Comments/suggestions - my 10 gallons stocking

[Karen B.]

Greetings 

10 gallons, planted. No CO2... with algea 😖

It’s currently housing 5 guppies (or piranha judging by their behavior), 5 cherry shrimps and 2 nerite snails.

I would like to add 3 oto for algea control and one dwarf gourami (Colisia Lalia)

According to Aquadvisor, this would be 121% population... Would my fish still thrive or is it too cramped?

Filtration is HOB Aqueon quietflow 10 and the nano aquarium coop sponge filter.

I know the gourami might snack on my cherry shrimps but that’s ok.

That’s the aquarium. I tried adding salvinia but they all turned browning. Wondering if my light burn them...

[Fish Folk]

Pretty set up! How long have you had it running now? I like the filtration plan. HOB+Sponge does wonders for every 10 gal we've tried it on. 

For what it's worth . . . maybe consider a Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna) rather than a dwarf Gourami. They tend to be a bit more peaceful in our experience, but still look lovely in a tank like yours. 

As long as your keeping a reasonable maintenance schedule - changing water regularly enough in case nitrate gets overboard - you can probably shoehorn all those fishies in there -- especially given that it's a planted tank. I will say . . . the cave begs for a pleco, or an Apisto. 

[CT_]

I have nothing to add in terms of answers but I love your setup.  I'm bad at IDing plants.  what do you have plant wise?  i love them all.

 

[AquaAggie]

From what I have seen from others and in my experience aqadvisor is pretty conservative when it comes to stocking. 
 

I found this site ( https://www.thinkfish.co.uk/article/community-creator )to be helpful as well and really like their community creator tool. It is a bit more liberal as far as sticking capacity. Good luck

 

i too would like to know your plants, especially the bushy light green one on the right

Edited January 30, 2021 by AquaAggie

[Squeegee79]

My only concern as was mentioned is the dwarf gourami. They can be bullies sometimes.

Perhaps a couple sparkling gouramis instead.

[Karen B.]

@CT_  @AquaAggie

Thank you for your kind words. I love my aquarium but I am getting a bloom of algae so I needed these nice words!

The plants I used :

Background, right to left : java fern windelov, Limnophilia sessiflora, Lindernia rotundifolia, Bacopa compact, Bacopa Caroliniana.

Front, left to right : Rotala rotundifola, Staurogyne repens, on the chola wood there is anubia barteri var nana and an anubia barteri var nana petite, some marino moss ball, pogostemon helferi, cryptocorine wendii red (I think?) and more rotala rutondifola.

Edited January 31, 2021 by Karen B.
I forgot the crypto!

[Fish Folk]

29 minutes ago, Karen B. said:

I am getting a bloom of algae so I needed these nice words!

I definitely understand how adverse to algae we can become as aquarists—especially when a tank is new. Algae can wreck the artistic vision we have in mind. 
 

But if I may... let me share another view. Algae, under control, is a sign of a healthy tank finding balance. It can promote microlife, and sustain fish. For what it’s worth, over time, I’ve come to embrace algae to a point. 

[Kirsten]

I think you actually have a pretty good path to a clean, happy tank with what you've got. Guppies and shrimp will eat down the algae on the plants, nerite will eat algae on the plants. I would hold tight and maybe cut back feeding and light a little bit before introducing otos into that mix.