New 10gal Betta Community Tank

Will be adding plants from established tanks as well as a mix of established substrate and new substrate

Tank Stock

Docile Dragon scale male
Guppies
Cherry Shrimp
Freshwater snails
Baby Bushynose Pleco

Will be making rock decorations and adding to tank when cured

See below for photos

 

Lots of those fish aren’t good in a 10g. Do you have them already? Even if they were good in a 10 way too many fish

 

The loaches are super tiny and I have in my 20 right now, but they're very small, and haven't grown since I got them.

Which ones should I drop? Guppies? Shrimp? The shrimp they have in their established nano tanks aren't an inch long either.

Perhaps I should go with endlers?

I also assume you think the pleco isn't suited either, but I've got two in my 20 currently and they aren't even an inch long yet.

 

I wouldn’t add the shrimp until they were an inch or so, I would keep the loaches in the 20, wouldn’t get guppies, the pleco nor mollies. IDK about the first fish.
Let’s start over: I would do 3 male endlers, the betta and the largest shrimp in your tank

 

I would do the Betta or the Guppies not both together in a 10gal, and then snails and shrimp with either, no other fish imo.

 

Is tank size the only reasoning for not wanting those fish together? If I had a 15 or 20 would you still say no guppies or mollies? Or even small platies?
I've seen many tanks, even a 5 and a half gallon community with a betta, two guppies two endlers and some shrimp, I personally think that one is overstocked, but the tank doesn't need water changes or cleaning because of how planted it is. It's very healthy despite the excess fish, and the fish aren't stressed even though I do believe then need more room.

Our Betta completely ignores our little choclate cherry shrimp that we got.
He's a perfect community fish, doesn't care about anyone but himself.
Also why leave out the tiny pleco?
We did decide to keep the loaches in my 20 since we don't want a sizeable stock in the tank, family was getting grumpy about the eventuality of having to clean it.

 

A brisltenose pleco will grow upwards of 3-5in depending on gender. 20gal is the absolute minimum for these plecos.

I’d not keep any livebearers with a betta. This is for the simple reason that they are incredibly active and occupy the same swim space as a betta. Bettas are relatively sedate especially long finned males.

I see no problems with the loaches. They have small bioloads and while many say 20gals is their minimum, I have 6 black kuhlis with cherry shrimp and a betta in a planted 10gal.

 

Is tank size the only reasoning for not wanting those fish together? If I had a 15 or 20 would you still say no guppies or mollies? Or even small platies?
I've seen many tanks, even a 5 and a half gallon community with a betta, two guppies two endlers and some shrimp, I personally think that one is overstocked, but the tank doesn't need water changes or cleaning because of how planted it is. It's very healthy despite the excess fish, and the fish aren't stressed even though I do believe then need more room.

Our Betta completely ignores our little choclate cherry shrimp that we got.
He's a perfect community fish, doesn't care about anyone but himself.
Also why leave out the tiny pleco?
We did decide to keep the loaches in my 20 since we don't want a sizeable stock in the tank, family was getting grumpy about the eventuality of having to clean it.

Space is a big factor, 10 gallons simply isn't enough space for all those fish in your original stocking list. Then there is compatibility, just because your betta seems laid back and peaceful with shrimp doesn't mean you can be certain how he will react to being in a confined space with something like guppies who he could mistake for being another betta, you're just asking for trouble in the long run.

 

I also know the bristlenose will grow, I'm not exactly ignorant when it comes to knowing fish growth. My family has raised plecos for years.
I've done research on all the species I want and the different kinds, I plan on getting a bigger tank when they grow older, but they aren't even a month old yet, so why would put a baby pleco in something so big?
It makes more sense for me, to have them grow in something smaller than their lifetime tank.
Saying a baby pleco needs a 20-29+ gallon tank, to me, is like saying my fry who barely swim at all need to be in a 30 because eventually they will grow.
Sorry if any of this sounds rude, I don't try to be. Some people say I'm quite crass in responses.

This is just a temporary solution to lower a bit of stock in my currently way overstocked 20.
When my cories had eggs I had to empty my 15 and all it's fish because there were live molly fry in there as well.
Now I'm getting more tanks, and separatong the smaller fish into smaller temporary homes.
Including the baby plecos and baby kuhlI loaches.

I haven't been able to find any worth their dollar yet except for a 6 foot long 125 gallon. But even though that would fit all my needs and fish, I've got no place to put it.
I've also been trying to weigh the pros and cons on a bowfron tank vs. Just getting a long. I'm interested in bookself tanks but also unsure if they are worth their dollar.

Space is a big factor, 10 gallons simply isn't enough space for all those fish in your original stocking list. Then there is compatibility, just because your betta seems laid back and peaceful with shrimp doesn't mean you can be certain how he will react to being in a confined space with something like guppies who he could mistake for being another betta, you're just asking for trouble in the long run.

