snails back in my tank if the betta doesn't get along with them, so getting along with the mystery snails is a priority. My 8yo is really in love with plecos, are there any that stay small enough for a 10g? Or anything similar? He really loves to see them pressed up against the glass, so something with that same type of behavior but a different body shape might be an acceptable substitute. I'm in no rush to get this set up, we're going to take our time thinking things through. Are there any fish that are sure fire kid pleasers we should be looking at? We've got hard water - more than maxes out the ACO test strips for GH. PH around 6.8, KH around 40ppm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 A Hillstream Loach might fit the bill. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scapexghost Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 Since you have a 75 you can have a bn pleco in the 10 for a year or so and then move it yo the 75. Honestly you could probably keep it in the ten its whole life. Its not like it needs a ton of swim space. For the main fish i think guppies would be a great choice. I think the kids would get a big kick out of all the babies. Would need to raise the pH a bit but there are a million and a half ways to do that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted February 15, 2023 Author Share Posted February 15, 2023 @Scapexghost I'll have to see how they feel about maybe needing to move the BN over later. That might make it a no go. I'm a little worried about the babies situation with the guppies. How often would we need to be getting rid of babies if the tank isn't completely full of plants? It sounds like they want it fairly open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scapexghost Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 On 2/14/2023 at 8:36 PM, Katherine said: @Scapexghost I'll have to see how they feel about maybe needing to move the BN over later. That might make it a no go. I'm a little worried about the babies situation with the guppies. How often would we need to be getting rid of babies if the tank isn't completely full of plants? It sounds like they want it fairly open. Guppy fry usually hide on the top or bottom of the tank, so the midwater can b.e completely open one trick i use is having river stones for the substrate, as the fry can hide between them while the adults would not be able to get to them. The best thing for fry is floating plants imo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted February 15, 2023 Author Share Posted February 15, 2023 On 2/14/2023 at 8:08 PM, DaveO said: A Hillstream Loach might fit the bill. He did like the look of that from a photo of it on the glass. It's a contender, thanks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 On 2/14/2023 at 8:01 PM, Katherine said: My 8yo is really in love with plecos, are there any that stay small enough for a 10g? Or anything similar? He really loves to see them pressed up against the glass, so something with that same type of behavior but a different body shape might be an acceptable substitute Hillstream loaches do similar. They also kinda look like sting rays which can be fun for a kid! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 I understand your kiddo. I love plecos as well! 😄 Personally I wouldn't get hillstreams, but instead a borneo sucker in that tank size. They look similar but they stay smaller. They also do like to be in small groups I guess, but mine is doing well alone in my 29g. Also they are biofilm grazers, so consider them like ottos, nerites and shrimp when it comes to introducing them to the tank. Mine took around 2 months to go for fish food, but their main diet is biofilm and to some extend algae anyway. It may be a good idea to add them at a later time when the tank is a bit mature. I also feel like in a 10g 2 mystery snails may compete it for grazing for food btw. I had 4 nerites in my 29g, and they were competing it for food, even tho I have rocks, 2 big driftwood and big leaf plants in addition to glasses ofc. So I ended up moving 2 nerites to my 33g. Now it stays with 2 nerites in the 29g. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 I would go with a small group of White Cloud Mountain Minnows and maybe some Cherry Barbs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 (edited) On 2/14/2023 at 6:01 PM, Katherine said: My husband just ok'ed letting them choose things for a shared 10g tank, that they will be helping me take care of. Pretty please can they have a 20L. It's so much easier to work in!!!!! Alright, stocking. hm. Cooler temp: -otos, corydoras, rasbora, white clouds, danio, barbs, clown pleco, amano shrimp Warmer temp: -bolivian ram! tetra, dwarf rainbow, gourami. On 2/14/2023 at 6:01 PM, Katherine said: My 8yo is really in love with plecos, are there any that stay small enough for a 10g? Or anything similar? clown pleco and Otos would be perfect. oto would be out a bit more. On 2/14/2023 at 6:01 PM, Katherine said: Are there any fish that are sure fire kid pleasers we should be looking at? What are their favorite colors? Edited February 15, 2023 by nabokovfan87 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted February 15, 2023 Author Share Posted February 15, 2023 On 2/15/2023 at 2:04 AM, Lennie said: I also feel like in a 10g 2 mystery snails may compete it for grazing for food btw. My mystery snails get dedicated food. This should be something I can manage with how much I feed. On 2/15/2023 at 2:53 AM, nabokovfan87 said: Pretty please can they have a 20L. It's so much easier to work in!!!!! Maybe... I'd have to figure out where to put it. We already have an empty 10 and a stand for it. On 2/15/2023 at 2:53 AM, nabokovfan87 said: What are their favorite colors? 8yo - green and purple 5yo - pink and purple Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwcarlson Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 On 2/14/2023 at 8:08 PM, DaveO said: A Hillstream Loach might fit the bill. I'd say borneo sucker (because they're smaller). I think they're even cooler pressed up against the glass than a pleco. You can see their hearts. A small 1" or so bristlenose could at least temporarily occupy the 10 gallon, but you'd have to plan a place for it when it got bigger. I've got two tiny ones in a 10 right now, they'll be fine there for some time at least. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 On 2/15/2023 at 8:15 AM, Katherine said: 5yo - pink and purple candy cane tetras? