My new 10 gallon tank

Question
I have started a new 10 gallon tank (20"x10"x12") complete with sand and a submersible pump that I think is large for this size. It filters 1,950 liters/hour. I would like to know, before I put the fish, if it is okay to keep this pump. If so, please tell me how many neons and tigers I can put in the tank. Can I put a HOB filter? Thank you.

Answer
Hi Lorenz
I usually recommend for filtration, to add a 0 to the end of your tank size(for gallons), and that's the minimum amount of gallons per hour output you want.  So, for a 10 gallon tank, you'll want a filter that puts out a minimum of 100 gallons per hour.  Depending on the type of fish, you may want/need more than that.  For example, oscars and goldfish (shouldn't be in a 10 gallon tank though)should have double that amount for minimum filtration.  Here's my conversion chart I use:

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/conversion.html

Now to convert that to litres, honestly I don't know, I can't say if just adding the 0 at the end of the 38 works-just because I'm not familiar with litres, but does seem to make sense.  So, 1950 litres is the equivalent of 507 gallons per hour.  That is a bit strong  for community fish like neons and such.  Usually I'm a big advocate for over filtering, but I'm afraid that may be too much.

I'm also not that familiar with the submersible filters.  I know they're similar to canister filters.  But with that strong of an output, I'd think it would still shoot the fish around the tank lol.  You can definitely put a HOB filter on that tank.  That's what I use on my tanks.  

One thing, since the tank is new, are you familiar with cycling the tank?  Because neons are not the best fish to start off a new tank  with.  Here's a link, in case you aren't familiar with it, it explains what the cycle process is and what happens:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/startupcycle/Step_5_The_Cycle.htm

I assume you mean tiger barbs?  I wouldn't recommend them for your size tank.  They need to be in groups or schools of at least 4-5, otherwise they have the tendency to pick on other fish.  Plus, that many wouldn't fit well in your tank size.  For the neons, you could add quite a few, I'd say 5-10 comfortably, they stay small so don't put out that much waste.  WIth 5-10 neons, you could probably add one or two other small fish, like a guppy, platy etc.  But I'd be sure to get a male if you opt with one of those.  

Hope that helps, and sorry if it's confusing.....like I said, I'm not that familiar with litres, and when I try to convert it, for some reason doesn't look right...Anyway, let me know if you have more questions.  And good luck with your new tank!

Christy