# 10 Gallon help



## TinySofa (Feb 1, 2010)

My ten gallon is fully cycled and I'm almost ready to add fish. I was wondering if a dwarf gourami would be better off with a school of cherry barbs or a few guppies. Also would a dwarf gourami eat cherry shrimp? Any suggestions on what I should put in my tank would be appreciated.


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

they would probably not eat the shrimp, they tend not to do that. If you are getting dwarf gouramis I would recommend either a pair of honey or blue dwarf gouramis. They are active fish that swim all over the tank and like to explore.

Best of luck!


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

School of guppies. Barbs are usually nippers and probably would pester the gourami. They have those little feelers that they like to poke other fish with, and I'd bet the first time he poked a barb, they would realize it was nippable and they'd be gone. 
We have a dwarf flame, a dwarf fire, and a dwarf powder blue. All of them are pretty peaceful and get along with the mollies, guppies, swordtails, and platies that are in the 29 gallon tank with them.


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## NatBarry (Feb 19, 2008)

Id scrap the barbs, they can be nasty little things. Instead of one dwarf gourami along with some guppies, id get a pair of dwarf gourami's, they go nice together and under bright lights their colours really come out  Perhaps add a couple of small corydoras for the bottom.

Nat


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## llamas (Jun 29, 2009)

Just because of tiger barbs, it seems like all barbs get a bad name :/

Cherry barbs are actually very peaceful! In fact, some websites go as far as to say that they can become timid an need lots of decorations to feel comfortable. Like most barbs, they should be in a group of 5 or more.

I would personally recommend the cherry barbs! They are really cool looking, and they also from Asia like the gouramis. They both also tend to have a more common water parameter preference.

Not all barbs are agreesive, and cherry barbs tend to be on the peaceful side.


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

Some gouramis are from southeast Asia, and some breeds are from South America.


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## Tallonebball (Apr 6, 2009)

Cherry barbs are very peaceful and would do fine in that tank in a group of about 6
I wouldn't do two Powder Blue gouramis because more often than not, they will get into fights and you will lose one.
Honey/Flame Gouramis are the best pairing dwarfs in my opinion.
You should think about a clean up crew as well, maybe 4 or 5 cory cats


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Yeah, I don't know about pairs, but I do know that our three get along, and we were told they would not. 
One of two different breeds would probably be fine, especially if you purchase them at the same time. All three of ours have come at different times, and they had little scuffles for a day or so to establish pecking order. After that, they're fine, they school, etc.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

see how stupid i am...i never knew that gouramies come from south america..wow!!


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## angela_brown (Jan 31, 2010)

Many fish do better in schools...

Cory cats like to shoal, and my favorites are pandas. I don't know about your area, they're hard to find at our LFSs... Aquabid is a good bet, but I recommend quarantining new fish.

I have some Rosy Barbs... they're really peaceful and beautiful to look at. Mine are the fancy tail variety, and I recommend them to anyone. They're a pretty schooling fish, so I'd get 5 or 6...

Good luck stocking your new tank, and kudos to you for asking questions!


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

Some kinds do, it surprised me! That made everything in my tank from SA after knowing that lol


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## BIRDMAN (Jan 18, 2010)

good luck with the new set-up! and depending on how warm your water is you my not need a heater, considering the cardinals like the temp to be around 74.5F and 79.5F my tank is at 77 already. Dont get me wrong though, i think every tank owner should have a heater but weather or not it needs to be in use is up to what fish they have


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## br00tal_dude (Dec 26, 2009)

you could try harliquine rasboras, they are beautiful and verry active, and small =]


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## TinySofa (Feb 1, 2010)

I will be getting a heater this weekend because my thermometer says my tank is around 68 degrees right now. I'm going to go with a dwarf gourami, 3-4 cory cats, and a school of some sort.

I'll look for those harlequin rasbora when I go to get my fish. Are there any other common schooling fish I should look for?

Also should I add all of my fish at once or should I add some before the others?


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## br00tal_dude (Dec 26, 2009)

if the tank is cycled you should be ok to add them at one time, just remember to float the bag to let temps equalize and not to add the water they come in from the pet store.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Can I just ask.... How did you cycle the tank?

I just ask because some pet stores have been known to tell people to just let the water sit in the tank for a few days to a few weeks, but they don't explain how to get ammonia in the tank.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

ok...i gotta know...what species of gouramy come from south america?????????


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

None of them do. Gouramis are native to Eastern Asia. They have been introduced to South America and are now in a lot of South American waters. I found this out while looking for fish for my biotope.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

1 male cherry barb per 10 gallon tank. I just heard a talk by Randy Carey who has a new book "Tetras and Barbs..". It seems that some barbs, especially the tiger barb, are actually territorial. He suggests keeping only a few in a big tank (like a 55) and/or keeping them in harems like the Mbuna breeders do. 

