Angel fish and tank size question.

[SCFatz]

I'm getting my daughter,turning 5,a ten gallon tank for her room for her birthday.

Of coarse I'll take care of it....The thing is..ever since I restarted this hobby she wanted angels.Picked em for the first tank and asked about them 1st for the second tank too.

This sweet little thing loves the fish we have....watches them often,and reports issues as she seems fit lol (often right too).

Having never kept an angel I'm asking what I think I know..They get to tall for a 10g right?
And asking for opinions for other population suggestions considering the target audience.

 

[rich311k]

Angel wont work in a ten. They will get to big. Biggest pretty fish I can think of is a dwarf gourami or a paradise fish.

 

[HannahJ]

Just so you know, I think you're a great parent to get your daughter fish. My parents got me an aquarium (or rather several through the years) when I was young, and I still remember playing with my fish as some of my favourite childhood memories (next to my dog, but dogs are different).

You might consider a betta, sometimes known as a Siamese Fighting Fish. A male betta is usually popular with kids, since they are a little hardier than other fish, don't have high aeration or filtration needs, and have some fun, stimulatable behavior (not to mention you can get one for less than $3 at the LFS). One of my favourite memories from childhood is putting a mirror up to the betta bowl and seeing Peaches (as my 6-year-old self named the poor guy) flare up and attack his reflection.

A betta is also easy enough to take care of you could even have your daughter partly or even mainly in charge of its care. Teaches responsibility and all that jazz. Something that's a viable option for a 10 gallon is to buy a see-through tank divider, divide the tank in half, and put a betta in each half. This lets you get two different coloured bettas (and they come in a lot of colours) and see how they interact with each other. Good times all around.

Good luck with whatever you get for your daughter!

 

[Zagz]

Kudos to you for getting your daughter a tank. I agree that angels won't work in that tank. You might consider a colorful schooling fish such as some tetras and some cory cats for the bottom. Cory cats are very entertaining.

 

[SCFatz]

Well...I figured as much...Thanks.

Thanks for the suggestions as well.....but have no doubt...this wee person will have some angels in this house at some point,have no doubt.

I mean how many tanks can I get before I add an angel freindly tank?lol

 

[JustOneMore20]

Just let the next tank be a 55g and she can have 3 angels...plus alot of other fish.

Seriously, you could let her go to the pet store or fish store and pick out her very own betta. You can also have a school of smaller fish in there also. I have 6 harlequin rasboras in my 10g. They are very pretty little fish.