Ideas for Stocking a 10 Gallon Desktop Aquarium

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jim_May]Jim May
With around 10 gallons as your desktop aquarium, your options in terms of stocking fish increases. When you have less than 5 gallons, it is better to keep your fish tank limited to either a single feature fish like a betta, or a very limited number of small schooling fish like guppies or their cousin the endler's livebearers. But when you go 10 gallons and above, you'll be able to add in a few more to give your desktop aquarium some diversity (companions!). Stocking fish isn't an exact science so depending on who you talk to there are going to be a difference of opinion whether it is overstocked or not. The issue is not the fish, but the proper environment you can maintain for the fish to be healthy.
In order to keep your tank environment clean and healthy for your fish, be sure to have proper filtration, heating, cleaning, and periodic water changes depending on your selection of fish. With small sized tanks such as these, they are all vital components of your desktop aquarium as the water chemistry is more sensitive to little changes either made by your fish or the room the tank is in. So given a 10 gallon and above desktop aquarium, here are some ideas on how to stock your tank.
Small community fish tank
When you have at least a 10 gallon tank, you can keep a small community tank. Less than this, then you're better off keeping a single feature fish with a few invertebrates. The uniqueness of desktop aquariums is that they're meant to be a small so you feature them in places that a medium or big fish tank just can't. So it is impractical to create elaborate or complex aquascapes filled with dozens of different fish. For beginners it is still a better idea to stick to having a centrepiece fish along with some companions as a small community tank. A betta is always a great feature fish (and arguably the more popular fish among aquaria enthusiasts) but a great alternative is the dwarf gourami. But don't be tempted to put them both in the same tank as they can get aggressive towards each other.
Dwarf Gourami is a great feature fish
Dwarf gouramis (Colisa lalia) are great beginner's fish, as long as you keep them with other small and peaceful species. They are often spectacularly hued, with iridescent bars and orange-red feelers, which makes them a great centrepiece fish. They grow to a maximum of 2-3 inches, perfect for a desktop-sized aquarium. They are hardy fish just like the betta, and prefers a heavily planted tank for hiding places.
Neon tetras or harlequin rasboras
Alongside the dwarf gourami, you can keep 6 neon tetras (Paracheirodon innesi). One of the more popular tetras, neon tetras are also quite hardy fish and suitable for beginners. They are schooling fish so keep a minimum six of them to give you a great shoaling effect when they swim around the tank. As their name suggests, they are great to look at and grows to about 1 inch.
An alternative to the neon tetras are the harlequin rasboras (Trigonostigma heteromorpha). They are also schooling fish so you can keep a minimum of 6 or more depending on the size of your desktop aquarium. A unique little fish, they have a distinctive black triangle mark on their side, a bit like the costume of a Harlequin. They grow to about 1 to 2 inches.
Ghost shrimps and snails
With a dwarf gourami, if you decide on the 6 neon tetras you could include a few (up to 12) ghost shrimps (Palaemonetes) into your tank. Otherwise limit it to 6 ghost shrimps for the harlequin rasboras. They're almost transparent in the water, hence the name "ghost". They walk along the bottom of the tank to collect small food particles to eat, so essentially they're helping you to clean up any excess food. They're also very interesting to look at, that more people are dedicating entire tanks to shrimps alone. Give them some vegetation or plants as hiding spots.
Consider including an apple snail, as they dine on a diet of decomposing plants, algae, and dead animals. They are highly dedicated cleaners that will keep your water quality up and reduce algae levels.
Shape of your fish tank matters
One extra detail you don't want to overlook when deciding what and how many fish to stock is the shape of your desktop aquarium. Rectangle shaped tanks give more horizontal space for your fish to swim, while boxed or hex shaped tanks works great with long and tall plants. Consider reducing the number of fish or invertebrates if you have these boxed or hex shaped tanks to give your bigger feature fish more space and privacy.
If you have a smaller desktop aquarium, you can read my article about [http://desktopaquarium.org/desktop-fish-tank/stocking-a-5-gallon-starter-desktop-aquarium-with-fish/]stocking a 5 gallon fish tank, or you can visit my site [http://desktopaquarium.org/]Desktop Aquarium for more informative articles.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Ideas-for-Stocking-a-10-Gallon-Desktop-Aquarium&id=6648908] Ideas for Stocking a 10 Gallon Desktop Aquarium