Empty ten gal

[Hermiecrab]

I have an empty ten gal, and I've really wanted to put something in it for a long time... But I want to provide said animal/s with the best life possible.

Any suggestions of animals that can live in a ten gal and not just survive, thrive?

Thanks!

[CrabbyLover77]

Hi!

Not sure if you're into fish keeping, but a single male Betta would do well in a 10 gal. I love female Bettas too, so you could put a couple of them in there together instead. Just don't get a filter with a strong flow. Bettas need to pop up to the surface and grab gulps of air, so you don't want anything throwing them around (they aren't the strongest swimmers).

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[Hermiecrab]

K cool! Yeah, I think beta fish are beautiful But cycling the aquarium makes me nervous... how do you handle that?

[hermitsinnc]

(CL77: Is this all good?)
To cycle an aquarium, you set it up, fill it w/ dechlorinated water, and start running the filter. (Pet stores will try to sell you 'starter-bacteria-in-a-bottle,' but that stuff is pretty weak and, IMO, ineffective.)
Add a source of ammonia (any organic matter-fish food works great) regularly. Do small (10%) water changes about every week-2 weeks to avoid an ammonia or nitrite spike.
Get a test kit and monitor the water levels. The ammonia levels may not show up on the reading. What you are watching for is a level of nitrate. Once that is achieved, it should be cycled. This will take about a month.

Some people choose to do a cycle with fish (a cheap goldfish/etc) because fish poop is a great source of ammonia. You can determine for yourself if you find this ethical.

If you plan to add live plants, some of the steps may differ.

[Hermiecrab]

Ok, thanks! I'll have to think about that!

[CrabbyLover77]

(CL77: Is this all good?)
To cycle an aquarium, you set it up, fill it w/ dechlorinated water, and start running the filter. (Pet stores will try to sell you 'starter-bacteria-in-a-bottle,' but that stuff is pretty weak and, IMO, ineffective.)
Add a source of ammonia (any organic matter-fish food works great) regularly. Do small (10%) water changes about every week-2 weeks to avoid an ammonia or nitrite spike.
Get a test kit and monitor the water levels. The ammonia levels may not show up on the reading. What you are watching for is a level of nitrate. Once that is achieved, it should be cycled. This will take about a month.

Some people choose to do a cycle with fish (a cheap goldfish/etc) because fish poop is a great source of ammonia. You can determine for yourself if you find this ethical.

If you plan to add live plants, some of the steps may differ.

This is good info, but an easier way may be to introduce liquid ammonia instead of using food. You'll want to monitor ammonia levels daily. Check out this page

https://aquagoodness.com/how-do-you-cyc ... hout-fish/

Scroll to this section
"Add ammonia in the tank"

You can use Fritz PRO – Ammonium Chloride. It is specifically made for cycling a fish tank.

I lost my hang on filter when I moved a couple years ago. I used beneficial bacteria in my goldfish tank which helped keep the ammonia levels at "caution" until my tank could cycle itself again. Thank goodness I didn't lose any fish.

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[Hermiecrab]

Ok. Cool! I'll have to consider all my options. I love bettas but I've had a bad history with fish... hurmm.

Does anyone on here have in experience in dart frogs? I find those super fascinating. Some people say they can live in a ten-gallon tank, but is that true?

[MusicalRose]

In case you do decide to try a Betta -

Another way to quickly cycle a tank, without using a goldfish, is to "seed the tank". You can do this by finding a friend that has an established fish tank and ask that they provide you with their used filter or filter bag to place in the tank. If you don't have any friends with tanks, often local small pet shops are happy to provide.

Anyhow, seeding transfers the nitrifying bacteria from an established aquarium to a new aquarium and thus jump starts the cycling process. It can normally take up to 6 weeks for the growth of beneficial bacteria to complete the nitrogen cycle in a new aquarium but seeded aquariums can generally be fully cycled in half the time.

We have a Betta in a 10 Gallon. It was my daughter's Xmas gift and we were able to cycle the tank in just 3 weeks by seeding it.

[Hermiecrab]

Ok cool! Thanks guys!

[hermitcrablover2]

I don't own dart frogs but I've heard you can keep one in a 10 gal, if you wanted more you'd probably have to upgrade though. Apparently when they're bred in captivity they don't really tend to have the poison on their skin, but you should still be careful if you do get one