Entertaining Fish help 10 gal tank

[Mommy Fish]

Ok so should be able to let my son pick out fish towards the end of the week. Other than Hornwart and I think it was called Nana and a bout a dozen tiny snails that I'm trying to control there is nothing living in the 10 gal tank. I am planning on letting him pick most of the fish with advice from the Fish store. I am wondering if I can get any advice of fish to avoid or that would be good to keep a two year old's attention. He loves the Koi looking gold fish every time we go in the store but I'm personally not a fan because they are SO messy, and I am the one who will be cleaning the tank.
Also I would like to have at least one algae eating/ scavenger type fish to help with cleaning. Am more than willing to supplement what is common in the tank with wafers or other feeding items to keep them/it from starving.

 

[thomasina]

Hi! First - You can have as many plants as you want as long as you leave the fish space to swim! There are not many fish that you should house in 10g. What kind of snails are they? Fancy tailed guppies are fun to watch because they come in various color and swim fast! But being a 10g tank and that you would like an algae eating fish too, I wouldn't go over board like maybe 5. There is an unspoken rule that you should get one inch of fish for every one gallon of water. So that leaves about 5-7 fish. Most fish are at least one inch. My algae eaters are Red fin otos. They stay small, are active and do a pretty good job! The more the merrier! I also have a few corys, they help clean up the bottom of the tank as in leftover food and such. Another alternative is a Betta fish. They are big and fancy with their flowing fins. You can only have one tho! They do fight even male and female! But you can have about 4 corys that are very funny, fast swimming fish and usually bettas don't care about them. Read about the fish before you make a decisions. Hope this helps!

 

[Mommy Fish]

Hi! First - You can have as many plants as you want as long as you leave the fish space to swim! There are not many fish that you should house in 10g. What kind of snails are they? Fancy tailed guppies are fun to watch because they come in various color and swim fast! But being a 10g tank and that you would like an algae eating fish too, I wouldn't go over board like maybe 5. There is an unspoken rule that you should get one inch of fish for every one gallon of water. So that leaves about 5-7 fish. Most fish are at least one inch. My algae eaters are Red fin otos. They stay small, are active and do a pretty good job! The more the merrier! I also have a few corys, they help clean up the bottom of the tank as in leftover food and such. Another alternative is a Betta fish. They are big and fancy with their flowing fins. You can only have one tho! They do fight even male and female! But you can have about 4 corys that are very funny, fast swimming fish and usually bettas don't care about them. Read about the fish before you make a decisions. Hope this helps!

I wish I knew what they were they look about like slugs but have a low shell. I saw the first a few days ago saw more this morning and when I put my son down for a nap I stopped and counted and saw about 20. So I'm not sure what to do about them now.
I will keep those fish in mind while my son is picking out his fish. And look them up before we go.

 

[Iodizedfate]

When I had my 10 gallon I had a betta and 5 neon tetras. That pretty much maxed out the tank.

I would go with some small tetras or barbs for sure.

You could also do a dwarf gourami with the small schooling fish.

While you are limited with the 10 gallon there is still a lot of cool things you can get. Just remember to do research for the fish you're looking at before you buy them.

Another fun thing you can get for a 10 gallon is shrimp. There are a lot of cool ones you can get once your tank has been established for a while.

The 10 gallon is too small for any type of goldfish. Fancy goldfish need at least 20 gallons for just one fish.

 

[Tetra1990]

Here is what I have in my 10g. 6 neon tetras, 3 Otto catfish, a # of shrimp and a few pond snails, getting rid of these. Guppies are fun, but they breed like rabbits! If you go with these, get 1m to 3f. Cory catfish are really active and aren't too suited for a 10g. If you maintain your tank regularly, an 'algae eater' isn't really needed. But if you insist on having one, look into apple snails. They cone in a number of shell patterns and are neat.

 

[Tetra1990]

I wish I knew what they were they look about like slugs but have a low shell. I saw the first a few days ago saw more this morning and when I put my son down for a nap I stopped and counted and saw about 20. So I'm not sure what to do about them now.
I will keep those fish in mind while my son is picking out his fish. And look them up before we go.

If you don't want the snails, try picking them out yourself.

 

[Mommy Fish]

Got his fish

Got my son his fish and he was glued to the Angel fish they had some small ones in so we took on 1 Angel fish knowing that with in a year we would have to get a larger tank within a year. We also got 3 neon Tetras, 1 Dalmation Molly and 3 Male Platies. So now I'm looking into how much going up to a 20 gal tank by Christmas is going to cost us, and hope that the Angel fish grows slowly.

 

[Oceangirl]

I believe that is a few too many fish, mollies and platys also need 20 gallon minimum, if you mean upgrade your angel will need an upgrade in 3 months!They need 55 gallon tank! They get as large as a mans hand with fingers spreador the size or a large dinner plate! I would return the angel,mollies, and platys. when angels are young they are very susceptible to disease and die easily. With that kind of bioload, you'd have to change the water everyday! Neons are an angels favorite snack too, not to have him look in the tank and watch your angel gobble a neon tetra! I had 6 platys in a 29 and 6 cories and was maxed out. Did you cycle you tank before adding fish?

