good mix of fish?

Question

hey everyone. i have a 10 gallon tank and i'm wondering what kind of freshwater fish would be good for it. i want a good mix, and something that looks interesting. i had guppies and platys, which i was told are supposed to be good with each other, but they seemed to fight each other relentlessly.
i basically want a mix of visually stimulating fish that are fairly easy to care for.

Answer 1

With a ten gallon tank, you're pretty limited in what you can do. You can't put many fish in there because of overcrowding. If you decide on goldfish, you can really only put one in there.

Answer 2

I can't believe this advice. DO NOT get goldfish. Your tank is too small. Goldfish get huge and are messy. An oscar will get way too large for you tank, and they are also messy. A lone oscar needs at least 55 gallons. With a ten gallon, you are pretty limited in your choices. You could get 5 or 6 male guppies and 4 or 5 corydoras catfish, which are active and fun fish. You could also get 2-3 platies and the cory catfish. You could get some shrimp instead of the catfish. You could get a male betta and some of the cory catfish. When I had my 10 gallon, I had mollies and guppies... but my tank was way overstocked and mollies won't do well in a 10 gallon. You might be able to get away with a dwarf gourami, but I'm not positive on that. Danios (zebra) might be intesting. White cloud minnows can be fun as well, you could easily have a school of 6-7 of them. I really don't think a 10 gallon is suitable for a community tank. It simply isn't large enough. Pick 1 species of fish you like that doesn't get big (not a goldfish) and get some corydoras catfish and some shrimp for the bottom layer. Keep it at that.

Female mollys look exactly like the males except for the anal fin, and they are larger. But again, i wouldn't recommend mollys. They do better in brackish water (mix of salt and fresh) and really need a larger tank.

Forget a plecostomus. Most get too large (the common pleco can reach 18 inches, and that is what is mostly available in pet stores). The clown plecostomus does stay smaller, and may be an option, but you need to add driftwood, because they'll eat it. Also, plecos hide a lot, so in a 10 gallon, I don't think it would be worth it. I'd personally rather use the "space" for a more active fish. Neon tetras would work well also. They're a common fish you can find everywhere.

The pH isn't what separates goldfish from tropicals, it's the temperature. Goldfish are coldwater fish. Also, pH isn't really necessary to test for most aquarists. Most fish can adapt, and a stable pH is fine for most fish, especialy the kinds you will be getting. Ammonia is good to test, it will let you know when you hae to do water changes. If the ammonia level reaches .5-1ppm, you should immediately do a 50% water change. Just google aquarium nitrogen cycle and it will tell you all about it.

Answer 3

Have you looked at any dwarf gouramis? I have the large gouramis with my platies and even the big ones do fine. The male dwarf gourami is one of the most beautiful aquarium fish. The natural form of the fish is a metallic pale blue, with bright red vertical stripes. Aquarium variations have now been bred in which either the blue or the red is dominant, with only faint traces of the other colour. I personally love the blue ones.

Dwarf gouramis are peaceful fish that do well in most community aquaria. They require a tank that is 40 liters (10 US gallons) or larger. They are usually found swimming on the middle to top regions of the aquarium. This is not surprising since, like all gouramis, the dwarf gourami is a labyrinth fish. That is, dwarf gouramis can breathe oxygen from the air through their labyrinth organ (like the betta) if necessary. It is important, therefore that the surface of the water be exposed to fresh air. This is usually accomplished by using a hood that allows air ventilation. If you are using good air pumps, this is not always needed, since the air pumps will refresh the air above the water.

Take a look at some pf the photos (links). I found my gouramis at Petco.

Answer 4

If you choose gold fish they are very dirty. Mollys are good black and red very pretty most angel fish can be mixed, choose plecosmis's over chineases algea eaters. (while chineses algea eaters are more pretty, they are much more aggressive) Tetras get along with almost anything plus there are a wide variety of them. Molly's and tetras are cheep also. Just look up what your after, have an idea of what you want before you buy then when you go to buy them you will walk in and be taken seriously and won't be told something that will keep you coming back to the same store over your fish fighting or what ever. Molly's you can also tell if the are male or female, males have the long beautiful tils and females are the more plain. Keep the ph level as close to 7.0 as you can oher wise you will have a problem with your fish dying. Now the best way to star off is just used distilled water it is almost always at 7.0 but a ph testing kit and a ammonia test kit. Which can be purchased at any pet store. Now if you plan to keep your aqaurium near the sun or in aplce where the sun will hit it in any way you really shopuld buy some sort of algea eater. I do suggest plecossomis's because they are easier to take care of and will not fight with your fish. Don't mix gold fish and reg fish together the ph you need with gold fish will kill the reg fish. Also if you can when your going to add new fish to and exisiting populated tank, you should really have a smaller tank to let them sit in for a week, to be sure they do not have ICK or any other contagious fish disease that will kill your fish in the big tank in days. Also I love Walmart, but, they do not have the healthiest fish in the world. Do recomend Pet Smart and PetCo if they are in your area. Also if there is a regular pet Store for fish and fish alone they are your best bet. Good luck

Answer 5

It's good to research your stocking plan before buying fish,it saves fish and money.Be sure you understand the "nitrogen cycle" before adding fish. Consider "fish-less cycling". The people who suggested Goldfish know nothing about keeping fish,just don't! The fin nipping that you saw in the guppy/platy mix is the usual behavior and probably harmless if there are enough fish to spread the aggression around. Always have more females of a specie of livebearers.3F to 1M is a good mix,or 6F to 2M,being better. The advice about Mollies not being a good beginners fish is true. They will do better after the keeper has a little more experience. Good Luck.----PeeTee

Answer 6

I would say either a school of tiger barbs or some serpae tetras with some neons mabey and some assorted corydoras.

Answer 7

I love Neons and angels...

Large schools of Neon look cool flashing around the tank.

Angles have always been my favorite.

and a big fat sucker fish named Larry bud Melmon.

Answer 8

Goldfish and Oscars (with some sucker-fish and snails) are good together. Don't put beta's with other fish, because Beta's like to fight.

Cheers

Answer 9

any type of gold fish unless youwant tropical because theres alot of verity if you want goldfish then theres black mores fantails, comments ,feeders if you want tropical you have a choice of teachas,neons ect its up to you

Answer 10

Try goldfish, there are many varieties to choose that can live together