What easy tropical fishes to keep in 10 Gallon? Any suggestions?

The 1 inch of fish per gallon applies only to slim bodied fish, like neons. For other fish, much will depend on the temperment and territory needs of the fish.

For a 10, I would go with 4-5 silver tip tetras, and 3-4 smaller cories, like pandas or skunks. Always plan tanks for the adult size of the fish.

Beginner Fish

There are several good beginner fish out their on the market, however there are also several not so good beginner fish which are sold right along side the beginners.

Dwarf gourami are one good option. You can keep a pair in a 10 gallon along with a small shoal of mid-dwelling fish like danios or neons which are also good beginner fish. Or, Dwarf gourmi with some bottom dwellers, I highly recommend Kuhli Loaches.

A paradise fish (I recommend females over males because they don't have that bad attitude) however, I wouldn't get something small like neons for them, because they may try to eat them. A pair of Cherry Barbs would also go nicely again with a pair a Kuhli Loaches or some smaller species Cory cats like OrionGirl mentioned for the bottom.

You could also go for purely shoaling fish like neons. You could have 8 neons and a few bottom dwelling species. Same thing with Danios and other smaller tetras. I also have read that the Black Tetra (aka Black Skirt Tetra/Black Widow) make excellant beginner fish and are very resiliant.

Fish I would avoid are Guppies(many books say they are hardy, but petstore bought Guppies often have been inbreed leaving them with things like immune system problems, excetra, excetra.) Also avoid the pure Black Mollies, as they are very prone to diseases such as fungus if they are not kept in perfect water conditions. I have also had experience that Mollies are not the peaceful little dolls they are made out to be... they can be quite cruel to each other and others in the aquarium. I had one that killed 2 dwarf gourami and ripped several scales off a third. Her daughters and nieces have had that aggressiveness passed on to them.

Also, in general, avoid cichlids until you have a little experience under your belt. While most are very, very hardy and adaptable, it is very hard to find non-cichlid tank mates for them. Most will also outgrow your 10 gallon. Exceptions to this rules are Apistograms, but, while they are small and community fish, they are not the hardiest choice.

But, with all fish, you must be patient when setting up your tank. Let it fully cycle before adding fish. I also highly recommend that you research the fish you choose to get in advance to help reduce the amount of surprise you may recieve.

....sorry for the lengthy post , hope it helps though

Link to an article about fishless cycling:http://www.willasark.com/nofishcycle.cfm

you should hold off until you can get a 20 gallon or so if you can then you can get a pair of convict cichlids or some of the other smaller ones. maybe firemouths? they are pretty cool to watch. really hardy and they can be more interesting than some of the smaller fish. then add a couple other fish to add more motion to the tank.

Figure 8 puffers do very well in a 10gal brackish tanks, they have a very easy diet and are fun to have.... I have two puffers in a 10 gal, they only get about 3" so for the two of them and a pleco... you will be just fine.

you could do paradise fish in a 10 gallon. tetras would be fine as well. smaller cichlids like keyhole cichlids could be kept in that tank as well.

as the thread is from 2003, hopefully the OP has been enjoying a sensibly stocked 10 gallon for almost 5 years now

edit : can't ever let it pass without saying the inch per gallon rule is misleading at best, dangerous nonsense at worst.

You could try glo light tetras, or cardinals. I wouldn't keep two dwarf gouramis togeather in a 10 gal as almost all of the dwarf's sold are male and will fight with either other. Also gouramis have become weak from inbreeding and the hormones used to turn females into males since the males are more brilliant so they are not the most sturdy fish. Bettas can be a good centerpiece fish for a 10 gal, and are very hardy. Although they may attack the cardinals, I have kept them very successfully with white clouds.

Coler said:

as the thread is from 2003, hopefully the OP has been enjoying a sensibly stocked 10 gallon for almost 5 years now

Click to expand...

I think you are the only one who noticed...as the stocking posts keep rolling in.

LOL I just noticed that, right after I posted oops