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 On 2/15/2023 at 4:15 PM, Katherine said: My mystery snails get dedicated food. This should be something I can manage with how much I feed. Mystery snails cant graze like nerite so I guess it may work yea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 On 2/15/2023 at 5:15 AM, Katherine said: 8yo - green and purple 5yo - pink and purple Hm. Emperor tetras and green neons? If only they had a purple pleco, but I think that's down to plants. Red Lily, deep red plants. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 @Katherine for purple fish, look into Elegant Cories, they are small cories (1.5in) and are harder to find, but have a nice purple/blue to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebSills Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 if you don't want babies, but want a lot of color and action, endlers may fit the bill...they are also live bearers, but you could always do an all male tank - get 6-10 endlers and a hillstream/borneo sucker and have a very neat little tank another option may be a pea puffer which are adorable, or a trio of dwarf frogs (blonde frogs are kind of pinkish?)...you could pair the frogs with a couple of more colorful fish (male guppies?) as well if they wanted I would concentrate on planting it up right now (help the cycle with the snails) - take a trip to the LFS (alone) and take note of what they have - and then give them a couple of options and see what they think 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted February 15, 2023 Author Share Posted February 15, 2023 On 2/15/2023 at 10:34 AM, DebSills said: I would concentrate on planting it up right now (help the cycle with the snails) - take a trip to the LFS (alone) and take note of what they have - and then give them a couple of options and see what they think We will definitely be setting it up with plants and snails only to start and then go slow with the fish. I have a filter from my 75 that I'll be moving over for them. I hadn't thought of going to the LFS alone first. Good idea. We have several, so that could help me narrow down where to take them as well. No need to drag them around all day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knee Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 (edited) Peacock gudgeons are really colorful and will do well in a planted 10g. You can keep a pair or two in there. If they ever get a 20 long you can add some neon green rasboras. They might work in a 10 but I like to give schooling/shoaling fish room to swim. Edited February 15, 2023 by knee 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 (edited) I have 1x Hillstream in my Flex9. Definitely a character- I friggin love them. Consider male Endlers. You can get different colored/patterned ones. I know as a kid I loved naming individual pets- groups that looked the same weren't quite as fun. They are active and not quite as troublesome as long tailed male guppies. I wouldn't do anything that spawns (i.e. male/fem guppies) that would get out of control too quickly and be more stressful for you (and the kids if things die off). You can get a small group of Ember Tetra to go with whatever you choose. They are so tiny and tolerant. A group of 6 wouldn't add much to the bioload. I keep all 3 of the above in my Flex9 and it's a great tank. I removed the male Guppies I had as they were run ragged by the endlers and frankly each other, losing their long tails. They are all in QT until they are better and they'll go in a different tank. Mystery Snails are high bioload, I might only put one in a 10g unless there were way less fish. Edited February 15, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwcarlson Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 (edited) In the vein of "cool looking things on the glass", I think I might consider nerites instead of mystery snails. Every time my nerites are on the glass I stop and watch. Though it's been a long time since I've kept mysteries. So maybe they're equally as neat. I know they're a lot bigger. Edited February 15, 2023 by jwcarlson 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebSills Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 On 2/15/2023 at 12:28 PM, Katherine said: We will definitely be setting it up with plants and snails only to start and then go slow with the fish. I have a filter from my 75 that I'll be moving over for them. I hadn't thought of going to the LFS alone first. Good idea. We have several, so that could help me narrow down where to take them as well. No need to drag them around all day. It could also help with getting them what they actually want vs. what they see at the store at the time (I know I have that problem myself sometimes 😉 ) awesome that you have media all ready!! (sorry, missed that) can't wait to see what you find! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted February 15, 2023 Author Share Posted February 15, 2023 On 2/15/2023 at 12:12 PM, DebSills said: awesome that you have media all ready!! (sorry, missed that) I don't think I had mentioned it in the original post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 @Katherine if your children like mystery snails, it might be fun to do a smaller snail, i really like mini-ramshorn snails, they are rather active for snails, and you can keep a ton of them, for me they are SO entertaining to watch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 On 2/15/2023 at 8:47 PM, jwcarlson said: In the vein of "cool looking things on the glass", I think I might consider nerites instead of mystery snails. Every time my nerites are on the glass I stop and watch. Though it's been a long time since I've kept mysteries. So maybe they're equally as neat. I know they're a lot bigger. They look amazing. But in my experience, they will leave no biofilm/algae to borneo or hillstream loach over time. Nerites are grazing monsters 😄 Or as I mentioned, 4 of them competed my borneo in a 29g. Also nerites do display a nice look indeed. But I feel like mysteries have more of a character. Adopting Rick and Morty last week really gave the tank a character! I think kids may enjoy preparing snellos and feeding them and watching them directly going for food :D! Nerites usually dont give a duck 😄 The only problem is both having a short lifespan sadly. hope this would not sadden the kiddos. Because It makes me sad as an adult man lol 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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