# 10 g community stocking?



## Cupkayke (Jul 27, 2016)

So I got some platys for my 10 g betta tank as tank mates, but my betta tried to kill them immediately, so after a few minutes I had to re-home them in my 5 g (I will be moving them to the 10 g my betta is in, and moving the betta to the 5 g)

I had been planning on getting a community tank for a while, but I was hoping it'd be bigger. What else can I fit in a 10 g with 3 platys?


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## seemsligit (Nov 24, 2016)

shrimp are fun little things that are good at getting food the fish don't get. Ghost shrimp are also very cheap in most stores. (though i guess expect a high death rate with the cheap ones, they're sold as feeders so :/ )

Otto catfish also stay small, I have them in with my minnows, but they are very shy fish and you won't see them very often. 

White cloud mountain minnows are another small fish (similar to tetra ) that seem to only really pay attention to food or each other. Even in the same tank as my betta they never really looked twice at him.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Most Platy forums I've visited say three is the limit for a 10 gallon as males can get 2", females 3" and they have a very large bioload. Unless you bought all males you are going to have tons of babies so keep that in mind.  Here's a link to our sister forum's profile:

Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus) - Tropical Fish Keeping - Aquarium fish care and resources

Parameters, especially temperatures, are important when deciding on tank mates and often not considered. The goal should be to provide the optimum habitat for all species for long-term health. WCM are considered cold water fish. The temperatures where they do best (57F-71F) are much lower than Platys (68-82). Median temp for WCM is 64 while median for Platys is 75 so one or the other suffers. Shoaling fish need a minimum of six. The only ones I would recommend with Platys would be a shoal of Cory. Habrosus (68F-78F) are tiny and inhabit the bottom of the tank which would give the Platy the upper and middle levels. You could even have more than six if you wished. Depending on filtration and planting, you could probably add 6-8 Pygmy Cory. They are more mid-level and love resting on plant leaves; especially Anubias.

You might go to AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor to check out any combinations you think you might like. That's a fun site for playing.  

BTW, I'm in the process of stocking and planting my new 20 long.

Edit: You could even get a Gourami as the centerpiece fish and 6-7 Pygmy _or_ Habrosus Cory


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

On the platy my experience is more like 1.5"for male and 2" for female...and they do poop A TON! and they are not very responsive to life outside the glass. They are social and you definitely need over one. I would get a males because the females are usually pregnant and larger.

Mystery snails-so cute and active. I love mine. 

I have been considering getting a school of neon tetra to go in my 20 gallon but I am waiting for a $1 sale.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Get at least 10 Neons but 15 or so is better. IME, the larger the number results in aggression and nipping staying within the shoal and not directed outwards to the other fish.


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

Thanks for the tip!

And you know I was thinking and I have seen bigger platies but it is the darker colors that I have seen get over 2.5" and I think it's because they are crossing with swordtails to get the tuxedo/green lantern colorings.


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## Cupkayke (Jul 27, 2016)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Most Platy forums I've visited say three is the limit for a 10 gallon as males can get 2", females 3" and they have a very large bioload. Unless you bought all males you are going to have tons of babies so keep that in mind.  Here's a link to our sister forum's profile:
> 
> Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus) - Tropical Fish Keeping - Aquarium fish care and resources
> 
> ...





fernielou said:


> On the platy my experience is more like 1.5"for male and 2" for female...and they do poop A TON! and they are not very responsive to life outside the glass. They are social and you definitely need over one. I would get a males because the females are usually pregnant and larger.
> 
> Mystery snails-so cute and active. I love mine.
> 
> I have been considering getting a school of neon tetra to go in my 20 gallon but I am waiting for a $1 sale.



My platies are male, I only have 2, I'm getting the 3rd next time I go out, I started with two because I thought that was the minimum but I did some research and found out it was 3. I'm gonna shoot for another male but the workers in my lfs don't care which one they give you, they just give you the one they pick so it might be a girl. They are an inch each, supposedly adults. 

I have plenty of filtration because I heard platies are messy.

Using the AqAdvisor website it says 3 platies, a dwarf gourami and an apple snail would be fine, any opinions?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I think that stocking would be fun. Don't let the store give you a female; insist on a male as a female will be harrassed to death.


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

Yeah you pay for it and you have to care for it it's whole life - you have a right to say which one you want. Now if it's a tank with 1000 feeders yeah I can see their point...but this is a pet and you absolutely can say which sex. Just educate yourself on telling male and female apart because they may not
Know 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Cupkayke (Jul 27, 2016)

The workers there are absolutely awful, I asked for a couple of fish the other day and the guy looked off into the distance for at least 60 seconds before sighing and grabbing the net. My mom spoke up and said "Gee you sure look thrilled" and he stated that no one else would've helped me because no one else knows how to catch the fish. Why are they working in a fish store then?? I'll try to shoot for a male, if they give me a female i'll ask them to do it again, I'll just have to explain that I already have two males. Though i'm not sure these people know anything about fish, I asked for a platy and he tried to give me a comet goldfish. It's the only fish store within my state though.


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## Platy lover (Aug 25, 2016)

Aqua advisor, although helpful, is no were near perfect. I'd take them with a grain of salt. Please don't get a dg, they need a 20g minimum, an apple snail will be fine, but fish wise you are stocked with three platies.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Platy lover said:


> Aqua advisor, although helpful, is no were near perfect. I'd take them with a grain of salt. Please don't get a dg, they need a 20g minimum, an apple snail will be fine, but fish wise you are stocked with three platies.


I agree three Platy is close to stocked. As far as AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor, if anything, it tends to be conservative. 

Every species profile I've read says a length of 24" is needed for Dwarf Gouramis. It's against BF rules to link another forum so I can't link the profiles except from our sister site, Tropical Fish.

Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius) - Tropical Fish Keeping - Aquarium fish care and resources

BTW, make sure you get a Mystery and not an Apple Snail as Apples can reach 5"-6". People often use the name interchangeably but they aren't the same snail. I prefer Assassin Snails: Low bioload and small at up to about 1". They clean up leftover food as well. KitKat67 has some nice Mystery Snails; I bought all of mine from her.


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## Cupkayke (Jul 27, 2016)

I've already stocked my 10 g with a different stock including the platties. I will be upgrading them to a 20 g once they go on sale. Thank you guys for your help.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

What did you get? I already have Dario Dario in some of my tanks but I'm buying more to put in two of my 5.5 gallons, the 8.5 and one of the 20 longs.

I find a 20 long the most fun to stock because of the longer, lower footprint; allows for more fish than a 20 tall.


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## Cupkayke (Jul 27, 2016)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> What did you get? I already have Dario Dario in some of my tanks but I'm buying more to put in two of my 5.5 gallons, the 8.5 and one of the 20 longs.
> 
> I find a 20 long the most fun to stock because of the longer, lower footprint; allows for more fish than a 20 tall.


This would be the one with the black skirts, I know 20 g is better for them, but I only have 2 at the moment so my tank isn't over stocked just yet. I'll get the new black skirts and the 20 g at the same time so I won't be over stocked at any point. I'll of course make sure it's cycled though.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Is this the 10 with the Platy that you originally asked about? I'm confused.


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## Cupkayke (Jul 27, 2016)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Is this the 10 with the Platy that you originally asked about? I'm confused.


Yes, I have both platy and black skirts in there. I was going to choose a different tank mate choice for my platties but they only had black skirts and I read they'd do fine with platy.


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