5 Different Types Of Tetras, Rasboras, Endlers, Shrimp, & Snails In A 10 Gal?

Hello all! I'm an experienced aquarist, however, I have never tried doing this. I was wondering if I could attempt to house 5 Cardinals, 5 Green Neons, 5 Glowlights, 5 Embers, 5 Rummynose, 5 Endlers, and 5 ChilI Rasboras, along with 10-12 Orange RilI Shrimp, a Nerite, and a Black Devil Snail in a 10 gallon, fully established, heavily-planted, blackwater aquarium? I realize it would be slightly overstocked, but I've had this setup for about 15 months, and it's been cycled and established for about 14 using TSS+ and Prime. It has various species of plants, a large and a small spiderwood, a small mopani, a few catappa leaves, and a few seiryu aquascaping rocks. It's had 2 Endlers for 9 months, the OR Shrimp for about 6 months, the Nerite for 8, the BD Snail for 3. Water changes are done 25% weekly, gravel cleanings done once monthly. If not, I also have a 15 and 20 Tall. Your thought and opinions are appreciated!

Ammonia 0 ppm, Nitrites 0 ppm, Nitrates 15 ppm, pH 6.8, temp 79°F

 

Not even I would addthat many schoolers to a 10 gallon. I think the 5 Ember, 5 ChilI and 5 endlers would be my max stocking. And it would look amazing. Not sure of everyones temp compatibility and that's why I would stick to a couple nano schoolers and the endlers. PS not a stocking pro but I like ideas outside the glass box

 

Hello all! I'm an experienced aquarist, however, I have never tried doing this. I was wondering if I could attempt to house 5 Cardinals, 5 Green Neons, 5 Glowlights, 5 Embers, 5 Rummynose, 5 Endlers, and 5 ChilI Rasboras, along with 10-12 Orange RilI Shrimp, a Nerite, and a Black Devil Snail in a 10 gallon, fully established, heavily-planted, blackwater aquarium? I realize it would be slightly overstocked, but I've had this setup for about 15 months, and it's been cycled and established for about 14 using TSS+ and Prime. It has various species of plants, a large and a small spiderwood, a small mopani, a few catappa leaves, and a few seiryu aquascaping rocks. It's had 2 Endlers for 9 months, the OR Shrimp for about 6 months, the Nerite for 8, the BD Snail for 3. Water changes are done 25% weekly, gravel cleanings done once monthly. If not, I also have a 15 and 20 Tall. Your thought and opinions are appreciated!

Ammonia 0 ppm, Nitrites 0 ppm, Nitrates 15 ppm, pH 6.8, temp 79°F

*Edit* I should mention that it's not 100% blackwater. It has a good amount of tannins, like the color of watered down black tea.

Not even I would addthat many schoolers to a 10 gallon. I think the 5 Ember, 5 ChilI and 5 endlers would be my max stocking. And it would look amazing. Not sure of everyones temp compatibility and that's why I would stick to a couple nano schoolers and the endlers. PS not a stocking pro but I like ideas outside the glass box

Thanks! I also have a 20 Tall very similar to the 10. It was set up just a few months later, but it has the same parameters and is also blackwater. Think I could add them all to the 20? Oh, and also, maybe some Pygmy Corydoras. Forgot to mention them

 

Thanks! I also have a 20 Tall very similar to the 10. It was set up just a few months later, but it has the same parameters and is also blackwater. Think I could add them all to the 20? Oh, and also, maybe some Pygmy Corydoras. Forgot to mention them

Well if you have the 10 and 20 with very similar paramaters why not add some to one tank say the nanos I mentioned to the 10 and the slightly larger tetras to the 20?

 

The issue here is not so much bioload as it is completely overcrowding. Those fish need some swimming space! You can't just cram them in a tank because it fits. Sorry if I sound rude, but I should think that is obvious to someone who is experienced...

Even for a 20 gallon that is still overstocked, mostly because there are just too many different groups. Rather than 5 of each, just keep 10 of one type of tetra and 10 of another.

 

Not to mention most tetras prefer a 20 gallon tank given how active they are

 

I agree with all the above about stocking...that's FAR too many fish for a 10 gallon, and I am honestly in the opinion that 10 gallon tanks are too small for a good community tank in general (I'd use a 20 gallon long as a minimum size for a community...10's work better as species tanks in my eyes). Also, the endlers, shrimp, and snails all need much harder water than the rasboras or any of the tetras, so if your blackwater tank is soft and acidic (rather than simply a 'normal' tank with a lot of tannins) the hard water critters will most likely not do well in there.

