what are some good starting fish for my 10 gal tank?

Answer 1

Well, 10 gallons is fairly small, so try to focus on 1-2" fish.

You can go in two directions: live bearers or community fish (although you can mix the two, more of less).

Live bearers include guppies: http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/fancy_guppies_001_w360.jpg
Endlers: http://aquariumhobbyist.com/endlerslivebearer/images/ELBhome.jpg
And platies: http://www.elmersaquarium.com/image_fish/01_Platy_MICKEY_MOUSE.jpg

You could go with a total of 6 or 7 of the above fish, a combination of your choice, just always get 2 females for every male (the males are VERY amorous).

If you want to go with community fish, you could something like a school of 8 tetras, like neon tertas:
http://members.lycos.nl/petervanbrunschot/images/neon%20tetra.paracheirodon%20innesi.jpg
And a dwarf gourami
http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/gourami_neon_blue_male.jpg
OR a male betta
http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/942685/2/istockphoto_942685_blue_fighting_fish_betta.jpg

Answer 2

Some easy starter fish for a 10 gallon:

7 zebra danios
10 neon tetras
1 betta + 7 neon tetras
9 fancy guppies (3m, 6f)
4 mollies (1m, 3f) -- but NOT dalmation or giant sailfin mollies
4 platies (1m, 3f)
1 betta + 3 platies (1m, 2f)
1 betta + 3 bronze or albino cories

All of those fish are good looking, fun to watch, and easy to keep alive.

Before you make a final decision on your stock, PLEASE consider cycling your tank first. It takes some patience, but it will save you frustration in terms of sick and dying fish, I promise.

Also, your fish will be more active and stay healthier if you DON'T overstock. I see people suggesting plecos, angelfish,etc. Use Google and look up the fish you're interested in. If you type "pleco tanksize" you'll see that plecos can get as big as 18-24" and need even hundreds of gallons to live in, depending on the species you buy. The most common ones are the biggest, even though they're tiny in the petstore. You might have people tell you that fish will grow to fit the tank you put them in and stop -- it's actually true. What they're not telling you is that the reason they stop growing is because they are overcrowded and their health and lifespans have been severely compromised.

Please don't mix a betta with any type of fish with long, flowing fins like guppies because they will mistake them for another betta and attack. Paradisefish and gouramis will also fight with bettas.

There are other fish that will fit in a 10 gallon. Dwarf gouramis are beautiful but a little harder to keep alive, and cannot be kept in groups as they are aggressive to each other; a pair is usually okay, but females are hard to find in shops. Dwarf puffers are fascinating little fish but also aggressive and very sensitive to water conditions. There are lots of species of dwarf cories that you could buy if you want larger schools, but they're also harder to keep alive. Same with otocinclus, which are cute, sociable, efficient little algae eaters. There are more. If you're willing to do your research and do things right though, you can keep any of these successfully!

Good luck.

Please make the responsible decision and your fish will do much better!

Answer 3

It's 10 gallons, so you won't be able to put a whole lot in it. The general rule is one inch of fish per gallon of water... keeping that in mind, some good starter fish are:

Zebra danios
Corydoras catfish, a.k.a. "corys"
Guppies
Mollies
Platys
White Cloud mountain minnows
Tiger Barbs
Cherry Barbs

All of those fish require a group of 3-6 to be happy, though. Most small fish, unfortunately, don't like to be alone. A few that I can think of are:

Bettas (aka Siamese Fighting Fish)
Dwarf Gouramis
Paradise Fish

Note that I would never mix any of those three with each other, or with guppies. They might gnaw on each other's fins. And don't put Tiger Barbs with any of these 3 or guppies; they like nipping at fins, too.

If you find yourself needing an algae eater, the only one suitable for a tank that small is an Otocinclus, a.k.a. an Oto. But they like to be in groups as well.

Answer 4

Pink gourami's and common plecos get too big for a 10 gallon tank. You could do guppies or neons, but I would stay away from gouramis, cichlids, and most fish larger than 2 inches adult length. Maybe a small school of neons (6 or so) and a male betta.

Answer 5

I would get small non aggressive fish. they are easy to take care of and they don't need big tanks. some fish to consider would be neon's, red tetras, yellow tetras ex. Their are tones of small fish out their they are cheap $1.50 to $3.00 and they eat very little.

Answer 6

the neon tetra

Answer 7

I started with pink gourami. They are fun to watch and the kids like the kissy face

Answer 8

zebras
mollys
guppies

Answer 9

Mollys, neons, etc. And get a pleco, too.

Answer 10

-a seastar
-guppy
-angel fish
-box fish
-charcoal