# Fish suggestions?



## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

I picked up a 10g at the Petco sale. It will be high light. I really haven't decided on plants yet. One thing I am interested in would be a mated pair of fish that would lay eggs in a clay pot/cave on the bottom. Are there any fish suitable for a 10g that would do that?


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

how about some sort of dwarf cichlid?
Kribs
apisto viejta
apisto borleyi
apisto macmasteri
nanochromis nudiceps
rams
kribs


no shrimp though


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

you could try apisto borelii, as mentioned above. but i was strongly cautioned against new world cichlids for my ten gallon. they said they would fit, but they explore so much you would feel bad with them in a ten gallon. idk


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## Larry Grenier (Apr 19, 2005)

Do some research on Peacock Goby aka Peacock Gudgeon (Tateurndina ocellicauda). Very attractve and sounds interesting.


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## Franco (Jun 13, 2010)

Peacock Gudgeons are hard to feed. I had a dozen of them and during the winter when I couldn't wild collect daphnia, I had a really hard time producing enough brine shrimp, indoor daphnia, and blackworms to feed them.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

also, they probably arent the easiest fish to breed...
I think the dwarf cichlids would do fine in a 10g. its gonna be high light, which means alot of plants. i wouldnt worry.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

Scarlet badis would do the trick. GL with finding a female one of those though.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

At a quick glance I'm liking the look of the apisto borelii and the rams. I love blue fish!  I'll have to read up on each.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

The rams....I'm seeing two different names.

Papiliochromis ramirezi and Mikrogeophagus ramirezi

Are these really two different fish?


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

Cottagewitch said:


> The rams....I'm seeing two different names.
> 
> Papiliochromis ramirezi and Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
> 
> Are these really two different fish?


These two are synonyms, I believe.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

They are not the same fish. At first I thought they might have been, just looking at the species names because what tends to happen sometimes is the fish is named as one genus, but then later gets moved to another genus so both names could be used.

In this case though ,the first fish is the bolivian ram and the second is german blue ram.
i remember hearing bolivian is less sensitive, but theyre both kinda whiny unless you know what youre doing.


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## agimlin (Sep 25, 2010)

Cottagewitch said:


> The rams....I'm seeing two different names.
> 
> Papiliochromis ramirezi and Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
> 
> Are these really two different fish?


actually they are called mikrogeophaugus altispinosus(bolivian ram) and Mikrogeophagus ramirezi(blue ram)

i keep bolivians they are very cool fish but not as much blue and the germans/blue rams. bolivians are more forgiving when it comes to water conditions but if the male does not like the female your ten gallon will be the aquatic version of the thunder dome. and rams do not lay eggs in caves they go for a flat rock or surface. for a ten i would suggest kribs, they lay there eggs on the roof of the cave, but if you have any other fish in there wile they are spawning and have fry the kribs will kill every last one of them


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

wouldnt kribs be better off in 20GL?


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## agimlin (Sep 25, 2010)

Newman said:


> wouldnt kribs be better off in 20GL?


yes if she had other fish in the tank, but if they are the only two in there it shouldnt be an issue


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## gBOYsc2 (Dec 4, 2010)

10 Gallon is too small for a pair of rams or apistos...... Almost anywhere you read will tell you this.


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## boringname (Nov 11, 2010)

Cottagewitch said:


> I picked up a 10g at the Petco sale. It will be high light. I really haven't decided on plants yet. One thing I am interested in would be a mated pair of fish that would lay eggs in a clay pot/cave on the bottom. Are there any fish suitable for a 10g that would do that?


Thats a very broad category. You have to have more preferences than just this.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

boringname said:


> Thats a very broad category. You have to have more preferences than just this.


Well, I prefer blue fish to most other colors but have no problem considering other suitable fish. I was thinking about keeping just the mated pair with a few snails and maybe an Oto or two in the tank. I was was intending to choose plants based on what would be the natural habitat of the fish chosen. So in that respect I suppose I'd be going for something of a South American biotope. I really want to put in some kind of cave for the fish.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

Cottagewitch said:


> Well, I prefer blue fish to most other colors but have no problem considering other suitable fish. I was thinking about keeping just the mated pair with a few snails and maybe an Oto or two in the tank. I was was intending to choose plants based on what would be the natural habitat of the fish chosen. So in that respect I suppose I'd be going for something of a South American biotope. I really want to put in some kind of cave for the fish.



The Otocinclus are optional.


