Hello I desperately need some stocking advice!

[Fuzzy Mushroom]

Hello everyone I'm new here and to the aquarium hobby. I have a 10 gallon soil and gravel substrate planted tank that just finished cycling.(I just had to do a significant water change to remove the majority of a heavy algae bloom) so nitrite levels are up a bit at the moment. I intended to keep a beta as the main fish in the tank with some shrimp breeding in there as both extra algae controll and as a snack for beta (hopefully primarily the baby shrimp) but I ran into a snag, I added a little bit of merecal grow to the soil for the plants without relising it contains a bit of copper. I only just received a copper test kit in the mail and have tested the water unfortunately the test isn't accurate enough to determine if the water would be safe enough for shrimp despite showing close to 0 ppm (test jumps from 0 to .25ppm) my research indicated that harmful levels of copper for shrimp is around 0.01ppm. So I started looking into oto cats and or corydoras but with the substrate the available space in my tank is really only 7 to 8 gal and i don't want to add fish to the tank if they aren't going to be comfterble and happy. I have 1 small new zealand mud snail in the tank at the moment to help with the remaining algae. My water parameters are ph around 8.2 was 7.4 prior to adding a thin layer of sand(preparing for oto cats or corys which as it turns out may not be my best option due to tank size) I will add some driftwood or something to lower it back down a bit if necicery. Kh roughly 110 to 130ppm gh roughly 280 to 340ppm. Water temp sits around 76 to 78 °F.  The tank is equipped with a sponge filter.  Being new to the hobby I can only go off of what I find in my research so I don't know how accurate all my info is. What can I add to the tank to help controll algae that will (at least as adults) be safe for/from a beta that i would realistically be able to care for at my skill level. I am trying to keep bio load in mind. And I don't want things to feel cramped for whichever species of fish I get.

PS: I have also looked into guppies and mollies as options but have herd that with a beta booth sides can get a bit nippy. 

PSS: I don't have room for a larger tank otherwise I would set one up and use my 10g as a qt (maby in the future).

Any and all advice would be much appreciated, thank you all in advance. 

Sincerely, nick

[FrozenFins]

I wouldn't do the mollies or guppies, Mollies maybe. But guppys no, the betta may mistake them as another betta.

As far as corydoras there isn't a lot that will handl a 8.2 ph, but heres a list:

-Bronze Corydoras

-Albino Anues Corydora

Most like it at 7 ph.

In my experiance corydoras don't really help with algae, so if you want algae control get the ottos. 

Doing a waterchange will help lower the copper.

If you were to do corydora I would do 4 or 6 of them.

Ottos also 4-6 of them.

Another Idea is to have 6 neon tetras with your betta. They won't help with algae but looks gourgoues. 

-6 Neon Tetras

-1 betta

-4-6 Corydoras/ Ottos. 

[StephenP2003]

Regarding the shrimp, copper problem or not, I would recommend waiting several months of having fish before even thinking about adding them -- much better success comes with a seasoned tank.

Otocinclus in a 10 is not a problem, just not a big army of them -- problem is, they'll tear through the algae in a 10 gallon quicker than you think, and then you have the extra challenge of either making sure you're growing algae fast enough to feed them, or you're supplementing with algae-based food that they'll eat. They can be finicky eaters, so it's rarely as simple as dropping an algae wafer in the tank. Your best bet might be snails. The algae problem tends to improve as your live plants establish. 

Also, pygmy corydoras are great for a 10g.

[Fuzzy Mushroom]

Wow I wasn't expecting such a swift response thank you. 

In regards to my ph I will be trying to lower it a bit if it doesn't come down over time my well water is around 7.4 ph so water changes may bring it back down naturally if not I can add a few catappa leaves.

Will a 10g with ~3 in of substrate be able to sustain 1 beta 6 neon tetras and 6 otos? That seems like a bit of a strech. perhaps I'll add a few more snails and just do the beta and tetras.

Once again thank you for youre suggestions.

Sincerely, nick

Edited December 15, 2020 by Fuzzy Mushroom

[ChefConfit]

1 betta and a half dozen each of neons and ottos should be fine in a 10 gal. Just add fish slowly and make sure your BB can keep up. I'd add the betta first then neons maybe a month later. Then add the ottos half at a time a few weeks apart. 

I had ottos in my 5 gallon for almost a year and they did fine

[Taco Playz]

 

2 hours ago, StephenP2003 said:

Regarding the shrimp, copper problem or not, I would recommend waiting several months of having fish before even thinking about adding them -- much better success comes with a seasoned tank.

Otocinclus in a 10 is not a problem, just not a big army of them -- problem is, they'll tear through the algae in a 10 gallon quicker than you think, and then you have the extra challenge of either making sure you're growing algae fast enough to feed them, or you're supplementing with algae-based food that they'll eat. They can be finicky eaters, so it's rarely as simple as dropping an algae wafer in the tank. Your best bet might be snails. The algae problem tends to improve as your live plants establish. 

Also, pygmy corydoras are great for a 10g.

I like Pygmy cories but in my opinion I think they aren’t as hardy as maybe the bronze Cory catfish or Sterbai cories but I think those two will get too large for a 10 gallon. I agree with Fuzzy Mushroom I would do some Otocinclus I would love to see your tank once it is done hope you get you tank stocking decided. 

