# Standard 10 gallon questions



## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

I have an empty 10gallon tank that used to house my girlfriends aquatic turtles and its really bugging me just having it sitting around empty. I'm thinking about using it as a future shrimp tank. I dont know a whole lot about shrimp but I think they sound like a lot of fun to keep. Anyway I'm getting off the subject here.

What kind of equipment considerations should I take for a shrimp tank. 

Can I take the top black plastic rim off a standard 10gallon tank?? or maybe even the bottom one too, or will this tank fall apart?

I'm just rolling some ideas around in my head about this. I think it would be a fun little scaping tank. 

Oh yeah I almost forgot, I know the watts per gallon rule doesn't really make much since for a 10gallon tank so what lighting would you recomend for a medium to high light tank or even a low light set-up.

Thanks


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

I've got a 10g with 2x13W AHsupply kit and it is working nicely. Otherwise, I'd bump it up to a 1x36W. Then again, if you can find it, the Coralife 20" 40W fixture would be nice. On my other 10g I have a 27W desk lamp growing things like crazy. Neither one of them gets ferts or algae.

For a filter you have the easy option of a sponge filter or one of the mini cannisters.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

I would leave the black rim on the tank. It's there for structural support. 

Mike's suggestion of the AH Supply 1x36 watt kit would be perfect. If you go with that much light you'll want a CO2 source...at the very least DIY.

A small internal filter would work nicely as well.


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## RoseHawke (Jan 4, 2005)

Heck, I've got the guts out of an 18 watt fluorescent trouble light installed in a hood on a 10 gallon and for a low-light set-up (java fern and java moss) seems to be working just fine.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

How much structural support does the top plastic molding provide in a standard 10 gallon glass tank. there isn't a center brace and its very flimsy looking. 

any specific filter recomendations, expecially for the tight buget?? 

what water temp range should I shoot for with shrimp?

any particular fish I shoudl avoid if I choose to add a few for a small school? I'm thinking maybe some harlquin rasporas or maybe some tetras if i even include fish.

Thanks for all the responses I really appreciate it. Everyone here at APC is so helpful


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I considered taking the trim off, but thought twice about it since I didn't want to run the risk of the seams breaking and 10 gallons all over the place. It is there after all for a reason.

A good cheap filter would be the Zoo Med 501 Turtle filter that can be found in the reptile section of petsmart or online drsfostersmith.com. If shrimp only maybe just a sponge filter or sponge and powerhead combo.

Temperature range for most shrimp would be around 72-77.

If you want shrimp, then I would suggest fish like cory cats and otos. The rasporas will definately make shredded shrimp in no time if there's no cover, plus can look rather big in a 10 gallon schooling group of 6-9. Other fish to possibly consider with shrimp in your 10 gallon, maybe a couple of cardinals or neon tetras (must provide lots of cover for shrimp survival).

-John N.


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

I've got dwarf rasboras (Boraras maculata) in my 10g with cherries...no problems with population at all. I'm using a sponge filter, but would probably try the zoo med 501 or an internal power filter if I had to do it over again (I hate the deposits on the glass cover).

And instead of harlequins, you might consider Espei rasboras instead. Same shape, same basic coloring, but smaller and a lot more intense colors compared to my harlequins.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Are Espei rasboras commonly refer to as "T-Bone" Rasboras?

-John N.


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

Nope. According to this you're thinking of the Hengeli's.

Here's fishbase and another site. Like I said...smaller (1 inch) and much brighter colors.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

Wow thanks for all the tips!! I never knew there were so many diff. fish that have a similar look to the harlquin rasporas. Any other small fish suggestions that would be ok with shrimp. Also do most LFS carry those smaller fish you were talking about. I've never really looked that carefully to see what they have. My other tank houses lots of tiger barbs and they would pluck the fins right off smaller fish like that.


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

My primary lfs almost always has the Espei's and has ordered the dwarf rasboras for me.


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## DJKronik57 (Apr 17, 2006)

I have a 10g shrimp tank with cherries alone in it. The cherries are a lot of fun to watch and spotting tiny little babies is always rewarding! I had ottos in there, but they looked hungry and skinny, so I moved them out. Cherries are enough to handle any algae or excess food that may occur.

As for lighting, I have 72W over my 10g using two incandescent hoods with 4 CF screw in bulbs (2x25W and 2x11W). Although this may seem crazy, the WPG rules don't apply to tanks as small as a 10 gallon and you need much more light over them in order to get the same results as a larger tank:



> If you take your 10 gallon tank and look at the surface area it has you would have to have almost 220 watts of light on it to equal what the sun provides. Kind of makes your 20-40 watts look insignificant doesn't it? ... So to make it short you would have to have 71 watts of light over a 10 gallon tank to get the same effect you would have with 220 watts over a 55 gallon tank. Now I know the 10 gallon tank is almost half the height of the 55 so you will be able to get by with a bit less light than that. But it does I think show why the watt per gallon rule really doesn't work that well on smaller tanks. -Rex Grigg


That's from Rex's website. You can read all about the minimum light threshold and a better system than WPG here.

Anyway, with 72W, my plants are growing great. Glosso is like a carpet, P. Stellatus is thriving, and things grow very rapidly and lush. That and my lighting was cheap, about $28 for bulbs, $40 for 2 hoods so $68 total. With that much light, I do have CO2, but its just DIY so far. Filtration is just an old AquaClear 200 with a sponge over the intake (to protect baby shrimp).


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

Turbomkt-I'm planning to make a stop at my LFS tonight so I'll take a look at the smaller fish and see what they have. I'm really interested in those espie's. My LFS has a pretty diverse selection so I wouldn't be suprised to see them there. They have tons of fish varieties but like 10 plants lol, a little rediculous considering they have a 200+ gallon planted show tank plus several other smaller ones, all containing mostly plants they never carry. 

