10 gallon planted tetra and betta tank!!

Ok so I had a spare 10 gallon tank lying around and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I was going to give it away but I really wanted to try out another tank as well since my 20 gallon was super heavily stocked. So I set it up to put the 10 neon tetras I had in my 20 gallon and then eventually get a betta as well.

I used Malaysian driftwood some Anubias congensis, anubias nana, an Amazon sword, a rossette sword and an Asian water fern. Along with at the moment my 10 neon tetras.

I was thinking of adding a dwarf lily from my 20 gallon but not sure if then it’ll be too much for this little 10 gallon. If I did add it it would be in the right back corner of the tank. What do you guys think? Should I add the dwarf lily or does it look good as is.

 

I've been kicking around what to add to my nano cube.
The more I look at it, with some of the plants really taking off, the more I think about if I took too much room up with plants. But then I think back to the posts I read saying you can push the edge on fish numbers in heavily planted tanks...

So if you're asking me, I say it needs more plants
But I can't help to think there is a point in which too many or large a plant inhibits the fish you can keep.

I've been looking at a Betta, also. And something else. I was even thinking chili rasboras, but don't want to turn them into betta food or have them hiding the whole time.

 

I've been kicking around what to add to my nano cube.
The more I look at it, with some of the plants really taking off, the more I think about if I took too much room up with plants. But then I think back to the posts I read saying you can push the edge on fish numbers in heavily planted tanks...

So if you're asking me, I say it needs more plants
But I can't help to think there is a point in which too many or large a plant inhibits the fish you can keep.

I've been looking at a Betta, also. And something else. I was even thinking chili rasboras, but don't want to turn them into betta food or have them hiding the whole time.

I am kind of afraid of that too I’m still debating on getting a betta. The tetras were always hiding in my 20 gallon and I don’t want to have the same thing in there new 10 gallon.

 

Nice tank! I would say add the dwarf lily; I think it will look nice!

About bettas, they need slightly warmer water than neons. The highest temp for a neon is about the lowest temp for a betta (78 degrees), so that's something to keep in mind. Even so, people keep both together in one tank all of the time.

It is also hard to know how aggressive a betta will be. They are all different, so there's that to consider, too.

If it were me, I don't think that I would add a betta to your 10 gallon tetra tank, but that's just my opinion.


Hope this helps!

 

Nice tank! I would say add the dwarf lily; I think it will look nice!

About bettas, they need slightly warmer water than neons. The highest temp for a neon is about the lowest temp for a betta (78 degrees), so that's something to keep in mind. Even so, people keep both together in one tank all of the time.

It is also hard to know how aggressive a betta will be. They are all different, so there's that to consider, too.

If it were me, I don't think that I would add a betta to your 10 gallon tetra tank, but that's just my opinion.


Hope this helps!

Thanks. I might the dwarf lily in today when I get home from work. Yea I’m afraid of the betta aggression too. I have a neon dwarf gourami in my 20 gallon. Maybe I’ll do another gourami something a little less aggressive. My dwarf gourami when there is food in the tank he could be a little agressive.

 

I brought 5 neons home with me just now. I wanted cardinals, but the store said they "have been " lately. To the point where they are asking their supplier to hold them for a week and when next week rolls around they have died on the supplier instead.

Anyway, 5 neons are going into my 10 shortly.
And I ordered a Betta off Fleabay last night... fingers crossed on that, but the seller has a positive rating and is only halfway across the country from me.

So I'll have some first hand intel shortly

 

I brought 5 neons home with me just now. I wanted cardinals, but the store said they "have been " lately. To the point where they are asking their supplier to hold them for a week and when next week rolls around they have died on the supplier instead.

Anyway, 5 neons are going into my 10 shortly.
And I ordered a Betta off Fleabay last night... fingers crossed on that, but the seller has a positive rating and is only halfway across the country from me.

So I'll have some first hand intel shortly

Hopefully It’ll be good results. My son really wants a betta. Since they have a lot of nice colors on them.

 

Hopefully.
Right now I have four neons huddled together and the fat one off by himself. This was a sort of test for the tank, too. Seeing as how my larger tank seems to have a problem.
But I really wanted to add the smaller fish before getting the betta. And the betta was an impulse buy.

 

The neons were an impulse by for me. I really didn’t have much room in me 20 gallon and I just thought maybe it would be ok. They didn’t seem super stressed out and would eat fine but they were always hiding. That’s the main reason why I wanted to setup that 10 gallon and they look great in that tank by them selfs but I kinda want a centerpiece fish as well.

