How many Tetras in a 10 gallon tank?

B

BobMc

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Aug 15, 2005
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If I go slow and cycle properly, how many tetras can I keep in a 10 gallon? Would something like 14 tetras work? More? Less? (I don't know - a combo of rummy and neons). Would they really school in such a small tank? Any other suggestions on a tetra type or combo for a 10 gallon?

Thanks,
Bob
 
14 tetras is a little overcrowded in a 10 gal. I'm not sure the exact amount you should keep but maybe a little less than that.

neon tetras are very cool fish! I own them and everyone compliments on their exotic bright glowing colors!

Good Luck :)
 
I would get 6 or so, and get a few (2-3)ghost shrimp for the bottom. If you keep up with maintance you should be ok. Make sure you read up on cycling. If you drop 6 in on day one, you will have 6 dead fish on day 3. For a general rule, one inch of fish per gallon of water is good.(Im going to get harrassed for saying that b/c its not really true) The rule works well for small fish. Obviously a 10 inch oscar would not fit very well even though it meets the rule.
 
IMO-- If your tank is well cycled, and you keep up with water changes, do not over feed..ect..ect.. 10-12 neons would be OK. Neons do not make a huge Bio load.

But then again....good filter and 25% water changes every week.
 
i thought it was 10% water change every week or 25% water change every 2weeks
 
No reason to skimp on water changes.
Instead of using some 'rule' , many people use nitrate levels as a guide to how much water to change and how often. they test before water change and change enough water to keep the nitrates down below a certain point. i have seen pple say 20, 30,or 40, ppm. The nitrates arent the only thing you want to remove from the tank with water changes, but it is just used as an indicator.
(If you have live plants in the tank, this method isnt So aplicable because the plants 'eat' some of the nitrates, would still be interesting to test your levels just to see though)

I change between 40% and 50% each week.

(Granted my largest tank running so far has been a 29, but even when i get my 55 gal going, i intend to do the same, i just will automate the process some.)
I have the right sized filters on my tanks too, or extra if i can.

For the most part, I enjoy water changes and It seems the best thing I can do for the fish is to keep the water as 'fresh 'as possible. ( i water the garden with the old water)

The more water changed the better, I say.

I was worried with my chocolate gouramis because they are said to be delicate. But now, ( I have had them 6 weeks i think) they are not a bit afraid of the vaccuum/syphon. They come check it out, and 'sniff' my hand lol. when I take out the vacuum, they just go to thier 'safe' corner in preparation of me pouring in new water.
 
I would get about 6-8 I think that would be fine, assuming you keep up on the maintenance/water changes. However, most fish won't school in that size of a tank, its just not big enough. Also from what I've heard, very few fish will school tightly in any size tank b/c 1)they don't feel threatened, no real reason to and 2) there just aren't enough of them to cause them to school. I have a 180g tank and I find that most of my schools hand out, most of the time, its kind of annoying, but I've gotten over it :thud:
 
I'd say 8 would be the max and second the opinion of adding some ghost shrimp, maybe 4 or 5.

Increasing filtration has no effect on the maximum safe stocking volume of a tank, although it seems to be mentioned often enough. Water volume is your limiting factor. The amount of fish waste that you can dilute to a "safe" level. I would recomend setting your maintenance routine to keep NO3 below 20ppm. For one, lower is better, although there is a reasonable level below which you'd be hard pressed to convince me is necessary (except for wild caught fish). For another, I don't consider hobby kits more accurate than about 50%, or +/- one "colour range" on the card. Not because of the chemistry, but because of the human error involved.

If you cycle fishlessly you can and must add the full stock at the same time to get the full benefit of fishless cycling. If you do a fishy cycle (which is not for the faint of heart with neons!), then adding them all together will go pretty much like tel said.
 
Rummy nose get 2" long. Too big for a school in a 10 gallon. You should also always get one larger school than a few tiny ones. One kind of tetra is better. Rummy nose are sensitive to water fluctuations which are harder to prevent in a 10 gallon. 6-7 neons and 4 pygmy, nanus, or panda cories would make a nice tank. The addition of some live plants to absorb nitrite, ammonia, nitrates is always benefitial in a heavily stocked tank.
 
Ah! I was thinking neons only.

Stocking levels are limited by fish derived pollution. NO3 is used as a proxy to measure it, but the concern isn't the NO3 itself as much as it is the hormones and organics. Adding live plants doesn't solve this problem, they only mask it by absorbing the NO3. There's no question that live plants improve the overall beauty and health of an aquarium, but they do not allow you to increase your stocking load beyond what your tank volume can already handle. It's all about water volume and how much waste you can dilute.
 
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