# Getting started with smaller aquariums - looking for advice



## jav (Jul 14, 2020)

Hi there! I haven't started in the hobby yet (unless you count spending hours falling down the research rabbit hole starting) but I've spent a significant amount of time thinking about how I'm going to approach the hobby.

I'm looking to start my journey with one or two 10G tanks - all research suggests this is a bad idea, but I don't intend to stock these tanks. My intention with these smaller tanks is to get my hands wet with aquascaping and observing and testing how plants grow (going for a low-tech planted tank) and, of course, cycling some helpful bacteria on aquarium decor and filter media which I will later transfer to the main tank.

I'm planning on cultivating hornwort, java ferns/moss, dwarf hairgrass, and dwarf lillies. My ultimate mid-term goal is a 50 - 75G South/Southeast Asian biotope with:


12 - 15 Harlequin Rasboras
6 - 8 Cherry Barbs
8 - 10 Cherry Shrimp
4 - 6 Trumpet Snails
6 - 8 Glass Catfish or Zebra/Pinstripe Loaches (would go for Kuhli Loaches but I heard they are for more experienced keepers)
2 - 4 Siamese Algae Eaters
Once I get more experience, 6 - 8 Celestial Pearl Danios
Centrepiece, such as a Betta (depending on temperament), a pair of honey gouramis, or a pair of pearl gouramis.

With that in mind, I have some questions:


Should I just follow popular opinion and start with my goal tank?
If not, would I be able to transfer plants and substrate without issue?
For a biotope with slow-moving water, would a single filter be sufficient or should I have two set up at opposite ends?
After moving to my goal tank, I'm planning to set up one of the 10G tanks as a quarantine tank (no substrate and maybe a couple of caves) and the other as an emergency backup tank (substrate and plants) - would dosing with ammonia be sufficient to keep these tanks cycled or should I put some small footprint stock into the backup tank?
I see conflicting opinions about this: invertebrates and botton-dwellers should be stocked first. I agree with the opposing side - wouldn't it make more sense to add them after you've established other stock so they have waste to feed on?
I've heard about loaches eating shrimp and messing with snails. How true has this been in your experience? If the loaches are a no-go, any other suggestions for South/Southeast Asian algae-eaters?
I chose both South and Southeast Asia for ease of finding livestock and plants, but if I wanted to lean into the Southeast Asian Blackwater side of things, which plants and livestock would you add/replace/remove?
The corner in which I'll be placing my aquaria (aquariums?) gets some residual sunlight (not directly in front of a window but indirect light will reach the tank) - will this cause algae issues?

I have a tonne of other questions but those are the only ones that immediately come to mind. Any suggestions, advice, or help will be greatly appreciated!


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## martelvis (Oct 31, 2015)

jav said:


> Hi there! I haven't started in the hobby yet (unless you count spending hours falling down the research rabbit hole starting) but I've spent a significant amount of time thinking about how I'm going to approach the hobby.
> 
> I'm looking to start my journey with one or two 10G tanks - all research suggests this is a bad idea, but I don't intend to stock these tanks. My intention with these smaller tanks is to get my hands wet with aquascaping and observing and testing how plants grow (going for a low-tech planted tank) and, of course, cycling some helpful bacteria on aquarium decor and filter media which I will later transfer to the main tank.
> 
> ...


 You may want to check out the GTA aquarium club. They meet at the Legion, on Sheppard Ave West, across from the Downsview subway, with free parking. Hopefully meetings will resume in Sept, depending on the virus. You can check them out on Facebook. Cheers.


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## jav (Jul 14, 2020)

Thanks for the info! Those meetings would be out of the way for me and I don't have a car so it would be difficult for me to get to them. I was hoping for some answers or advice in the meantime.


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## Lorano (Aug 9, 2015)

I will try to answer your questions but please understand that these are things that I have learnt in the process of setting up my own tanks. There is no guarantee things will go exactly the same way for you.

1. Start with as large a tank as you can afford, taking into consideration that larger tanks mean a larger overall cost in terms of equipment, decor and livestock. There is also increased maintenance time for cleaning but conversely, and probably more importantly, less chance of anything going wrong in your tank before you can fix it. A larger water volume means that spikes in ammonia, nitrite, nitriate or anything else takes longer to affect the overall aquarium as the effects need to build up (larger tanks also have larger bacterial colonies so they can deal with such spikes more easily without causing too much damage before you catch the problem). Smaller tanks mean that these spikes take effect much quicker.