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## agimlin (Sep 25, 2010)

gBOYsc2 said:


> 10 Gallon is too small for a pair of rams or apistos...... Almost anywhere you read will tell you this.


you could get away with it as long as they are a proven breeding pair otherwise aggression will get out of controle.


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## agimlin (Sep 25, 2010)

Cottagewitch said:


> The Otocinclus are optional.


then you are gonna want to stay away from kribs because they will be killed


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## JonahHart (Dec 8, 2010)

What about bubblenesters? You won't get any sort of cave breeding but all of the dwarf gouramis would be plenty comfortable in a 10 gallon tank and you could go with a southeast asian biotope, plant wise.


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## toddnbecka (Sep 4, 2006)

Better option would be to set up the 10 gallon beside a 20L, do plants in the 10 with some shrimp, and connect it to the 20 as a sump/refugium. That would allow more space for the pair of dwarf cichlids, a small group of tetras or similar schooling fish for dithers, and as the shrimp breed the extras would be a great source of live food.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

toddnbecka said:


> Better option would be to set up the 10 gallon beside a 20L, do plants in the 10 with some shrimp, and connect it to the 20 as a sump/refugium. That would allow more space for the pair of dwarf cichlids, a small group of tetras or similar schooling fish for dithers, and as the shrimp breed the extras would be a great source of live food.



The 20L would be good for the pair of apistos and can accommodate the small school of dithers, if the cichlids dont turn rogue on them. The shrimp idea is decent, especially if some hiding places are provided in the 20L where the shrimp may be able to survive and even breed in there in addition to the 10 gal.


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## Pooky125 (Jul 30, 2002)

What about a pair or trio or Rhinogobius zhoui? Freshwater, relatively easy to breed, all the ones I've seen for sale eat EVERYTHING, small, breed in caves, and have a bit of a bluish tinge when in breeding colors. Not to mention some fascinating behaviors.


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## boringname (Nov 11, 2010)

Cottagewitch said:


> Well, I prefer blue fish to most other colors but have no problem considering other suitable fish. I was thinking about keeping just the mated pair with a few snails and maybe an Oto or two in the tank. I was was intending to choose plants based on what would be the natural habitat of the fish chosen. So in that respect I suppose I'd be going for something of a South American biotope. I really want to put in some kind of cave for the fish.













Gobies usually like caves so I googled for freshwater blue goby and found the Sumatran Neon Goby. Never heard of it before.


I'm sure if you looked hard enough you could find a killifish that was blue enough and they are easy to breed. But I never heard of one that goes in caves.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

boringname said:


> Gobies usually like caves so I googled for freshwater blue goby and found the Sumatran Neon Goby. Never heard of it before.
> 
> 
> I'm sure if you looked hard enough you could find a killifish that was blue enough and they are easy to breed. But I never heard of one that goes in caves.



What a beautiful fish!!!!!!


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## Pooky125 (Jul 30, 2002)

I've seen these in person before. They're stunning! Not sure how easy they are to breed, but if memory serves, they do graze on algae. Sounds like a great match for a planted aquarium to me. You can sometimes find them over at franksaquarium.com.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

I was just looking into these gobies. They like cooler temps, fast flowing water and feed on algae and biofilm. You can grow some hardy plants in the tank with them but need high light because you actually want algae to grow for them to feed on. From what I'm reading though, you definitely want higher than normal filtration and/or use a powerhead. They actually have a pelvic disk to help them "attach" to things and they come with a warning...you better have a cover on your tank because these little guys actually enjoy climbing the glass. I can really see a pair of these in a long tank and making it as something of a palurdarium or vivarium with these little fish inhabiting the water portion.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

that would look amazing! are you going to do that?


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

AquaStudent said:


> that would look amazing! are you going to do that?



Its really funny because I've kept aquariums for at least 25 years. I've delved into reefing briefly as well. I took a break from aquariums for about a year then recently decided to get back into it with the planted tanks. I've set up my 3g picotope. Right now I'm working on setting up this 10g and here I am starting to plan a 3rd tank before I even get water in the second one! LOL But to answer your question...yes. LOL I'll end up doing it. Though for the 10g I'm seriously leaning toward the rams at this point. Just the rams and a few snails. 

