betta centered 10 Gal tank-companions?

[sakemomo]

i'm new and i've been asking a few questions. i've mentioned wanting to get my betta some tank mates when i move him to my used 10gal after its cycled and i've done some reading on possible tankmates. i think i want some neons, corys and maybe a dwarf fish. i'm pretty sure they are all compatiable. however, i'm confused on how many of each would fit once at max. i know one of each would certainly be fine but i would like a small school of neons and maybe 2-3 corys. so, for a 10gal at max, would 1 male betta, 1 dwarf frog, 4-5 neons and 2-3 corys be too much? or could i fit in an extra neon or two? what would be ideal? once i start introducing fish (1-2 at a time) how long should i wait in between adding more fish?

i know i need to wait until after i cycle, and i know not to put them all in at once too otherwise it'll be too much for the filter to handle.

a quick question about cycling too. i plan on doing a fish cycle (because i think i understand how to that best) and i read that cherry barbs are good for this, and likely to survive, would they be ok with a betta and the other fish i'm considering? also, i have a friend with a tank, to shorten the cycle period would it be a good idea to borrow a toy before she cleans it or take some of her water when she does a change? would this work for my tank?

i have other considerations for tank mates to replace the neons is appropriate for the betta, frog and corys. i would like your opinions on them. should i stick to the regular neons, would these be good or as they are from the same tetra base would a mixture of the different tetras school together so i can have one or 2 of each type and still provide them with a school?
here's what else i'm considering:
black phantom tetra
bleeding heart tetra (really unsure if this would be a good choice but would like your opinions)
cardinal tetra (concerned that this fish may be hard to care for, for a beginner like me-should i wait on them until i have more experience under my belt?)
pristella tetra
serpae tetra
1 red tailed shark (my mother had one of these when i was young and i would love to be able to incorporate one in my tank)
white cloud mountain minnow
zebra danio
1 kuhli loach
the information i read on them all cam from fishlore.com. i do plan on researching them further but would still like some experienced opinions and/or advice on these species and their compatiablity for a betta in a 10 gal

[sakemomo]

*dwarf fish=dwarf frog (sorry for the typo, it seems i have fish on the mind haha)

[crazy4fish]

i think neons and corys and your betta would get along fine but im not sure if 1 betta 5 tetras and 3 corys will fit in a 10 gal. :( but they might since neons are so small i'm not too sure but if you cut down on the numbers just a bit you could get them for sure:) about the cherry barbs, they will be fine with almost any fish. i have some and they are very peaceful. but keep in mind they are energetic and need room to swim. now about your other choices for fish, i think you are right about the cardinal tetras. they can be hard to keep alive (all mine died just a bit after i got them) so i would stay away from them for a while. the phantom, serpae, and mountain minnow should be fine with your betta. just make sure your betta doesnt go after the phantoms fin if you do get some. red tailed sharks could be a bit agressive sometimes and i think they may need a bigger tank. kuhli loaches deffinately need more room than 10gals as well.

some other fish to think about(you want to stick to smaller fish or they wont fit): rummy nose tetras, black neon tetra, harlequin rasboras

let me know if you have any questions about these or other fish. i'll do my best to help you out.

[sakemomo]

perhaps you could offer me a better website on fish species then, because fishlore said 10gal would be ok for a kuhli or red tailed shark. if they are wrong about this i have suspicions about the other information. if there a site that you could recommend with more accurate information?

[SST]

Instead of cycling your tank with fish, you can use regular ammonia. There are instructions online, there used to be a sticky 'round here somewhere, but basically you add a few drops of ammonia every few days to simulate the waste action of fish which will stimulate the growth of the necessary bacteria. It's very simple.

[sakemomo]

i read that adding chemicals to a cycling tank could slow or stop the cycle. i'm guessing from your post amonia is not considered one of these chemicals? does it take any longer then a fish cycle? can i still seed (i believe that the term for using water from an already established tank) the tank if i don't use a fish cycle? do you know how much time, if any, seeding saves?

[okiemavis]

Seeding will def. cut down on the time your tank takes to cycles, regardless of whether you add ammonia or not. Also, you're correct, ammonia isn't one of those chemicals that you don't want to add when cycling. Ammonia is a key component to the fish tank cycle. The things you wanna stay away from are buffers, conditioners, ammonia removers, etc.

[SST]

Using ammonia does not take longer than a fish cycle. You just have to make sure you're using pure ammonia, not one with cleaning agents in it. I purchased mine from the grocery store.

Here's an article about it:

http://www.aquaria.info/index.php?na...rticle&sid=344

[sakemomo]

thank you very much for the article. i don't know why it seemed so complicated with the other stuff i was reading on it, but that article sure did clear everything up. i think i will try that route and see if i can seed from my friend once i get these goldfish out.

but i have a question about my betta. right now he's just in a suspension 1L bowl. there is no room for filtration or anything else. would he not be better off in the tank with the filter and all that even while its cycling? if not, could i use his dirty water to seed or would their not be enough in it? would i be able to seed if i collected his dirty then put it in the larger tank if its not enough at each cleaning?

finally, i have another question about seeding. currently the 3 goldfish that came with the tank are using it and will be for at least another 5 days. they have been using this tank and filtration system for 27 months before i got them. but i was told that they had just cleaned 2 days ago. would their used filter work for seeding?

[jeaninel]

Wait...did you say your tank now has goldfish and a filter that have been on it for 27 months? If so, you're probably already cycled. Do you have a test kit (liquid) so you can test your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels? The beneficial bacteria lives mostly in the filter not in the water.