2. You can always transfer plants and substrate once you get a larger tank, just make sure you buy more media for the larger tank's bacteria to colonize and you get a bacteria bottle to supplement the existing colony from the older tank if you want them to colonize faster or you are adding more fish to the larger tank from the start.

3. You can definitely do your research and find out which filters have the slowest water output/ tunrover rates. I would not recommend using filters rated for smaller water volumes than your tank. Even for advanced hobbyists, filters rated for the size of tank they have are necessary unless they have the experience to know how many fish can be kept with that size of filter and how much to feed them without leaving leftovers and thus ruining water quality, especially given that a smaller filter will have less bacteria to deal with ammonia spikes etc. If you go with smaller filters (which have the slower water turnover rates you seem to want), you need to really know what you're doing but many of us don't because we all want as many fish as possible in our tanks unless we're specifically stocking to a certain level below what the tank can carry for some reason.

4. I don't have any personal knowledge on ammonia addition. I always just keep extra media in my display tank which I can pull out and put in a small spare filter for the quarantine tank. That way I don't have another tank that takes more time out of my week to care for and the tank sits empty until needed. Once the quarantine process is done I rinse the media under tap water to kill whatever bacteria had colonized it (in case I let some water from the bag from the fish store into the quarantine tank , therefore causing cross contamination) and put it back in the main tank's filter to be recolonized for future use.

5. I personally add fish and bottom dwellers at the same time. Some invertebrates tend to be sensitive so I hold off on them for a while.

6. In my tanks it's a case by case situation. Some loaches do go for them and others, given enough food, do not. Or they can't if your tank is large enough or has a lot of plants etc. in which the shrimp and snails can hide.

7. I don't have much knowledge on specific species and their native regions so I can't help you there.

8. Not really. It will cause some algea to grow slightly faster than if there was no sunlight but if you have a glass cleaner, you should only need 5 minutes, maybe twice a week to clean your glass, if that. I have the same situation with my tank and I have high light etc. and still only have to clean my tank's glass about once a week.

Hope this helps.


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## jav (Jul 14, 2020)

Fantastic! Thank you for very helpful information. I'll need to wait a while to order my aquarium because according to my calculations, I'll be spending over $500.00 to set up a 50G.


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## TOtrees (Sep 21, 2017)

*take it slow*

It's clear you've done a ton of research. But I recommend you try not to overthink things. And don't expect your initial plan to be perfectly implemented.

- Get your 50gal set up right off the bat. The smaller tanks won't be necessary to get the ball rolling. Get your substrate, decor plants and filtration up and running, then bring in livestock.
- add fish one species or group at a time, with LOTS of time between additions (this is less about 'cycling' and more about overall stability, observation for problems, and tank maturity). Start with something robust like the harlies or barbs (or maybe both). Add shrimp and bottom feeders much later, since they both do best with lots of biofilm, mulm, aufwuchs, algae and etc. Lately I have come to appreciate larger numbers of fewer species, so adding things over a long time gives you the flexibility to make those changes on the fly. 
- cycling is over-rated. wait wait wait don't get me wrong, you do need a cycled tank for long term health and stability, but in the early stages (and whenever you pop up a quarantine or hospital tank) you can keep water healthy via water changes. Eg my hospital tank is literally a 10 gallon tank with a heater and airstone. A few plastic decorations for structure/shelter, usually some hornwort or duckweed for nitrates. I feed lightly and do daily or alt day water changes to keep water good. For planned purchases (like your bottom feeders) you can do as previous writer suggests and borrow cycled filter media from a running tank to "jump-start" a quarantine tank. 
- Quarantine is a personal thing. For me I never had one until I got to the point that I could not afford to replace the livestock in my tanks if something went wrong. If you do want to keep a quarantine tank running permanently, I recommend snails to keep it cycled. 
- kuhlis are the only loach that won't go after your snails. They're not just for advanced keepers, but they do prefer a mature or seasoned tank, and they REALLY like bigger numbers. I have a 33 gal with 10-11, and I need more. The more you have, the more they'll come out and be seen.

Have fun!


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