[StephenP2003]

29 minutes ago, Taco Playz said:

I like Pygmy cories but in my opinion I think they aren’t as hardy as maybe the bronze Cory catfish or Sterbai cories

Yeah, it's definitely overbred and easy to get weak stock. I usually have to buy a few extras to account for loss during quarantine. But in my experience, once they pass quarantine they're good to go.

[Brandy]

1 hour ago, ChefConfit said:

1 betta and a half dozen each of neons and ottos should be fine in a 10 gal. Just add fish slowly and make sure your BB can keep up. I'd add the betta first then neons maybe a month later. Then add the ottos half at a time a few weeks apart. 

I had ottos in my 5 gallon for almost a year and they did fine

I actually would do this in the opposite order. Neons, then Otos, then Betta last. This way the most territiorital fish doesn't have time to set up a territory. You let most shy fish gain confidence without harassment.

[SWilson]

I'm new (again) to the hobby too, so take all this with a grain of salt - and I am not being judgemental or critical at all just seeking to learn and apply the research I've done (including reading old threads on this forum!) as I've been setting up my two tanks.  And my comments are as much directed to the more experienced hobbyists who have given input on this thread as to Fuzzy Mushroom.  But why not just keep a betta only tank? Or, if you want a school, a tetra only tank? Or one or the other and snails? At least until you implement your future plan to upgrade to a bigger main tank and use the 10gal as qt. 

It sounded like from your description that you're looking for algae control, but it may be possible to control that over time with the plants and controlling light and nutrients, as well as manual cleaning, rather than more inhabitants.  Algae is unsightly but listening to Cory's livestreams, it is also a sign of a healthy ecosystem and everpresent in natural freshwater environments. Don't get me wrong, otos seem really cool and I've love to have some myself, but it sounds like from the above responses you may need to supplementally feed them over the long term after they polish off your current algae situation.  And, while I know the inch per gallon rule is just a rule of thumb and Cory says "anything can be done" but wont you be at more than 20 inches of fish in your 10 gal by the time you're done stocking and they're all full grown?  Again, I'm not saying you can't do it.  Will you have a backup tank in case it doesn't go well?

I did have a betta in college, who was an adult when I got him and lived for over 5 years solo in a 10 then 20 gallon (I wish I knew about planted tanks back then).  He was a wonderful companion and had more than enough personality to keep me engaged in that tank as the only inhabitant.  

One small piece of experience I do have is to second the advice to wait to get shrimp - even aside from the copper issue (sorry to hear about that by the way).  I was naive and over-eager, could not resist the chance to pick up neocaridinias from a local hobbyist, my lfs tested my water and told me it was "cycled" (tank had been set up 2 weeks at that time).  I acclimated them, added them, and all died within a matter of days.  They all had the white ring of death (molting issues). It was absolutely devastating.  I'd like to try keeping them someday, but I'm definitely going to let my tank mature for at least 6 months before. 

[Brandy]

2 hours ago, SWilson said:

I was naive and over-eager, could not resist the chance to pick up neocaridinias from a local hobbyist, my lfs tested my water and told me it was "cycled" (tank had been set up 2 weeks at that time).  I acclimated them, added them, and all died within a matter of days.  They all had the white ring of death (molting issues). It was absolutely devastating.  I'd like to try keeping them someday, but I'm definitely going to let my tank mature for at least 6 months before. 

While that is sad to hear, time may not have solved that issue. "Wait to get shrimp" generally relates to having enough biofilm for the shrimp to eat and not having ammonia/nitrite spikes. Molting issues, especially rapid onset like that, usually has to do with some kind of shock, such as pH or minerals in the tank, I think.

2 hours ago, SWilson said:

But why not just keep a betta only tank? Or, if you want a school, a tetra only tank? Or one or the other and snails?

I do think one or 2 non-breeding snails (like nerites) would be easier than the otos--or just wait for hitchhikers to show up. However, a 10 gallon is more than enough for a betta, tetras, and even otos, and all the fish have a low bioload and use different levels of the tank--within reason I don't like to try to tell people what to have. I have 3 otos in a 29 gallon. I have trouble finding a stitch of algae (except staghorn which nothing much eats). I suspect 6 might be more than 10 gallons will be able to feed, but they are fun fish in their own right. I toss mine a slice of cucumber every now and then for insurance.

[ChefConfit]

5 hours ago, Brandy said:

I actually would do this in the opposite order. Neons, then Otos, then Betta last. This way the most territiorital fish doesn't have time to set up a territory. You let most shy fish gain confidence without harassment.

My reasoning for the ottos last was because they can be fairly sensitive to changes in water parameters so they do best in a well seasoned tank. You are also correct though about adding territorial fish last though. Maybe run it for 1-2 months with just the neons then add the ottos and the betta last. 

Keep in mind that you will want quite a but of algae buildup before adding the ottos as they tend to come in already under fed and can be hard to get onto algae wafers. They're also mostly wild caught so quarantine and deworming is definitely recommended even more so than usual. 

[JettsPapa]

17 hours ago, James Black said:

I wouldn't do the mollies or guppies, Mollies maybe. But guppys no, the betta may mistake them as another betta.

As far as corydoras there isn't a lot that will handl a 8.2 ph, but heres a list:

-Bronze Corydoras

-Albino Anues Corydora

Most like it at 7 ph. . .

It might not be their ideal, but I disagree that there aren't a lot that will handle 8.2 pH.  My water is 8.2, and I have trilineatus, pandas, and pygmaeus that are thriving.