# Fish in a 10 gallon planted tank?



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

So I have 6 chili rasporas, a Nerite snail and assassin snail in my 10 gallon planted tank. Any idea if it's possible to add some type of nano bottom feeder in the tank? I am trying to find some but no luck. luckily the snails have been eating the left over foods but would like to have some type of sucker fish for algae and leftover food on the leaves. 


my tank and the chilis: 


















thanks for the help!


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## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

Hmmm...Maybe pygmy Corydoras?
:/

Larger tanks are easier to keep clean, but as long as your willing to change out more water etc, you should be fine. Might wanna keep an eye on the snails though...they tend to have big bioloads, so they're probably more of a danger to keeping your tank clean then a few corys would be! X'D


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

yeah I was going to take out the snails once I figure out what fish would be good for helping out with the algae. 

I was looking at Siamese algae eaters but not sure if they would fit in the 10 gallon since they grow to about 2 inches. Hmm

I'll look into the pygmy Corydoras.
thanks for the help. ^^


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

so this is what I got with 4 pygmy Corydoras and 6 chili Rasboras. looks good on aqua adviser and I'm okay doing more water changes for them.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Pygmy Cory are not bottom feeders; they are mid-tank dwellers. A bottom dwelling Nano would be Habrosus Cory. A shoal of 6-8 would do well. They do not, however, eat algae as far as I can tell. I'd also add more Chili Rasbora.

Never get fewer than six (but more is better) of a shoaling species if you wish to see natural behavior. I realize some sites/forums claim three or four is enough but they've obviously never had those species long-term or they'd know better. :-(

Also, keep in mind not all algae eaters eat all algae so you'd need to identify the type of algae before getting anything.

As far as snail bioload, I'm sure you know Assassin Snails have next to none. Nerites and their eggs are another matter.  Happily, Natalie Nerite just turned four.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

What about Dwarf Corydoras? 6 Corys and 6 Chilis?










I'll look into the Habrosus Cory. =)


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

good to know Russel! yeah the 6 chilis I have in there are just awesome and stay close together too. I think I will get the mini corys, Habrosus Cory or the Dwarf, if they are a difference. lol


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Habrosus, Pygmy and Hastatus are the "dwarf" varieties. Habrosus have a body shape like Bronze, Panda, etc.

I love my Rasboras! They are so darned cute....as are my Habrosus.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

okay I'm hooked. going to get them then. I have seen those little cory fish at the fish store and there were a lot of them. So you think 6 is enough for them to be happy?

so 10 chilis and 6 corys I'm thinking. and yeah I want more chilis too.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Sounds good to me.  The nice thing about Nanos is you can have more in a 10 gallon than one would think; especially when you are at the smaller end species. I had 10 Chili, seven Pygmy and seven Habrosus in my 10 with no issues. Since it was planted I only had to do 2 25% water changes per month. My filter was rated for up to either 20 or 30 gallons.

I did, however, eventually add another filter which is what I normally do in any tank 10 and up. I like the idea of having that extra cycled filter for an emergency.

Keep us posted. And glad to see you back and participating again.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

Thank you both for all the help! 
I was in a bit of a depressed fish stage where I didn't want anymore fish after the female bettas in the 10 gallon failed. But after looking up nano fish I got excited. I wanted something else in the tank other than one betta.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

so I bought 5 corys! I'll buy 5 more once they have more in stock and I save up money. 

I also bought three .Otocinclus Catfish that according to the fish lady, they are okay in a 10 gallon... I looked up the species and they require 20 gallons. T^T That's what I get for not going for my gut instinct. The lady said they would fit in a 10 gallon but so many people can be wrong.

What do you think? should I return them or keep them? Aqua adviser says it's not over stocked when I added 10 chilis into the adviser list.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

oh my bad I meant 5 more _*chili rasboras*_. not Corys. lol I need one more cory though to make me happy. lol


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I've never had Oto suffer from being in a 10. Even though they are classified as "shoaling," they live on the side of the tank so you should be able to keep the three or get a couple more.

Did you get the Habrosus? I would keep three Oto and get six Habrosus. Oto do not eat excess food from the bottom.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I've never had Oto suffer from being in a 10. Even though they are classified as "shoaling," they live on the side of the tank so you should be able to keep the three or get a couple more.
> 
> Did you get the Habrosus? I would keep three Oto and get six Habrosus. Oto do not eat excess food from the bottom.


They did not have the Habrosus in stock but they had the pygmies. the lady said they are smaller than the Habrosus? so I bought 7 of them and they are doing wonderful in the tank along with the otos and Chilis. 

thanks for the info =D


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

At least in my experience, otocinclus do appreciate more space, even though many hobbyists successfully keep them in 10 gallon tanks and sometimes even smaller. I had some in a 30 gallon aquarium, and they were constantly on the move. I'd always thought of them as a rather sedentary species of fish, so it was a surprise to see how active they could be. 

While I _personally_ don't think a 10 gallon tank is an ideal size for this species, if you can provide your otocinclus with an adequate supply of food, it's better than returning them to the store where they face an uncertain future. 

Although they appreciate being kept in larger numbers, I think six otocinclus would be pushing it in a 10 gallon tank. 

Just make certain your otocinclus have nice rounded stomachs. If they start to look sunken, they aren't getting enough food. The biggest challenge for some hobbyists seems to be weaning their otocinclus onto other foods such as algae wafers or blanched vegetables.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

LittleBettaFish said:


> At least in my experience, otocinclus do appreciate more space, even though many hobbyists successfully keep them in 10 gallon tanks and sometimes even smaller. I had some in a 30 gallon aquarium, and they were constantly on the move. I'd always thought of them as a rather sedentary species of fish, so it was a surprise to see how active they could be.
> 
> While I _personally_ don't think a 10 gallon tank is an ideal size for this species, if you can provide your otocinclus with an adequate supply of food, it's better than returning them to the store where they face an uncertain future.
> 
> ...


thank you so much for the info! I have algae wafers for the otos and the corys and they have been munching on it together. 
but I do agree, if I bring them back to the store they might not have a great life. After I brought them home I went online to look to see more info about them and the sites do say a 20 to 30 gallon tank is ideal for the otos yet I have heard that they do fine with only two to three in a tank so maybe they are the type of fish that can adjust with any type of home environment? 

here are some photos of them on their second day of living in the 10 gallon tank. they love to rest on the anubias plants and the swords that's for sure.


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