Tropical Fish Newbie Tank

[keithp]

What mixed species of tropical fish (community tank) could you put in a 10 gallon if it's your first tank and you want really easy fish to care for, and how many of each? Also add the fact for live bearers if they quickly overpopulate a tank, or "predator fish" you wont want to have in the tank.

The shorter the max lifespan for a species, the better. Only because looking at the same fish for years on end gets boring to me.

 

[AstonN24vantage]

swordtails are cool, mollies, platies, but guppies are boring and die in a few days cause they get stressed easily and are prone to disease.barbs are relatively easy to take care of but they can be territorial. tetras are good.

 

[keithp]

Except barbs, wont they all overpopulate a tank with young?

 

[drobbyb]

Good fish for a 10 gallon aquarium include most fish that do not get over 2 inches in total length. Livebearers are a poor choice as they tend to overpopulate such a small tank very quickly. If fish are well cared for, most species will live for many years, so I wouldn't plan on getting short lived fish because you get bored of them. Think of buying a dog, and after 2 years just taking him to the pound just to buy another. Pointless. Many fish keepers grow attached to their wet pets, no matter how small they may be.

A small school of the smaller tetras are good for a 10 gallon, as well as micro rasboras.

 

[keithp]

I didnt realize most small fish live that long, I was always told fish like tetras live for a few months at most if bought as adults. Is it possible to stock a tank with all male guppies, or all male of a live bearer species? That way they wont reproduce. Pet stores by me seperate male/female mollies,guppies,swordtails, and platies so they dont interbreed, most of the males seems fine together without females. So each tank is either all male or all female, unless females come pregnant, than the fry is either discarded or sold as feeders.

 

[saltynay]

Yes it is the males are the more colourful anyway. With mine I did Endler school, African dwarf frogs, some shrimp and whole host of snails.

 

[OldMan47]

It is not uncommon for fish to last a very short time in a tank being maintained without any decent advice or an experienced fish keeper. I have mollies that are almost 3 years old. They were born in my tank and the 10 or 12 that are not yet sold off are enjoying life in a mixed 55 gallon tank with some bristlenose plecos, a few corydoras and a half dozen African cichlids. They still look young and ready to go, not old and sickly yet. Some day their time will come but not at their young age.

 

[zophie]

Small tetra's are always nice, and aquatic frogs are great (African DWARF, not African CLAWED) If you want more advice, talk to Jenste!
I understand that you thought small fish live for only a few months- actually most live for about 2 years minimum

Zophie

 

[keithp]

So guppies and tetras are probably best to start with. Do any of them require salt in the water, or is that the Mollies? I read that 1 common freshwater species requires a tiny bit of salt in the water.

And what temps do they need? (in F please)