DJKronik-wow thanks for the link and the comparisons I really appreciate it. What kind of DIY CO2 set up do you have on your 10g. sorry if you have it posted somewhere obvious I didn't look before I started this reply.

thanks again everyone I really appreciate it.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

going a little off on a tangent but I was thinking about some scaping for this tank and I was wondering if I could get some pointers from those experienced with small tanks. I can't really decide what I want to do... I really like this nano from the '05 AGA contest The verticallity of the rocks is pretty cool I think. I also really like this 10gallon from the '05 AGA contest I really like the white sandy areas or paths I see in other tanks I think they can make the tank look really clean. If nothing else a white sandy forground really sparks my interest. Is white sand tough to keep clean, I've never used it outside of Marine aquaria?

the attachments are the idea I'm starting with but I'm not sure If I really like it, or if the plants I selected are really optimal for this size tank, namely the C. Helferi. would also consider some java moss or x-mass moss or really any moss on the rocks. Driftwood might be a consideration.

view from above








view looking into front of tank








once again I'm just rolling some ideas around looking for opinions. 
Thanks for all the input everyone.


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## DJKronik57 (Apr 17, 2006)

I like both of those contest tanks! But if you look at them carefully, they are not symmetrical, and that's the only thing that bothers me about your plans. It looks like it is far too symmetrical and this can detract from the layout. If you are planning a nature aquarium like Amano's and those in the contest, symmetry is a big no-no. Instead, do a search for the "Golden Ratio" and apply that to the design, perhaps by moving the path from the middle to the right or left or putting taller focal-point plants on the right or left.

Finally, mystery peaks our interest, and having the path dead end into a wall of c. helferi may be uninteresting. Instead, have the path wind out of view behind a stand of plants and the viewer will be left with a sense of mystery and intrigue.

Overall though, I love the style you are going for. The white sand path is a great idea and inspires all sorts of emotions and feelings. I forget where I read this, I think it was an interview with Amano, but apparently the most pleasing landscape visually is a path through an open field leading into a small isolated stand of trees. It conjures all sorts of primal feelings. As for keeping the sand clean, I have no idea since I've never used it, but I'd imagine mulm and other debris would build up on it so it would need to be gently vaccumed frequently. If you were going for a contest, I would definitely add the sand right before the final picture to keep it as clean as possible.

Okay I need to stop, I'm giving myself ideas of aquascaping 10 gallon tanks so the viewer would look down the tank longways and incorporating this path theme. I could put 4 times as many tanks on my rack that way!


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

> I've got a 10g with 2x13W AHsupply kit and it is working nicely. Otherwise, I'd bump it up to a 1x36W. Then again, if you can find it, the Coralife 20" 40W fixture would be nice. On my other 10g I have a 27W desk lamp growing things like crazy. Neither one of them gets ferts or algae.


Turbomkt, can you provide a link to photos for these? I would love to see those.


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

Tanks or lights? I'll assume tanks and say that one of the 10g's just got taken down to make room for the new 55g. I don't think I have a full tank picture of the other one yet.


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## PlantsAndMe (Apr 3, 2005)

What type of shrimps do you plan to keep DJKronik57?


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

DjKronik I definitely agree with you about the distracting symmetry, I'll definitely read into the golden ratio. Someone explained it to me before and I never really got it so I'll give it another shot.

What about the plant selections? 

Thanks for the advice and I really like your idea about setting the tank longways to elongate the path and give a whole new perspective on a 10gallon tank sounds very intreging. I hope you'll post some pics of it if you ever pursue it.


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## DJKronik57 (Apr 17, 2006)

PlantsAndMe said:


> What type of shrimps do you plan to keep DJKronik57?


I keep Cherry Shrimp and a few Amano Shrimp for now. I would love to diversify into Crystal Reds or Tigers but they're too expensive and would need their own tanks so they don't interbreed.

As for the plant selections I think the Anubias are a great choice and so are the HC and HM. The Cyperus might be too tall for a 10 gallon tank, I've heard it can grow very tall. This may be the look you're going for though! It will reach the surface then spread out on top. You may also want to consider one of the "red" plants for contrast, otherwise all green can get bland. I'd say start out with what you have planned and then you can add more once you get on your feet. Otherwise you end up like me with plants that have no home and look out of place but you can't bring yourself to throw or give away. #-o

Oh, and here's a link to a great "pathway" tank right here on APC. Check it out!

Across the River


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## mrbelvedere138 (Jan 18, 2006)

DJKronik57 said:


> I have a 10g shrimp tank with cherries alone in it. The cherries are a lot of fun to watch and spotting tiny little babies is always rewarding! I had ottos in there, but they looked hungry and skinny, so I moved them out. Cherries are enough to handle any algae or excess food that may occur.
> 
> As for lighting, I have 72W over my 10g using two incandescent hoods with 4 CF screw in bulbs (2x25W and 2x11W). Although this may seem crazy, the WPG rules don't apply to tanks as small as a 10 gallon and you need much more light over them in order to get the same results as a larger tank:
> 
> ...


I have half that (36 watts) and I am growing HC horizontally. It's all about the reflector. Also, screw-ins have a different set of rules (even more so the spirals) with WPG. We actually probably have a similar amount of light in our tanks. And we actually spent a similar amount of money.

Catalina Aquarium 36 watt 20" fixture: 59.99 plus 7.20 shipping.


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

Also...Cherries and CRS will not cross. They can be kept just fine in the same tank!


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