Decisions, Decisions...

[Kitty_Nin]

I received a 10 gallon tank for my birthday in late January, seeded the filter material in a mature tank, put Seachem Black Fluorite as the substrate, added a bunch of plants, and popped in a barb from another tank to keep the filter bacteria alive.

The stocking I've been planning is:

2 peacock gudgeons
6 pygmy cories
3 sparkling gouramis

However now that the plants are starting to flourish and the time to actually get the fish is getting near, I can help but wonder about other things I could put in that tank instead. I want something really unique and interactive, but still fairly easy to keep. I've also been worrying about the gudgeons potentially being picky eaters... I don't want a $10 fish to starve itself to death.

Any suggestions? The barb will be going to his old tank when I get the new fish (poor guy, he thinks he's in heaven right now with the tank all to himself ) I have a betta boy, already, and also a tank of barbs and danios, so I don't really want any more of those fish.

 

[Wills]

Badis fish? Sparkling Gourami? If your LFS are good at rare stuff you could try some checkerboard cichlids, would be pretty interesting to have. You could try a lone dwarf cichlid like a female panduro apisto or a nannacara of some kind.

 

[OldMan47]

A nice tiny tank like that deserves a tiny fish. How about a colony of Xenophallus umbratilis, golden teddies or even some Heterandria formosa. Both are uncommon but easy care fish. I have a colony of each in its own 10 gallon tank.
One of my female Heterandria

One of my female teddies

 

[Kitty_Nin]

I will look into some smaller cichlids like you said, Wills. The checkerboards are very cute.

I checked around and no place near me has either of the fish you mentioned, OldMan47. They are neat though!

I live about 1/2 hour from That Fish Place, That Pet Place, so that's where I was planning to head when I'm ready for fish. They have some really neat fish there, it makes me really wish I had the space and money for big tanks. Oh well.. someday.