What kind of fish to put in my tank?

Question

So I have a little girl that loves fish, and am thinking of getting a small tank for her room (10 gal) of course I will clean it and it will have a filter, bubble-er and heater. I read that guppies and tetras do well in this kind of tank. Is this true? I would like some fun colored fish for the tank and not a HUGE number (no more than 10 - understanding that you need a gallon of water per inch of adult fish). What are some suggestion and good information sites as to how to set up the tank and what fish, how many of that kind and what we can mix in the tank! thanks!!

? · Accepted Answer

Alright first, the inch per gallon rule is a silly and false rule, please do not listen to it or you will severely overstock your tank. Can you put a 12" Oscar in a 12 gallon tank? No!

Remember to research and know the NITROGEN CYCLE! It is extremely important to cycle the tank for 6-8 weeks before ANY fish go in the tank.

Tetras need schools of 6+ BUT they need a 20 gallon tank. Guppies are perfect for a small tank.

Instead of large tetras look into Dwarf Rasbora; like Harlquins and Chili Rasbora which you could have in a school of 8x.

Something along the lines...

3x Guppies
8x Dwarf Rasbora
6x Pygmy Cories

FULLY STOCKED

EDIT: BooBoo don't you know aquadvisor uses the inch per gallon rule? Personally I would not put a Betta with a tetra in a smaller space. I'd only put tetras with beta's with a larger school, in a smaller school and in a smaller tank they tend to be nippy.

baymast13 · Answer

4-5 male Guppies would be perfect. Don't get any females, or you will soon be over-run with fry, and 10 gallons cannot support them. Fancy Guppies are pretty, hardy, and undemanding. 
Please do plenty of research. I suggest reading some beginner's aquarium keeping books. You will want to know all about properly cycling and maintaining a tank. Few things are as heart-breaking (especially to a child) as having a tank full of fish die before the newness even wears off.
Don't get fish such as Neon tetras. They need 20+ gallons.

xScRiiPz · Answer

Ash is 101% correct. Dont listen to the person that said 4-5 Neon Tetras. As Ash said, they need a 20 gallon aquarium. They are too active for a 10 gallon. For your 10 gallon, I suggest you get:

1 DWARF Gourami- Make sure its DWARF!
5 Pygmy/Dwarf Corydoras Catfish- Again Make sure they are Dwarf/Pygmy!
5 Shrimp of your choice would nicely stock a 10. Shrimp dont really add alot of BioLoad o your tank so having 5 is fine. Also make sure you cycle your tank! Google on how to do it. And dont listen to the 1 inch per gallon rule, its the biggest myth known to fishkeeping!

? · Answer

Advisor.com
I'd set up like this put a 20 gal filter to assure good filtration I have a 30 on my 10 gal 
http://aqadvisor.com/AquStockImage.php?N=&L=20&D=10&H=12&J=&UV=gUS&UL=inch&F=1:200909300016:,1:200909300098:,5:200909300144:,1:201002031346:,5:200909300008:
Make sure to add a few live plants like 2 amazon swords and use a bubbler it will look active and pretty

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What kind of fish to put in my tank?

4 Answers