The Right Fish

Question
I'm getting a 10 gallon aquarium system. Do you have any suggestions about what kind of freshwater fish I should get for it? Thanks.

Answer
Hi Brandon,

10 gallons is awesome to start with!

You can put almost any fish in there you want, as long as it's small.  There are certain guidelines for stocking tanks you should consider.

How many fish can you put into a 10 gallon tank?

The rule of thumb is 1" of fish per 1.5 gallons.  In a ten gallon tank, that's no more than 6 fish that are 1" total length, each.  

1"of fish per gallon does not apply to goldfish.  Goldfish require much, much larger tanks to survive.  They are extremely dirty fish and so they require much bigger filters in larger tanks or ponds.  Yes, petstores sell them...and most experts agree, they should not.  Goldfish die more commonly than any other fish in captivity, because of lack of size to support them.

Short answer - If your fish are 1" long, you can have 6 in the 10 gallon tank.  If they are 1.5" long, then you can only have 4 to 5.  But, it also changes with certain species, such as goldfish and plecostamus.  Both need much room.

Zebra Danios are good starter fish.  They are active and easy to take care of and they breed readily in captivity.

Corydora catfish are great bottom feeders and remain small.

Snails are often fun in the aquarium and are readily available.

Barbs, glass fish, kuhli loaches (awesome for cleaning rocks and debris), loaches, there are numerous fish you can start with which will do well if the water is changed at a rate of 25% monthly, the filter media changed monthly and the temperature is kept at 72F.

I hope this is helpful.  Write anytime.

Happy fish-keeping.

Renee