Hello all! I used to be on this site years ago under some username lost to the ages, but came back with an interesting question. I am getting my significant other a fish tank for her to have her first fish tank! It is a 10 gallon and she has little interest in schooling fish and does not want to deal with something that could breed often (like an apisto pair). She wants something with a little personality- right now a red eye puffer is target #1, but they are imported pretty rarely. Want to see if you all have any suggestions I would not have thought of- and yes I know a betta would be perfect haha Thanks!
Small Fish with Personality?
- Thread starter fishietyme
- Start date
I think the C. Irrubessco is a great choice. Here’s a vid of one I had, loads of personality and very intelligent. For a 10 gallon, I doubt you’ll find anything better, maybe pea puffers or a wild type betta, but I think the red eye is better
Everglades pygmy sunfish, Elassoma evergladei. A small group of four or five can be kept in a 10 gallon as long there's a decent amount of cover. They get between 1 and 1.5 inches. Here's a look at a couple of males in a territorial dispute...
And the scarlet badis, Dario dario, similar size to the pygmy sunfish and you can keep a small group of four or five in a 10 gallon with decent cover. Here's a look at a few of these guys...
And dwarf puffers, Carinotetraodon travancoricus, two in a 10 gallon tank, or maybe three if you have two females and one male. Won't ever adapt to eating flake foods, IME, however. Here's a look at these guys...
WYite
And the scarlet badis, Dario dario, similar size to the pygmy sunfish and you can keep a small group of four or five in a 10 gallon with decent cover. Here's a look at a few of these guys...
And dwarf puffers, Carinotetraodon travancoricus, two in a 10 gallon tank, or maybe three if you have two females and one male. Won't ever adapt to eating flake foods, IME, however. Here's a look at these guys...
WYite
Sparkling gouramis can be a decent choice too, though maybe too much personality if unlucky 
Get a group of females and won't need to worry about the breeding issue either, but can be tricky to sex without a good eye and lighting.
Get a group of females and won't need to worry about the breeding issue either, but can be tricky to sex without a good eye and lighting.
FishAddict74, where did you get your puffer? I like the idea of the pygmy sunfish, but dario are a little too intense in terms of care for us right now. Newer care guidelines for dwarf puffers say they do best in shoaling groups like they form in the wild, and need a 15-20 gallon tank minimum. Sparkling gourami are also cool, will have to run those by her too! Thanks for all the suggestions, any others? It really seems hard to find a small fish that is fine living alone.
https://www.pufferfishenthusiastsworldwide.com/post/c-travancoricus (DP caresheet)
https://www.pufferfishenthusiastsworldwide.com/post/c-travancoricus (DP caresheet)
