Vallisneria Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 (edited) I"m setting up a 10-15g in my mom's grade 1 class. I have a few ideas but just thought i'd ask to see what other people might suggest. So far I'm thinking of doing a simple planted tank with crypts, maybe a few vals. The fish I have so far are a plakat betta(he's red and pinkish), a baby BN pleco and I'll probably toss in some cherry shrimp too, or maybe a zebra snail. So my question to you is what other fish would you add. I'd prefer something really colorful and hardy as it will be in a class with grade ones. Edited September 13, 2009 by degrassi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaFishMommy Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 if you are going with a 10 gallon i personally wouldn't add anything else. the pleco is going to be a poop factory when he gets bigger and adding more than the betta, pleco, and snail might be more bioload than you want for that size tank (i didn't include the shrimp since their bioload is so small). with a 15 you might be able to add a few (5 or less) small schooling fish. some small tetras might work if the betta isn't inclined to harass or try to eat them. what i'd do is set up a little book beside the tank with photos of the fishes, snail, etc. inside and show (by pictures mostly) where the fish come from (areas of the world), what they eat, etc. make it an educational experience! (and maybe the kids will be less inclined to feed the tank their recess snack......lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 A school of small fish would be great - Endlers, Galaxy Rasboras, Pygmy Cories... Actually, I think Henry has some small Rasboras in that look nice. With a planted tank, you can overstock a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted September 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 if you are going with a 10 gallon i personally wouldn't add anything else. the pleco is going to be a poop factory when he gets bigger and adding more than the betta, pleco, and snail might be more bioload than you want for that size tank (i didn't include the shrimp since their bioload is so small). with a 15 you might be able to add a few (5 or less) small schooling fish. some small tetras might work if the betta isn't inclined to harass or try to eat them. what i'd do is set up a little book beside the tank with photos of the fishes, snail, etc. inside and show (by pictures mostly) where the fish come from (areas of the world), what they eat, etc. make it an educational experience! (and maybe the kids will be less inclined to feed the tank their recess snack......lol). I dont' think I have to worry about the 10g being overstocked with a betta and a pleco. The pleco is only 1" long right now, and the tank is going to be fully planted. Last year I set up a betta and a small BN pleco in a 5g planted tank and it had no issues for the 8 months it was setup. This year I wanted to do something a little bigger and a bit more exciting then just a betta. I also had printed out little info cards(like the LFS have) and taped them to the tank, saying the species of fish and how many there were. The kids liked it as they could play "I spy" and count to make sure all the fish were there. I'm also not too worried about the kids feeding or hurting the fish. Last year it went really well and the kids never put anything in the tank. Each week my mom picked a "fish feeder" and it was their job to feed the fish while my mom supervised. The kids became really attached to the fish and didn't want to hurt them. The only thing I'm worried about is picking fish that aren't shy and are hardy enough to take having kids come up to the glass and tap on it. I dont' want something that will be scared and hide every time a kid comes up. A school of small fish would be great - Endlers, Galaxy Rasboras, Pygmy Cories... Actually, I think Henry has some small Rasboras in that look nice. With a planted tank, you can overstock a bit. I was considering Endlers. Can you keep all males together? I've kept them before but only in mixed sex groups and the males beat on the females pretty good, so I dont' think I've want to add females(plus the females are boring looking). I was also considering some type of danio as I know danios are hard to kill and are constantly out and about. But they aren't too colorful. I"d love to have something like guppies, as they are so colorful and flashy but they aren't too hardy and I can't seem to keep them alive. Anyone have any other suggestions. I just like seeing what you'd put in and give me more ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Glow light tetras? If you can find 'em that is...they're really awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailfinja Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 Platies. They are pretty, hardy and the reproductive clycle will intrest the kids. The Betta will also get some choice meals. When I was in school, one of my teachers had a planted tank with some red platties, it was quite gorgeous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted September 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 Platies. They are pretty, hardy and the reproductive clycle will intrest the kids. The Betta will also get some choice meals. When I was in school, one of my teachers had a planted tank with some red platties, it was quite gorgeous. I considered platies, as they are one of my fav fish, but wasn't sure if they'd work in a smaller tank or how they'd get along with the betta. Would a trio work, or would the male pick on the females? Would it be better to do all females? I've only ever kept them in a big tank, where size or aggression wasn't an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfong Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 You can keep male endlers together. I did it for a little while before I managed to find some females. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaFishMommy Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 i agree with rayfong on the endlers. i have 4 males in my community tank and i've never seen any aggression between them, they rarely hide, and when i've got my hands in the tank they come nibbling at me, lol. i guess you could call them a 'personable' fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 Fancy Tail guppies for colour, no shyness, BABIES, and feeding behavior. Just a suggestion. Sounds like fun L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EowynJane Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 I would go with Endlers, as mentioned all males is fine. They might have beat on the female before if there weren't enough hiding spots in the tank for her or if the m:f ratio was bad. I wouldn't do Platies since they do get bigger and are a bit of a dirty fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewels Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 How do Plakats feel about Cherry Shrimp ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 How do Plakats feel about Cherry Shrimp ? My guess is, "umm...ummm...good!" haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted September 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 How do Plakats feel about Cherry Shrimp ? With Bettas it really depends. I've kept bettas with cherry shrimp before without any issues but i've also kept a couple that would eat any shrimp I added. Right now my betta is in my cherry shrimp breeding tank and i've noticed him chase a few of the shrimp. Not sure if he's catching any though. Either way, I breed cherries, so if he does eat them I can always add more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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