Will my 10 gallon tank hold the following?

Question

3-4 mountain minnows or danios
3-4 harlequin rasboras
1-2 kuhli loaches
some java ferns and some cryptocoryne plants

I would like to have the two kuhli loaches but am unsure about the others. Any help would be great. Of course I would start off with the danios or the minnows for a few weeks before I even think about adding the other fishes.

Answer 1

As a general rule of thumb, each gallon of water will support one inch of length for fish (as adults). This rule is for fresh water; for salt water, you need about 10 gallons per inch of fish.

Answer 2

Good rule of thumb is 1 gallon per 1 inch of fish. 2 kuhli loaches at full length will be about 3 inches = 6 gallons. However Kuhlis will be timid and hide all day if not in a group of 5 or more and if they are kept in a community tank. Just a FYI so you dont get them and wonder why you never see them! If you want an active community loach I would go with a YoYo Loach/Botia.

If you still want a community tank I would go with either the Rasboras or the Minnows. You dont have room for both. By Danios I assume you mean Zebra/Leopard Danio? A Rainbow Daniow would get WAY to huge for your tank...either way no Danios, trust me. Danios are too active and will stress out the usually quiet Kuhli's. Also Danios can and will nip the Kuhlis because they are so slow. Another rule is, if you are going for schooling fish always go for an uneven number AE. 3 or 5 not 4. If you go with an even number they will pair up and not school.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

I am still fairly new at keeping aquariums but from what I have been reading, it is best to try and allow 2 gallons of water per fish that will be 4 or 5 inches in adult length.

So, consider how big they will be as adults and also, do they prefer top, middle or bottom of the tank space? Plus, will the kuhli loach be big enough eventually to eat the Danios and Rasboras? I am not sure about sizes. Are they schooling fish or loaners?

Try to allow each type of fish space for the area in the tank they prefer most. Hope this helps.

I think the plants are always ok, just watch out for snails. They tend to be hard to see because they are clear and are harvested on fresh water plants. Rinse them very well.

Answer 4

Kuhli get a bit big for a 10 gallon tank. Most literature lists 30-50 gallon as a minimum tank size. In general unless you've got really good filteration, and clean the gravel every week. You should limit yourself to 1 inch of fish per gallon. The rasbs will get 2 inches, and the danios 1.5 inches. Personally I'd go with 4 of one sort or the other and 1-2 cory cat or Otocinclus Catfish (aka oto).

Answer 5

If you skip the loaches, which generally aren't so hot for this size of tank, then you can easily do 4 each of the danios and rasboras, and of course live plants are welcome and healthy for any aquarium. The mountain minnows aren't really tropical fish so I'd avoid them, though they do tend to do ok in tropical tanks in the end.

Instead of the loaches, perhaps consider 2 or 3 cory catfish - they are very light on the biological load and perfect for smaller tanks.

Answer 6

I'd do without the loaches, they really need a bigger tank. I think if you go with 3 of the rasboras and 3 of the danios, you'll be fine. Maybe add a couple ghost shrimp and a snail or two for cleaners. Here's some links, read up on doing a fishless cycle, it's easy to do and won't cause fish stress/death.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/

http://www.aquariumboard.com/forums/home.php

Answer 7

I was told before it goes by the size of the tank and the size of fish. One inch of fish for each gallon so you have a 10 gallon tank so you should have no more that 10" worth of fish in it so they have enough room.

Answer 8

10 gal. is waaayyyyy tooo small!!! you will basically have the skill to get like one fish! quite shoot for a 30 gal. thats what I genuinely have and that i've got 3 fish.that is extremely reliable to have and challenge-free. i'm able to get greater fish in simple terms hadnt had time--im fairly experienced and my bf has a a hundred and eighty--so quite gain this lots greater learn--approximately salt, hydrometers, heating, the stay rock it quite is needed, varieties of fish which could blend. learn each little thing. yet quite 10 gal. is WAAYYY TOO SMALL! pass larger in simple terms because of fact interior the tip it quite is going to be worth it and in a 10 gal. tank you will basically have the skill to get like one clown..

Answer 9

1 inch of fish per gallon is the usual suggestion.

Answer 10

loaches are a shoaling fish, meaning they need to live in groups of 3 or more.