What to know about 10 Gallon Aquariums?

[Ravindu]

Hey! I'm new here

Just wanted to ask what the major facts I need to consider when considering about the 10 gallon aquarium. This article had some interesting facts. Will those help me?

https://theaquariumhobbyist.com/10-gallon-fish-tank/

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

What fish did you want to keep?

The main thing to consider when buying an aquarium is what fish do you want to keep. If you buy a small aquarium and want to keep an Oscar cichlid, you will have problems because the fish will grow to big for the tank.

Surface area (length x width) is more important to fish than height. This is because fish swim left to right and not up and down. If you get an aquarium that is 18 inches long x 12 inches wide x 18 inches high, it has a small surface area (18 x 12 inches).
If you get an aquarium that is 18 inches long x 18 inches wide x 12 inches high, it has a much better surface area (18 x 18 inches) and is better for fish.

 

[Byron]

Agree with Colin.

As for the linked article, there is some useful information there, but some especially when it comes to the stocking is misleading or inaccurate. Shoaling fish that reach 2 inches are not going to work in this small a tank. Shoaling species (this applies to all tetras, cories, rasboras, danios, barbs, loaches, rainbowfish) need groups, and the more there are of the species the better (healthier) they will be. This is an absolute need inherent to each species. Putting say 7-8 2-inch fish in this tank is not a good idea.

"Nano" species are generally suited to small tanks like a basic 10g. Depending upon the water parameters and the species.

 

[seangee]

Do you already have the tank, or are you still considering? If you have the space a 20G (or preferably 20G long) will give you far more flexibility when it comes to stocking and really is not much more expensive. Although it seems counter intuitive a bigger tank is also easier to maintain.