stocking a 10 gal tank

G

gritscwgrl22

Cowboys in Wranglers...mm mmm good!
Mar 6, 2005
53
0
0
St Pete, FL
Hey y'all!
I was just wondering if you guys could give me some suggestions of fish that would do well in a 10 gallon tank, are easy to care for, and are compatable. I've had my tank for about 2 1/2 years and have had a variety of fish -bettas, goldfish, gouramis, platies, otos, african dwarf frogs, plecos. I currently have a single platy and a rather large apple snail. I've had a lot of luck with platies but I'd like something different. I'm also tired of having just one species of fish in my tank...just seems so boring!
I'm a bit confused on the issue of the # of fish that can be housed in a small tank. I've heard and read so many different things from so many different places...ACK!
I've looked into barbs and tetras and I've read that certain tetras (either flame or bloodfin tetras)will do fine with barbs. I was thinking of either 2 cherry or tiger barbs and a school of tetras (and of couse my lonely little platy and the snail).
I have a peguin bio-wheel mini and an undergravel filter and I do weekly water changes.
 
The problem you'll run into with a 10 gallon and most small fish that can fit into it is that those small fish usually need groups to thrive. Most tetras for instance, like groups of six or more. Certain barbs are the same way. My suggestion would be a school of 6 pygmy corydoras catfish. If you've never owned them, they are especially interesting schooling fish and downright cute. They stay around an inch in length and occupy the middle to bottom of their tanks. They would mix well with your snail and platy. Good luck.
 
I knew I forgot something!

I've had corys before and they are cute but I'd like something with color. I know that barbs enjoy being in groups but I've heard that they also do well in pairs. I'm thinking about giving my snail to a friend that has a 70gal because he is entirely too large for my tank. Do you think that 2 barbs and a school of 5 tetras would be too much? Should I just give up on having more than one type of fish in my tank?
 
Most barbs prefer groups, but cherrys are a bit of an exception. They do equally well in pairs or groups. I'd suggest a m/fm pair rather than two males (many people don't want the females because they're brown, not cherry red). They're one of my favourite kinds of fish - absolutely adorable, fearless, and very active. They're also not nippy like some other barbs, so they'll be fine with a platy. Adding a group of five tetras might be pushing it, but as long as they're small (neons, cardinals, glowlights, black neons etc.) and you keep up with water changes, it should be fine.
 
i've made up my mind...i think...

I've been thinking and I finally decided that since I've had such good luck with platys in the past, why not continue with lucky fish? And I also realised that platys come in a plethora of colors so instead of having different types of fish, I could have different colors of platys and still get almost the same effect. Anywho...how many platys can live confortably in a 10 gal?
 
ive heard that corys sometimes grow upto 3 inches.... would a school of 6 of them really be ok for a 10 gallon? (i was thinking of setting up a 10 for corys)
 
NFR-22467-A said:
ive heard that corys sometimes grow upto 3 inches.... would a school of 6 of them really be ok for a 10 gallon? (i was thinking of setting up a 10 for corys)
Click to expand...
If you re-read my post you'll see I specified a type of cory, not just cories in general. Pygmy corydoras stay small all of their lives and act a bit differently than their larger cousins in that they school a little more tightly at times and generally occupy more than the bottom of the tank taking frequent excursions to the middle levelsand resting on plants and decoraitons together. OrionGirl describes it like a flock of birds, and I think that's a wonderful summation.
 
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