(mumbles about swearing I was only going to set up 1 tank this time)


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Cottagewitch said:


> Its really funny because I've kept aquariums for at least 25 years. I've delved into reefing briefly as well. I took a break from aquariums for about a year then recently decided to get back into it with the planted tanks. I've set up my 3g picotope. Right now I'm working on setting up this 10g and here I am starting to plan a 3rd tank before I even get water in the second one! LOL But to answer your question...yes. LOL I'll end up doing it. Though for the 10g I'm seriously leaning toward the rams at this point. Just the rams and a few snails.
> 
> (mumbles about swearing I was only going to set up 1 tank this time)


lol you should be happy that you have the ability to set up more tanks. I'm stuck in college and am going to have a hard enough time moving around a 10 gallon.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i would seriously consider at least a 20 gal for rams. they also like big bottom territories so a tank with a larger floor plan works better than anything tall.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

I'm already limited on space AquaStudent! LOL I'm tucking tanks in wherever I can. 

Newman, what I have to work with at this point is just a 10g. I looked at the Scarlet Badis as you suggested but I don't really care for predominantly red fish. Do you have any other suggestions I can look into? I don't want a shrimp tank. I don't want guppies in it because I have them in my 3g. I'm open to any other fish you care to suggest for a 10g but I can't make the tank any larger than it is.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

you could go with a Betta. Many come in beautiful blue colors (like mine although he's got some white marbled into him).

You can turn your 10 gallon into a community tank and add some other fish like otos, cory cats, Neon Tetras. I've also been recommended Chili Rasboras. They are a very bright red so I don't know how you'll like them but a school of them would be an amazing to a blue betta.

I don't have access to Chili Rasboras or I'd add them to my tank. It's something for the future though.

Are you going to get your fish from online or from the LPS?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

Scarlet badis have blue tho too...









As a community, 3-5 otocinclus, 3-5 pygmy corydoras, 5-7 dither tetra/rasbora would work well.
I planned a blackwater 10 gal a long time ago with 6-7 pygmy cories, 7-8 green neon tetras and one honey or electric blue dwarf gourami.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

AquaStudent said:


> you could go with a Betta. Many come in beautiful blue colors (like mine although he's got some white marbled into him).
> 
> You can turn your 10 gallon into a community tank and add some other fish like otos, cory cats, Neon Tetras. I've also been recommended Chili Rasboras. They are a very bright red so I don't know how you'll like them but a school of them would be an amazing to a blue betta.
> 
> ...




Aquastudent, that idea has real merit! I've been wanting to rescue a Betta from the pet store anyway. It kills me to see them in those little cups. I know I can get neons but I'll have to see about the availability of Rasboras. I just need to buy a heater and choose a substrate. I'm thinking of going with river sand. Too bad I can't dig up the sand in my yard and rinse it. Lol


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

You might try a wild-type betta. There are several species where you could keep a pair together in a 10gal tank. Betta simplex is one option. Here's a video of 2 of my males displaying for each other. You can see the irridescent blue band in their anal fins. Their cheeks and caudal fins also have that gorgeous blue...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyEHk-A0F7M


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

Lauraleellbp, they are real beauties!!!!!


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Laura those are beautiful fish! I wish you did more videos of your tanks 

but anyway a betta (wild type or splenden) would be a great fit  there are so many blue ones and they are all unique in color and personality


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## boringname (Nov 11, 2010)

I hesitate to promote north american native fish cuz all that usually leads to is eye rolling. But I think a sexed pair of American Flag Fish might be what you want. The male has blue and turns it on more the more confident he feels, in a tank with just him and a female I bet he would turn it on a lot. Once a pair bonds they are never more than a few inches from each other. They are easy to breed and very hardy and since they live in Florida you could collect the plants from all around you to create a Florida biotope.

The main reason so many people don't like Flag Fish is they don't get along well with others. They either attack other fish or hide in fear from them, they rarely just get along with them. But you said you just want a mated pair so that takes of that.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

boringname said:


> I hesitate to promote north american native fish cuz all that usually leads to is eye rolling. But I think a sexed pair of American Flag Fish might be what you want. The male has blue and turns it on more the more confident he feels, in a tank with just him and a female I bet he would turn it on a lot. Once a pair bonds they are never more than a few inches from each other. They are easy to breed and very hardy and since they live in Florida you could collect the plants from all around you to create a Florida biotope.
> 
> The main reason so many people don't like Flag Fish is they don't get along well with others. They either attack other fish or hide in fear from them, they rarely just get along with them. But you said you just want a mated pair so that takes of that.



This is a very intriguing suggestion! I'm going to read about them. Thanks!


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

flagfish rock at keeping algae at bay too, I think that would also be a fantastic choice.


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