How many fish for 10 gallon aquarium?

[Digabad]

Hi! I have a 10 gallon fresh water aquarium. How many fish would be appropriate for this size of aquarium? Is there a rule to know what is a right amount of fish per gallon?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Kromlech54]

It depends on what kind of fish you would like to keep. a general rule is for every 1 inch of fish there should be 1 gallon of water but I think you can slightly go a little over that ratio and be safe as long as all the fish you keep are not in the same area of the tank all the time.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

:Welcome: to AA! We hope ya enjoy

 

[imtcurveball]

Nothing over 3 or 4 inches

 

[jhawk__]

Typical stock for a 10 gallon would be

1 centerpiece fish (EX. Dwarf gourami)
1 small school of 5 fish (EX. Neon tetras)
Small cleaner crew (EX. A few nerite snails and maybe a few Pygmy Cory's)

 

[emerald76]

It depends on what kind of fish you would like to keep. a general rule is for every 1 inch of fish there should be 1 gallon of water but I think you can slightly go a little over that ratio and be safe as long as all the fish you keep are not in the same area of the tank all the time.

1 inch per gal is utter junk. Are ten one inch common plecos a good stock for a ten gallon? No.


For your tank, I would do the following-
2 male guppies
4 panda Cories
1 honey gourami

 

[jhawk__]

1 inch per gal is utter junk. Are ten one inch common plecos a good stock for a ten gallon? No.

For your tank, I would do the following-
2 male guppies
4 panda Cories
1 honey gourami

+1 to this ^^

That would work

Maybe add a 1-2 nerite snails also for algae

 

[Coursair]

I have a group of 5 Celestial Pearl Danios
3 Corydoras Habrosus ( a couple more soon )
1 Scarlet Badis
Lots of Cherry Shrimp
Lots of plants

All have small bioloads and with lots of plants and weekly PWCs I have a very stable tank.

My fish are harder to find at most stores, but worth it.

 

[librarygirl]

1 inch per gal is utter junk. Are ten one inch common plecos a good stock for a ten gallon? No.


For your tank, I would do the following-
2 male guppies
4 panda Cories
1 honey gourami

I wouldn't do pandas in a 10; they are too active. There's some debate about corys in a small tank at all due to their activity level and some of their adult sizes. You could do pygmy corys in a 10, but that's it, and they can be hard to find.

There's no set rule on how many fish can go into a tank. You need to account for the fish's activity level, bioload, adult size, etc. Neon tetras are small but active and they'd feel too cramped in a 10.

For a 10 gal you're somewhat limited but still have some options, such as:
--a single betta (or you can get a divider and put one betta on each side provided that they can't see each other through the divider) OR
--3-4 guppies OR
-- 2-3 platy OR
--a group of 6-8 nano fish like ember tetra, celestial pearl danio or chili rasbora

There are some other options but those come to mind first. You might want to visit some local fish stores, write down names of fish you like and research them and ask here. Also is this your first tank? If so you might want to read up on cycling first: Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

 

[Alex ski]

Maybe

1Flaming gourami
5 rummy nose tetras
And 2 otctosinclas catfish

 

[Dutchz]

Also include a few shrimp and items like that to be the cleaner crew. I really like ghost shrimp.

 

[Alex ski]

Also include a few shrimp and items like that to be the cleaner crew. I really like ghost shrimp.

I agree

 

[Fishperson]

Like librarygirl mentioned, nano fish are pretty awesome for a 10 gallon, although they can be hard to find. Do you know about cycling tanks yet? If not you have a LOT of work to do before even thinking about fish. Also, what kind of filter do you have? Are there any fish that you like in particular? We need to know all of that before we can help!
to aquarium advice, feel free to ask us anything and everything!

 

[siva]

to AA!

Befofre setting up an aquarium, it's important you understand the nitrogen cycle and how to cycle your tank to make it safe for fish. Doing so is the number one key to running a healthy aquarium. Here are some helpful links:
The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice


There are some options out there for a 10 gal tank, but know that the majority of fish you see in the average pet store are not good candidates for a tank this size. In general, you want fish that do not exceed 2" and have an appropriate activity level.

Nano fish are perfect for smaller tanks like this, but may not be available to you if you are not able to shop online, depending on your local selection. Some nanos to keep an eye out for are chili rasbora, celestial pearl danios/galaxy rasboras, ember tetras, pygmy or dwarf cories (pygmaeus and habrosus cories), sparkling gourami, and scarlet badis.

Of the common easy to find fish, the ones that come to mind at the moment for a 10 gal are guppies, platties, pork chop rasbora, neon tetra, and marble hatchets. Take a look at these and see if you're interested in any of them. Take note of any others that you like as well, and then ask here about them. Once you know exactly what you want, you can start looking at the specific numbers of them you should stock. It's impossible to say how many fish should be stocked w/o knowing the specific species you would like.

 

[Fishperson]

to AA!

Befofre setting up an aquarium, it's important you understand the nitrogen cycle and how to cycle your tank to make it safe for fish. Doing so is the number one key to running a healthy aquarium. Here are some helpful links:
The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice


There are some options out there for a 10 gal tank, but know that the majority of fish you see in the average pet store are not good candidates for a tank this size. In general, you want fish that do not exceed 2" and have an appropriate activity level.

Nano fish are perfect for smaller tanks like this, but may not be available to you if you are not able to shop online, depending on your local selection. Some nanos to keep an eye out for are chili rasbora, celestial pearl danios/galaxy rasboras, ember tetras, pygmy or dwarf cories (pygmaeus and habrosus cories), sparkling gourami, and scarlet badis.

Of the common easy to find fish, the ones that come to mind at the moment for a 10 gal are guppies, platties, pork chop rasbora, neon tetra, and marble hatchets. Take a look at these and see if you're interested in any of them. Take note of any others that you like as well, and then ask here about them. Once you know exactly what you want, you can start looking at the specific numbers of them you should stock. It's impossible to say how many fish should be stocked w/o knowing the specific species you would like.

+1 to this! I definitely agree! Also, what is your filter type? We definitely need to know that first too. I recommend going on aquabid.com if you can't find certain fish. aquabid is a really good way to buy fish (and inverts!) online, often for good prices.

 

[Digabad]

Thanks so much everybody for all your advice!

Many asked what filter i have:

I have a Marina Slim Filter s15, its a three cartridges filter, 2 bio-carb and 1 bio-clear cartridges, both containing Ceramite, used for aquariums for up to 15 gallons.