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I am diving into fish keeping and I am starting small. I have a 10 gallon tall tank which will fit on my desk at home. My plan is to use gravel as my substrate and have a piece of driftwood and live plants. I have been watching a reading all the "beginner" topics and there is a lot to take in. Using the Easy Green products I am hoping the live plants work out. I plan to buy a variety to see which works best for my tank water conditions. 

Since my tank is tall, about 19 inches I would like to pair fish that spend the majority of their time at the top, with those in the middle and something that hangs out at the bottom. I read the article on the "10 Best Top Dwelling" and they all appear to be schooling fish and the recommendation is to by a half dozen. For a 10 gallon tank and wanting to have fish that cover all three regions of the tank, I have to watch the quantity of the fish I have in each.

Are there choices for each region of a tank that don't require as large of a schooling group? If you had a 10 gallon tall tank how would you populate your tank.

I wish I had a bigger tank but this is what I have to start and I want to be successful. Eventually I want to have a much larger tank but I have to start somewhere. 

Can you shine a light on a path I could take to achieve my goal?

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I would start with testing the water and considering "easy to keep" species. Is your water soft/low pH or hard/high pH? Do you plan to use a heater or the temperature is going to be on the lower side? Some fish can tolerate a wide range of water parameters, (e.g. zebra danios) and some might not do very well if the water is not to their liking.  Also, in a peaceful community setup, you don't have to populate all the levels in the tank at once, so it might be wise to begin with just one species and add others as you get more experience and confidence. 

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Thanks Colu and Fonske for your responses. I am at the planning stage right now. I have the tank and some essentials but won't be setting up my aquarium for a couple of weeks. I do have a heater for my aquarium. Once it is set up I can test the water.. I agree with the idea of starting with just one species. Is there any value starting with a species that hangs around the top over one that patrols the middle? Or is a bottom dweller best.   

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If it were me at the current moment I would probably try and get a smaller carpeting plant in there and use neocaradina shrimp of whatever color I prefer and a group of Strawberry Rasboras pic included or some other nano rasbora. They are pretty tiny 3/4 inch adults and school pretty decent throughout the tank. Male front center Female above Male behind. The males get pretty red when displaying. 1483473652_StrawberryRasbora2.jpg.426ddabef798bc8833302fa03de99cbc.jpg

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You can test your water now to know approximately where the pH and GH/KH sits.

Smaller danios, male Endlers, male Guppies, ONE dwarf gourami or one Betta would all be easy beginner fish, and most will use the whole tank. You could choose from those and get a couple of khuli loaches or smaller corydoras for the bottom. Tetras like softer water, guppies like harder water but both can adapt. If you figure out where you are we can offer more specific suggestions.

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11 minutes ago, euscsey58 said:

Is there any value starting with a species that hangs around the top over one that patrols the middle? Or is a bottom dweller best.   

You usually want to start with the hardiest, least territorial species. In my list that would be the danio/guppy/endler group. Then bottom dwellers, finally the boss fish betta/gourami--which can be jerks and need to be introduced last.

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8 minutes ago, euscsey58 said:

Is there any value starting with a species that hangs around the top over one that patrols the middle? Or is a bottom dweller best.  

I don't think it matters, really. Start with knowing your water, then choose a fish that you like from the species that are known to thrive in similar water parameters.

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Unfortunately I am not home right now so testing isn't possible and with anything aquarium related water parameters govern nearly everything you do. "Water Parameters Rule". 🙂  I have read and watch enough material from Aquarium Co-Op that fact id drummed into my head. I appreciate the input and it has given me options and things to think about once I find out are my parameters are. Like I said at the first, getting off on the right foot is important to me. 

 

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If your definition of overwhelmed is sitting at the bottom of the Mariana Trench then we are sitting there together. 🙂

I am getting the same feeling about this group. I am already feeling better. Not confident but better. I have been in other forums but never really felt supported. I felt I was being talked down to sort-of. I don't know. I am just glad I found this group.

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If I could do my first 10 gallon tank over again, I'd do one betta and some ramshorn snails, maybe an amano shrimp. That'll cover all your bases, everyone will get along, keep the tank and plants clean, and be fun to watch.

But if the filter output remains as strong as mine is (I've done my best to dampen it with pieces of sponge tied to the outlets, but I think my betta's still a little stressed), I'd probably do male guppies, male endlers, or white cloud minnows (if I didn't want to heat it), still keep the ramshorns, and maybe add a mystery snail for fun. 

Edited by Kirsten
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I have a 40 gallon freshwater tank now but began with a 10 gallon tank in the 1990s & kept it for about 6 years. I didn't know about Aquarium Co-op but asked a lot of questions at the fish shops. I don't think I even had internet then!

I ended up getting 3 marble hatchet fish for the top area, about 6 neon tetras for mid-tank, and a plecostomus for the bottom of the tank. I had a mix of live and plastic plants, a heater, and filter and the fish seemed to do quite well.

I used our well-water which is high in calcium and has iron algae in it. The fish didn't seem to mind. I've learned many fish are adaptable. If the tank was near a window it got much more algae growth so ended up moving it. I learned to do a 1/3 water change about every two months rather than monthly to preserve the balance in the tank. It's a learn-as-you-go-hobby and quite rewarding! Don't get discouraged just keep learning and trying your best! I still have tons to learn! Best wishes!

Edited by Dee of CNY
corrected plecostamus
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Killifish are great top dwelling fish and dont need a school. But make sure there is a lid with 0 holes. If there is holes in your lid you can always patch it up with a flat pollycarbonated sheet or just tightly taped cardboard ideally taped with duct tape. 

With a 10 gallon tank heres what I would do:

Top Dwelling: Killifish or Betta (yes bettas can have other tank mates, just not other bettas. Just make sure it has a peacful temperment.)

Medium Dwelling: Neon Tetra/ Celestrial Pearl Danio

Bottom Dwelling: Pygmy Corycatfish or Salt and Pepper Corycatfish.

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Welcome, euscsey58!

One of the prettiest fish I recently bought is the Lambchop Rasbora...They are small, about 1", and occupy the top third of the tank. They will school, but mostly shoal in loose groups. Really nice little fish. My neon tetras occupy the middle and bottom, and are approx the same size. I also have Threadfin rainbowfish, and they're all over. Bottom dwellers: pygmy corys...a hugely delightful little fish, which will occasionally school around the mid level. (I would not get a pleco, due to the waste factor.)

If you have a lot of plants (relatively speaking for a 10g), and keep up with your maintenance, there is no reason you cannot have these little fish in your tank, though not all of course. Plants do make the difference.

Good luck and have fun!

 

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