I'd always heard cherry barbs were peaceful, but there is another thread right now about an aggressive cherry barb. http://www.fishforums.com/forum/gen...-very-aggressive-3-dead-fish-please-help.html 
The most aggressive fish in the world are "peaceful" in a big enough tank and many "peaceful" fish get mean when crowded.


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## with_wet_hands (Feb 4, 2010)

emc7 said:


> I just heard a talk by Randy Carey who has a new book "Tetras and Barbs..". It seems that some barbs, especially the tiger barb, are actually territorial. He suggests keeping only a few in a big tank (like a 55) and/or keeping them in harems like the Mbuna breeders do.


It's true that the males of some barb species are quite territorial in the wild. For these species the male will defend a territory -- spawning with females that linger in the area and driving off other males that enter the territory. For these territorial species the male will actually stop spawning to drive off other intruders. The barbs that are not territorial tend not to be as distracted by other males.

Aquarium "wisdom" has encouraged us to crowd a tank with tiger barbs, which actually frustrates them to the point they give up defending a territory. But I'm suggesting we try keeping them in a more natural way that allows them to display a behavior that is more natural for the species. That is, keep the male population sparse (in terms of the tank's "footprint"). That way we get to see a male as it patrols its territory without harrassing its tank mates.

Only some Puntius (barb) species are territorial. The book (Tetras and Barbs) lists several species that researches have noted to be territorial in their natural habitats hint. hint. ...buy the book.

--Randy Carey


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## angela_brown (Jan 31, 2010)

I would also recommend Preacox Rainbows for a community tank. Commonly known as Neon Rainbows.

True Preacox are small and gorgeous! 3 or 4 would be great in a 10 gallon. I had a school of 6 for breeding purposes. They're awesome little fish!


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## TinySofa (Feb 1, 2010)

I'm going to get my heater in a few hours. Will a $10-15 ten gallon heater be fine?

I may pick up some fish tomorrow or later today but it depends on how warm my tank gets. I'll probably get the guppies or school fish and the dwarf gourami second if those do well.

thanks for all the help


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I've had good, cheap heaters and expensive heaters that cooked fish. Afraid I can't give you much help here, except to warn you to watch the temp., always.


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## TinySofa (Feb 1, 2010)

I went with the mid priced heater its supposed to keep the temperature at 78 degrees and 77-82 degrees is recommended for the fish I've chosen. 

Right now I have a stick on digital thermometer. Is that just as good as one of the other ones? 

What kind of cory cats should I get for my tank? The place I'm going doesn't have shrimp just snails and some kinds of cory cats.

If my tank shows the right temperature I'm going to get 3 guppies and a dwarf gourami tomorrow. I haven't decided what kind of dwarf gourami yet because the place I went to had a few that I liked.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Stick-ons aren't all that accurate and they don't last forever, but it will let you know that your tank is safe or not.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

The stick on thermometers are influenced by the ambient air temperature. You can tell this if you put your thumb on it, it will highlight higher temps. I recommend the electronic thermometers. They work well, have an easy to read display, and some even have alarms to alert you if your tank gets too hot or too cold.


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## TinySofa (Feb 1, 2010)

I got 1 dwarf gourami, 3 assorted guppies, and a snail. They have been in there for a day and seem to be doing fine. The dwarf gourami is kinda shy though. What else should I add later?


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## br00tal_dude (Dec 26, 2009)

you could do a small loach in there, like a kuhli or a munki my kuhli's hide most of the day but when they come out they are very beautiful.


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## Fish Grandma (Dec 27, 2009)

I put three dwarf gouramis in my 25 gallon tank. They are so colorful and relaxing to watch. They are smaller than most of their tank mates, except the baby tetras (4) that I added after three weeks in their net growing. I also but in a new rubber lip placostemous to replace the one that went to the new tank. I have learned fish is addicting. I look forward to going home and petsmart to see what else I can add. I really enjoy this hobby..


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i still want to know what species of gourami are endemic to south america..
i have known about the planted fish for several years..but there are no endemic species.. that i also know..i was just being facetious.
i am not a big gourami fan except for only a few species..it is always a little tricky when in a community tank..
as for what is next..i think br00tal is right..get some loaches..munkis are my favorite small loach..peaceful and active...they are beautiful little fish..but they do tend to be a little pricey..i have about 15 or so and plan on getting more.


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## TinySofa (Feb 1, 2010)

Right now I have 1 dwarf gourami, 3 zebra danios, 3 guppies, and a snail. Would it be safe to add anything else? I think one of those loaches would look nice but I didn't see any when I went to my local aquarium store. 
I don't have a hood and light yet but I plan on getting one this weekend or next. Thanks for the help.


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## Gourami Freak (Mar 6, 2010)

The dwarf Gouramis and the cherry barbs are both very nice fish, and no the cherry barbs don't nip, are tropical community fish, are very peaceful, and wont bother any thing in your aquarium. i don't see a problem with getting both? i am pretty sure that a 10 gal could support it.
don't think any of these would eat your cherry shrimp, just watch out for corys they eat my cherry shrimp. or at least i am pretty sure.


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