Stocking suggestions for 10gal

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So many options! :)

1)
-small school of danios
-BN pleco (will keep the glass very clean, I've had one in my 10g for a year and he's very happy)

2)
-beta
- group of otocinclus catfish (in my experience a little tough to keep alive due to their sensitivity, but a lot of people love them)

3) small school (6-8) of tetras, raspboras, or any other small schooling fish
-cherry, amano or ghost shrimp etc

4)
- a dwarf gourami
- 4-5 Cory cats
-shrimp
 
Umm, bristle nose pleco get 5ish inches, so yours is probably stunted. And danios typically get 2.5 inches long, and are extremely actively. So probably not a good choice for a ten.
 
what are we talking here? do you have a heater? are we talking tropical fish? do you want a school or more solitary fish?
 
I have one exactly like it that I got at the same time in my 36 gallon and they are the same size. His belly is always dark and full of algae, so I think he is healthy :)
 
This is what I enjoyed in my 10g tanks.

Glowfish - very pretty addition to any colorful tank.

Black Kuhl Loaches - Playful and active especially in a group of 6. I started off with 2 and moved them to a bigger tank with 6. They love making circles in the tank together.

Neon Tetras and Glow light Tetras - They tend to all school together and are easy for beginners to handle.

Albino Catfish - Catfish that grow to about 2in but they school together. I got about 6 in a 60g tank and they go all around in the tank together and will rest in a corner together.

Otis - Are good for cleaning a small tank. They like to be in a school of 3-5 they are basically a smaller version of the pleco. I think he gets to be about 2in big.

Snails - Snails are good algae eaters if you get a lot of algae in your tank.

Dwarf Gouramis - I was recommended to try this fish in my tank and he ended up being a food hog and aggressive with the other fish that shouldn't bother him but they are real pretty fish just can be real jerks lol.

Hatchet Fish - Hatchet Fish are top level fish if you want to see something above instead of center and bottom. You do need a lid on your tank because they can jump out. Maybe fly some what haha looks like they have wings but I'm very unsure. Haven't researched much about mine since I got them.
 
Petsmart is also having a sale on most of the fish I suggested right now.
 
Hi :) I'd like to suggest and comment. Danios are adorable, but only a few for your tank, look for longfin, they're cuter. Never get a pleco because they get dinosaur size (not sure about all types). Also, plecos will jump out of your tank through the tiniest holes. Tetras are boring to me because they don't seem to have ANY personality. Algae eaters are too aggressive NEVER get those. Lastly, ottos are so cute, but NO. They're SUPER sensitive and require a bunch of live algae and aren't getting fed at the Pet store. Thats my two cents :) good luck!
 
If you can find them, check out Nano Fish species.

Celestial Pearl Danios
Scarlet Badis
Corydoras habrosus or pygmaeus or hastatus
Otocinclus
Ember Tetras
Micro Rasbora species

Or do a Cherry Shrimp tank with Otos as only fish. I loved mine !!
 
Personally I would get a betta and some dwarf cory cats. BN Plecs may be small, but they do get too big and have a very high bio load. If yours didn't grow when he went into the 36 gallon, he was most likely stunted.
 
I'd go with a couple scarlet badis and some ember tetras. My badis tend to stay on the bottom and the embers would stay in the upper parts of the tank.
 
I'm sorry, but I absolutely do NOT suggest every putting zebras danios, glofish, black kuhlis, albino cories, hatchetfish, or most of the commonly available tetras in a 10g tank. Yes, it will work for a bit, but those are all species that get bigger than people realize, are active, and do better in a bigger set-up. This is especially true for zebra danios and glofish.

There are a ton of very cool nano fish that positively thrive in a tank like a 10g. I suggets looking into clown killifish, Norman's lampeye killifish, betta (there are many more types than just the betta splendens commonly available in pet stores), dwarf cories (C. habrosus, pygmaeus, and hastatus), Dwarf anchor catfish, otos (I only suggest a max of 2), ember tetras, green neons, jellybean tetras, dwarf puffers, shell dwelling cichlids, fw bumblebee goby, pygmy sunfish, guppies, platies, Endler's livebearers, least killifish, red cherry shrimp, celestial pearl danios, dwarf spot rasbora, emerald rasbora, chili rasbora, croaking gourami, sparkling gourami, and scarlet badis. There are other, more obscure species of microrasbora as well. But, this is a good list to start with.
 
A 10 gallon isn't that small. Of course your fish would prefer an ocean to a lake but, danios? Really? They're small and just happy guys. Don't put a lot of fish in there though. The 1 in of fish per gallon is ideal.
 
A 10 gallon isn't that small. Of course your fish would prefer an ocean to a lake but, danios? Really? They're small and just happy guys. Don't put a lot of fish in there though. The 1 in of fish per gallon is ideal.

No no no no. Would you put a 10 inch oscar in a ten gal tank? Yes, the danios may be kinda small, but they are VERY VERY active.
 
No one said anything about an Oscar, 1in of fish per gallon is universal. I'm not in the minority saying that.
 
The 1 inch per gallon rule is pretty well known but by today's standards it's also quite outdated. We know a lot more now about fish keeping than we did 10, 20, and 50 years ago so unfortunately there is no longer a very reliable "rule" to stocking. The main issue with the inch per gallon rule is that it does not take into consideration aggression, bioload, and activity level. Ten gallons is quite small, so if the OP has the best interest of the fish in mind then they'd preferably pass on a fish like danios knowing a ten gallon tank's footprint is too small for the danios' activity level.

Ideally I would also advise going with some nano fish. I enjoy dwarf puffers (a pair in a species tank would work) or perhaps a school of CPDs or spotted blue eye rainbowfish with some red cherry shrimp.
 
You can make the 1 inch per gallon rule work, but for the most part it dosent work because it depends on the tank your putting the fish in. I would say a 10 gallon is too small for any full sized tetra or danio. They should be kept in groups, and when you meet that need, there isn't enough room for there activity level. I would stick with the less active fish and microfish. Any dwarf gourami would be fine in my opinion. They don't move around too much and don't care too. Also all the micro cories, and rasboras would be great. Go look around the Internet for "nano" freshwater fish. A lot will come up, then go to your local fish store and see if they could get them for you.
 
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