 

I've been kicking around what to add to my nano cube.
The more I look at it, with some of the plants really taking off, the more I think about if I took too much room up with plants. But then I think back to the posts I read saying you can push the edge on fish numbers in heavily planted tanks...

So if you're asking me, I say it needs more plants
But I can't help to think there is a point in which too many or large a plant inhibits the fish you can keep.

I've been looking at a Betta, also. And something else. I was even thinking chili rasboras, but don't want to turn them into betta food or have them hiding the whole time.

Not that it means that you will have the same experience, but I wound up having to return my chilis to the LFS when my Betta 'turned' on them last year in a ten gallon.

 

Thanks. I might the dwarf lily in today when I get home from work. Yea I’m afraid of the betta aggression too. I have a neon dwarf gourami in my 20 gallon. Maybe I’ll do another gourami something a little less aggressive. My dwarf gourami when there is food in the tank he could be a little agressive.

Maybe a honey gourami?

 

Maybe a honey gourami?

I was thinking about a honey as well.

 

Maybe a honey gourami?

The more I read the more I saw not to add them to any tank where they are the smallest fish.
I've decided to wait and do another 10 cube and have nothing but the Chilis and some shrimp. Maybe a couple big snails of some type.

I went to place my order last night that had three honey fire gouramis in it. I took off the chilis and some others. This was to be for my 27g.
But they are out of stock now

Hence the impulse buy of a Betta for my 10 and me running to the fish shop today for some tetras and Betta food.


oops, I meant to quote AP1. Sorry.

 

So I’m having an issue with the neons. After the move to the new tank they are not eating. The first day I moved them I did not feed them anything and had the lights off the first day. Then the next day I feed them bloodworms witch they usually go crazy for them but they didn’t eat them. So I figured maybe they’re still not used to the tank. Today I fed them some omega one pellets witch they also love but nothing. Usually they were really good eaters in the other tank.

 

I planted the dwarf lily in the 10 gallon. You can’t really see it that much. I trimmed off all the lily pad that it sent out while it was in my 20 gallon, they were just way too long. But I don’t know, I don’t think I like it behind the driftwood in that corner. It’s so dark in that corner you can barely see it. I was thinking of putting the fern in that corner and planting the lily where the fern is up front.

What do you guys think?

 

Nice little tank!

Just my opinion: I would get rid of the black background if that is possible and use something foggy/transparent to give it more depth. The filter will then be more visible though, so I would put (more) plants in that corner (or better yet; place the filter behind the wood and 1 or 2 extra plants in that corner). I would place the stones more close to the wood for a more natural feel.

Regarding livestock; the less you have, including species numbers, the more serene it looks in my opinion. Again, my opinion. My 30 gallon houses 3 Dario's, each measuring an inch. I have to look for them every now and then to see if they are still alive .

 

What do you guys think?

I like it.

 

Nice little tank!

Just my opinion: I would get rid of the black background if that is possible and use something foggy/transparent to give it more depth. The filter will then be more visible though, so I would put (more) plants in that corner (or better yet; place the filter behind the wood and 1 or 2 extra plants in that corner). I would place the stones more close to the wood for a more natural feel.

Regarding livestock; the less you have, including species numbers, the more serene it looks in my opinion. Again, my opinion. My 30 gallon houses 3 Dario's, each measuring an inch. I have to look for them every now and then to see if they are still alive .

I can’t remove the backround I painted it on. I have the heater in the corner behind the wood plus I’m not sure if the filter would fit behind there, it’s pretty big. I did want to move the rocks over by the wood and plant something in place of where the rocks are now.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't get the betta for the tank. If its a 10 gallon, the tetras probably could suffice, but if you want I'd look into adding some platys. Not sure if it would be too much bio load though, as I'm still a newbie myself, so I'd look into it. I'm suggesting this as it was my old 10 gallon tank idea before I decided on getting a 20 instead lol.

 

Wow, that looks amazing! I would recommend polyfil for your filter though cause it makes your tank super clear, but before you do it always make sure it’s safe for your fish and make sure it won’t effect any of your live plants.it works for me though

 

Wow, that looks amazing! I would recommend polyfil for your filter though cause it makes your tank super clear, but before you do it always make sure it’s safe for your fish and make sure it won’t effect any of your live plants.

Thanks!! I definitely want to do that for my 20 gallon that has 2 hob filters but unfortunately this 10 gallon has a sponge filter in it.