So you're saying, simply because he could misidentfy a guppy, that those community tanks are only asking for trouble?
And what about the community tanks that very well known and experienced fishkeepers own? I've honestly seen seemless two male betta tanks, granted the tank was really big, but they had mollies, the two bettas, shrimp, snails, loaches and cory cats in that tank. When the two males came into one space, there was no aggression at all.
I've even seen a male added to a sorority and he's done well.
Not to say you're wrong and it can't have problems, but from the tanks I've seen, so long as you get the right fish, there are no problems to worry about except for cleaning up lol

I hate to sound argumentative to people who are more well known on the forums, but I'm mostly seeing opinions on to why one may think it won't work rather than true reasons why it's a bad idea.
I really don't want to be seen as someone who doesn't know anything or is making bad decisions for their animals. But if other people get it to work very well then dang it why can't I?!

 

I think everyone thought it was going to be permanent

 

Why did you even bother asking peoples opinions to then just ignore and argue over all the advice being given, seems a bit pointless to me!

 

I hope you stay on the forum

 

I very well plan to. I've had issues on forums in the past, but I've also got issues in real life. And fish give me something to work for. I've always lived and wanted to care for fish.
If I wasn't saving to buy my first car, I would spend the hundreds on getting really nice sized tanks for all my fish.

I don't mean to ignore your advice, or say it's useless. And I'm not totally throwing it all away as it may seem in my text.
I do want a larger tank for these fish, but I also must deal with the ridicule from a family member who says they don't want a tank in the first place, so we had to get a 10 and not a 20.
Otherwise I would've got the 20.
We also thought about just getting a 5 or a 7 and just getting the betta and shrimp, but we wanted more than a betta since it was a tank for the whole family not just us.

With the risk of appearing to have ignored advice and seeming like a bad pet owner, this is the stock we got, and they get together so very well.
Betta follows the guppies with interest, never nipping or flaring at them, it does appear he may indeed think they are other bettas, but he doesn't mind them at all. The mollies he doesn't mind either, probably due to their colors.
The tank looks beautiful as they swim together and the betta is very active in it.
He was stuck at the shop in his betta bowl for weeks, so we wanted to make something nice for him.
He got very interested when seeing fish for the first time, having never really seen anything except for other bettas in a dark box and in bowls. He was very slow before we brought him home, most likely due to being stuck in that tiny bowl.

Now he's a different fish and doesn't bother anyone at all.

I will be adding more decoration, the tank is quite bare with few hiding places if anything does go wrong.
I also got a backup 15 I can have if any issues do arrive, then separation will occur.
Guppies are males, he said possibly moscow blues but their heads are very very silver, more so than any oher blue picture or fish I've seen.

 

I raise BN plecos on a pretty large scale myself. A one month old is fine in a 10 gallon for a while. But they do produce a LOT of poop. Even when they are that little (assuming they are being fed properly of course) So baby or not, having him in there will add a lot of bioload for a 10g. So I would make sure to do water changes twice a week. Or at least once a week. And I would plan to get him out of there in another month or two TOPs. Or his growth WILL be affected and he could end up stunted. They grow VEERY slow in a 10 gallon tank. And that is NOT ideal.

Yes, he will still be very small still, but if you want him to grow properly and thrive... he will need something bigger than 10 gallons.

I am not going to comment on the rest. Though it does sound a bit chaotic for my taste.

Question though, is the khulI loach living solo? Or does he have a group of friends? Because they are shoaling fish and will be stressed without being in a group.

 

I've got two kuhlI loaches and a few dojos of varying size, but they're so big the kuhlis look like they could be tongues! Lol

Thank you for your comment on the Pleco.
In a few weeks or so I may put him back in my 20 as we do wish for two more shrimp.

This is Taz my dojo and my kuhlI in my 20 lol

 

I've got two kuhlI loaches and a few dojos of varying size, but they're so big the kuhlis look like they could be tongues! Lol

This is Taz my dojo and my kuhlI in my 20 lol
View attachment 478506

Cute photo. But I am confused...you said Kuhlis for the 10g...right?

 

I was planning to move them to the 10 because of how small they are.
They don't come out when I feed the other fish so I was worried they may not get enough food with the other loaches around.
I decided to omit them from the betta tank, but if my cory eggs don't hatch (lost over half already) they are going in my other 10 with some of my small live bearers and my babies.

Just found out the car I was saving for sold.
So I guess I can afford a larger tank now lol
I found a 55 gallon flat breeder.
That's what I'm planning on getting for my fish.
Since I've got mostly bottom feeders and my other fish don't ever seem to swim at the top level, they'll be really good in that, and with it being so flat, there's so much more floor space than any other tank, which means more hiding spaces more plants more decorations and more fish lol

Maybe I can even get my ropefish.

Much to the pleasure of others, we have removed the guppies from the tank.
While our betta had no issues initially, after our first true feeding, he gained a bad streak.
He started chasing the guppies and flaring at them, for the stress of both the fish they are now in their own tanks.
I appreciated all your advice, even if it didn't seem like I did.

I also wanted to mention that I wasn't asking for help by making this post, I mostly want to share my builds and fishes beauty, and while it may have seemed as though I disregarded opinon, I wasn't asking for them, but again regardless I do appreciate your advice and the time you took to mention it.

Betta is much happier now without the guppies.