 

The issue here is not so much bioload as it is completely overcrowding. Those fish need some swimming space! You can't just cram them in a tank because it fits. Sorry if I sound rude, but I should think that is obvious to someone who is experienced...

Even for a 20 gallon that is still overstocked, mostly because there are just too many different groups. Rather than 5 of each, just keep 10 of one type of tetra and 10 of another.

PascalKrypt No, it doesn't sound rude at all! See, my thing was that I just wanted some more opinions (to prove my brother wrong). My brother wanted a tank with all of these fish, but he said he wanted them in my 10 gal. I told him it would be way too overstocked and suggested the 20 Tall instead, since it's not too much larger. But he insisted on the 10 gal. I'll just tell him my opinion and all of yours. Since he doesn't have 10 yrs experience like I do, he doesn't know any better...

Me personally, I would never put Cardinals in anything less than a 20 Long. They get 2" for me, so I don't consider them nano. Rummynose as well. BD Snails have always reached 3" for me, so I usually would give them 15 gals. The Chili's would be fine (I've done it before a few years back). I'd say the Chili's, Green Neons, Endlers, and Glowlights do well separately as a species tank. Thoughts?

 

AHHH...I thought you were genuinely asking about trying to keep all of those fish in a small tank. Didn't know that was your brother's idea...I'm feeling quite relieved that you were not actually going to do that That is something that forums are good for...second opinions.

 

AHHH...I thought you were genuinely asking about trying to keep all of those fish in a small tank. Didn't know that was your brother's idea...I'm feeling quite relieved that you were not actually going to do that That is something that forums are good for...second opinions.

So sorry for all the scares!! I should've worded it differently. Nope, I'm the person that keeps a single Betta in a 29 or 40 with nothing else but a Nerite and 2 Otocinclus

I really should teach my brother more...haha

 

I see. To be honest though, I still would not do it a 20 tall.

To give you a bit of a feel, a few months ago I took over a 20 high (or tall, or w/e you call it) stocked and planted.
It had the following stocking:

- 6 glass bloodfin tetras
- 8 cardinal tetras
- 6 glowlight tetras
- 4 Pristella tetras
- 2 balloon mollies
- a batch of day-old molly fry

This is overstocked. The tank was stable for a year (though I don't know if he ever had die-offs) but even just the stress from transporting set off a wave of deaths in this tank. I've never had deaths while transporting fish, but after the move the stock looked like this:

- 5 glass bloodfin tetras
- 5 cardinal tetras
- 3 glowlight tetras (another one died a week later, two are stunted, possibly from growing up in that tank)
- 4 pristella tetras
- 2 balloon mollies
- and 5 fry

I had a 50% weekly water change schedule on this tank. After three weeks, the female balloon molly started to develop hazing in her fins, looked like the start of fin rot or an infection. Both the molly and some of the tetras were lethargic and hiding. I checked the nitrates on the tank, they were at 80. Despite the 50% water changes, and the tank being decently planted with fast growing plants.
Did 50% water changes daily for a week and the fins looked clear again, fish all acted normal again.
Soon after I moved the mollies, pristellas and glass bloodfins to a different tank. All of the fry ended up dying from the high nitrates, btw.

So even though it may seem like you can manage the bioload, you need a very stringent water changing schedule to keep the nitrates down, and any bit of stress or disruption can set off a wave of deaths. Stocking a small tank that heavily is asking for trouble.

 

While you could filter for that you still have issues like "shoaling fish need big tanks to shoal in". Without that you will have a mishmash of unhappy fish. The schools also need to be able to have space between themselves and other schools, so many species means bigger tank (my 55gal shoaling tank is a disaster from making this mistake). This is why the Asian restaurant's gazillion gallon right angle tank simply has a free roaming blob or two of 400-500 neons in it.
With small/tiny shoaling fish you are not getting anything other than shoaling. There is no personality. They will not be curious or explore anything in your tank. They will not even figure out that you are where food comes from (well blob form may but without that they will not). They just form blobs of pretty fish that move around. All you can do is scare them, and without a shoal they will already be scared all the time.

For shoaling in a 10 gal I'd go 8-12 chilI OR mosquito rasps and hope for the best. After that I'd add some neos (shrimp) so that someone would be doing something interesting in the tank. Maybe a filter feeding shrimp (bamboo or vampire) as a focus piece though odds are it is just going to go hang out on the filter and be boring for the rest of its life. Then a pretty snail or two for algae control.