http://www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?AquTankName=&AquListBoxTank=10g&AquTankLength=20&AquTankDepth=10&AquTankHeight=12&FormSubmit=Update&AquListBoxFilter=Top+Fin+Power+Filter+10&AquTextFilterRate=10+&AquListBoxFilter2=Choose&AquTextFilterRate2=N%2FA+&AquFilterString=&AquListBoxChooser=Platy+%28Xiphophorus+maculatus%29&AquTextBoxQuantity=&AquTextBoxRemoveQuantity=&AlreadySelected=200909300009%3A1%3A%3A%2C200909300131%3A1%3A%3A%2C200909300164%3A3%3A%3A&FilterMode=Display+all+species&AqTempUnit=C&AqVolUnit=gUS&AqLengthUnit=inch&AqSortType=cname&FilterQuantity=2&AqJuvMode=&AqSpeciesWindowSize=short&AqSearchMode=simple

here is a link to your fish stats, with given info and fish info. You'd be changing the water twice a week, 30%. Plus the poop!

http://www.aqadvisor.com/

This is a very helpful guide. You'll also see the poop, on the sand in the filter, every where. Also, with those poop machines it might start to smell.

 

[Tetra1990]

Got my son his fish and he was glued to the Angel fish they had some small ones in so we took on 1 Angel fish knowing that with in a year we would have to get a larger tank within a year. We also got 3 neon Tetras, 1 Dalmation Molly and 3 Male Platies. So now I'm looking into how much going up to a 20 gal tank by Christmas is going to cost us, and hope that the Angel fish grows slowly.

Yeah, not to be mean, but that little 10 gallon is way overstocked. And once your angel gets big enough, your neons may be eaten. If your looking to upgrade soon look on craigslist for a 55. They are IMO, a good 'starter' tank if you want a big one.

 

[Mommy Fish]

Yeah, not to be mean, but that little 10 gallon is way overstocked. And once your angel gets big enough, your neons may be eaten. If your looking to upgrade soon look on craigslist for a 55. They are IMO, a good 'starter' tank if you want a big one.

Craigslist is a good place to look thank you. Unfortunately I don't think our Angle is going to make it. Woke up this morning and he was stuck to the filter, a fin was caught in it. His favorite place to hang out was in a plant that at the top floats near the filter, not sure how long he was stuck before we found him.
All the fish are 1 inch or smaller at the time but I will be looking for a larger tank to get them.

 

[Tetra1990]

Craigslist is a good place to look thank you. Unfortunately I don't think our Angle is going to make it. Woke up this morning and he was stuck to the filter, a fin was caught in it. His favorite place to hang out was in a plant that at the top floats near the filter, not sure how long he was stuck before we found him.
All the fish are 1 inch or smaller at the time but I will be looking for a larger tank to get them.

I'm sorry about that. If you decide on a 55, you can have a beautiful tank.

 

[MurderComplication]

Get some sponge to put over the filter intake with an elastic. That's what I did for my small angels. They're beautiful, love those freaking blood worms like chocolate. The best you would be able to do is a 20Gallon high for just the angel. Neon's have such a low bio load that I just ignore them in the calculations. I never had a problem with angels eating neons until I added 10 new neons into my 55G tank and slowly the new ones on picked up so we're down to the original 5 and a 6th. I'm trying it again since Neon's are beautiful - but I'm getting a 20G long for my Betta and shrimps and adding neons in there till they get big enough. A 30G is the minimum for an angel - but a 55G is just so pretty! I have three angels in my 55, a wild zebra, a platinum, and a platinum koi.

 

[librarygirl]

Got my son his fish and he was glued to the Angel fish they had some small ones in so we took on 1 Angel fish knowing that with in a year we would have to get a larger tank within a year. We also got 3 neon Tetras, 1 Dalmation Molly and 3 Male Platies. So now I'm looking into how much going up to a 20 gal tank by Christmas is going to cost us, and hope that the Angel fish grows slowly.

So this is a new uncycled tank, correct? Unfortunately as others have said the tank is overstocked; the angel would do better in a minimum of 30 gals. The platys and mollys have a high bioload (messy). The tetras, though small, are active and a 10 gal doesn't provide much swimming room for them. Also since the tank probably isn't cycled you'll have ammonia issues very soon if not already. These guides should help:
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice
Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

 

[Mommy Fish]

So this is a new uncycled tank, correct? Unfortunately as others have said the tank is overstocked; the angel would do better in a minimum of 30 gals. The platys and mollys have a high bioload (messy). The tetras, though small, are active and a 10 gal doesn't provide much swimming room for them. Also since the tank probably isn't cycled you'll have ammonia issues very soon if not already. These guides should help:
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice
Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

No I cycled the tank before we got fish. Unfortunately the angel died due to getting a fin caught in the filter intake. There's a 48 hr guarantee on him but where he died from basically getting a fin torn up badly I'm not going to hold the store to their policy.

 

[Zimmanski]

Most fish aside from tiny fry can out swim a filters intake unless the filter is way over powered or the fish is already sick. IMO you probably added way too many fish at one time to an undersized tank. Have you checked your water parameters since the death? And yes, even if the angel had survived it wouldn't be a year before needing a new tank, all of my angels have reached coke can size within about 6 month of the purchase date.

 

[Teakwood]

No I cycled the tank before we got fish. Unfortunately the angel died due to getting a fin caught in the filter intake. There's a 48 hr guarantee on him but where he died from basically getting a fin torn up badly I'm not going to hold the store to their policy.

Depending in how tiny the angel is, it was probably sick and weak and that's why it got stuck in the filter. Absolutely hold them to that policy! If you used an ammonia source to cycle the tank and didn't just let it run for a week like big box fish stores tell you then it is very possible that you did nothing wrong.