Fish for 10gal?
 

So I have a 10gal tank that is empty. Ive been trying to find a comprehensive list of what I could put in there... but i cant find any online. Im not really into like small little..fish I kinda want a bad a$$ fish.. but i know i have LOTS of restrictions with a 10gal. Buying a bigger tank isn't an option right now (im moving in a year and i'll be getting a 55gal then) but for NOW i need to splurge in my fish cravings!! So Any suggestions for me?? :)

Thank you!
Jam

Edit: Oh and no Betta's please. Im already into those! :D

I know they are a smaller fish but rumy nose tetras are great looking fish.

Here are some others:
Sparkling Gourami
Endlers
Pygmy Cory Cats
Pygmy Hatchetfish
Platys
Mollies
African Dwarf Frogs
Cherry Barbs
Rosboras
Some Killifish

Before I can personally recommend any fish...do you know the water's pH that you will be using? Will the tank be heated? Do you plan on live plants?

If water parameters are as needed for the following (each is different), maybe a blue ram? African Dwarf frog (s)? Glass Catfish? Or maybe a solo lobster (the ones that only get to like 5 inches)? Or a vampire crab (partially aquatic)?

I was thinking blue ram.. or killie although I don't think of killi being bad Azz they are very pretty.. I guess that's not what your going for though... or maybe some bidas bidas...

Thanks guys! Oh Cassandra and Lacasolinas I recognize you both from the betta forum :) Hi again! (names ariel19 over there)

My Ph is 7.0-7.5 and everything else 0. It is heated and filtered. I was thinking of switching substrate from gravel to sand but I have no idea how much work thatd be.. I also have fake plants but I was thinking of possibly switching to live IF i do the sand thing.

No nitrates yet? How long has it been cycling, or have you yet to set it up?

If you are going to switch substrate, I'd do it before getting fish in there, and with a 10 gal it isnt too big of a hassle, but if its cycled, you might consider only doing half at a time over the course of a couple of weeks so that you dont remove too much beneficial bacteria that may be in the gravel.

If you do heavily live planted (especially stem) you could probably add fish pretty soon. What cycling menthod did you or are you using? Live plants arent hard to up keep. Just dont put a fish that will eat them or uproot them, in a 10 gal a regular hood will provide enough light for standard pet store plants. And a simple plant food from API or something weekly is more than enough.

If you do a heavily planted 10 gal, and its fully cycled...a neat fish is the dwarf puffer (2 maybe 3 could go in a 10 gal)...dont know how you feel on live food though, and they need small snails (i hear pond snails are softer shelled and easier for dwarf puffers to eat). Or in a heavily planted tank a nice dwarf gourami or 2 (either m/f pair, or f/f).

That pH is a bit too high for a blue ram to be happy and healthy, so I would scratch that off the list.

Have you considered some of the more vividly colored and wild patterns of some of the newer strains of male guppies available?

Or doing a tank with nothing but dwarf loaches? Or maybe pygmy hatchetfish, dwarf cory, and a school of neon tetra or similar small non-threatening shoal in the middle?

Thats just off the top of my head, and havent confirmed the pH of the fish mentioned, however at a pH of 7 there is a lot of options, if it is 7.5 though, you lose a lot of those options.

.5 doesn't throw off a fish that much if they like a pH of 7. Of 6.5 it does but .5 isn't HUGE.

A .5 pH difference and be a major deal for fish, especially the more sensitive fish.

Most fish has specific pHs they do best in and can only tolerate a small window of parameters. For instance, a fish that needs a 6.5-7.0 pH would not be able to be housed in a 7.5 healthy and happy. Just like a fish that needs 7.5-8.0 pH wouldnt do well in a 7.0 pH.

The chemistry part of fish keeping is a major part of a happy, healthy, and long-living aqauarium. The incorrect pH can cut life span significantly, cause poor health, weakened immune systems, and death. With some fish, that .5 can make all the difference. In my opinion you can push the limits with .1-.2, but I wouldnt want to do anything more than that with any fish that has specific requirements that arent wide ranged.

My tank has been cycling for about 3 weeks now. I had originally planned to add a betta in there but ive changed my mind. I was thinking maybe dwarf gourami? or a sand or shell chichild?

The dwarf gourami would look nice, and a 10 gal is fine for one. They do like a well planted tank, so if you go with one make sure there are enough plants (fake or real, it doesnt matter which to the fish). Stay awake from any active tankmates or nippy tankmates. I forget exact water parameters needs, but I wonder if neon tetra are compatable in way of temp and pH and such. You can compare their profiles here and see if their needs overlap.

I dont think any cichlids, even the dwarfs should be in a 10 gal except maybe a single blue ram with a small shoaling fish like cardinal tetra (due to high temp and low pH).