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hi all im new here i have a 20gallon tank and a ten gallon tank i just set up i was told by my local pet store that i can put 6 neon tetras,a pair of platys and a pair of swordtails in my 10 gallon tank for a nice set up is this true and do you have any suggestions for fresh water fish in my 10gallon tank and how many..

6 or so tetras, and a few platies/swordtails would probably be okay in a 10 gallon. Just make sure your platies and/or swordtails are all males, or you'll have way too many fry in no time.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

That arrangement pushes the tank to the limit, so make sure you have have plenty of filtration and keep an eye on parameters if you do that.
Also, platies and swordtails can interbreed, so keep that in mind.

A simple question with a not so simple answer.

Your problem here is that many of the popular fishes, and the fishes that form the 'bread and butter' of the fish trade, have issues associated with them that make their maintenance in a 10 US gallon aquarium problematic.

Virtually all Tetras, Rasboras, Barbs etc., are shoaling fishes. Which means that you need a group of at least 6 individuals to keep them happy. Consequently, if you put 6 Neons in a 10 gallon, you've precious little room for anything else, apart from, say, 2 or 3 Otocinclus dwarf sucker catfishes. Even then, that setup will need water changes fairly frequently to keep the fishes healthy.

One of the aspects of the fish trade that is a never ending source of annoyance to me is the propensity of certain dealers (I won't mention names, but you know who you are ... ) to sell small 10-gallon setups and then supply fishes that should, by rights, be in a 15 or larger. The minimum viable size of aquarium for full-time maintenance of a reasonable community of fishes should be 24" x 12" x 12" - that's a 15-gallon setup in the US. With that size of aquarium, you have a bigger volume of water, and therefore, more chance of catching a water quality problem and nipping it in the bud before issues become serious or even critical. It IS possible to keep quite a few fish species in a 10 gallon setup, but this should be the province of the experienced aquarist who knows about such matters as the nitrogen cycle, the need for regular water changes, the detailed water chemistry needs of the species in question, and whether or not the adult size of the fishes will make rehousing an issue at some future point. Most experienced aquarists either reserve the dreaded 10 gallon for use as a hospital tank, or reserve it for use as a species aquarium with certain specialised fishes (Killifishes come to mind here) that are kept as one male to two or three females for breeding purposes. Expecting a 10 gallon setup to hold a busy-looking community of multiple species is the fishkeeping version of the Road To Hell - disasters a-plenty await inexperienced newcomers who buy the dreaded 'all-in-one' 10 gallon kits and then try and set up something that looks like a miniature version of the show aquarium in the store, forgetting of course that the show aquarium is probably a 55 gallon or larger!

So, if you're looking for fishes that will go in a 10 gallon, you will be looking at:

[1] Dwarf species whose adult size is no bigger than 4cm;

[2] Sedentary fishes;

[3] Hardy species;

[4] Specialist choices.

Under [1], you have the likes of the Ember Tetra, which is one fish that WILL live in a small group in a 10 gallon without too much trouble, but how many times do you see those on sale? Pygmy Rasboras are another good choice, because they're tiny, as are Mosquito Fishes, Heterandria formosa. However, in this latter case, the Mosquito Fish is a livebearer, and will breed quite happily, females giving birth to nice litters of fry that will in time turn the 10 gallon aquarium into the Black Hole Of Calcutta because of serious overcrowding. If you're not prepared to deal with this, then avoid this species.

Under [2], you have the likes of Otocinclus - not strictly sedentary, but by the same token Otocinlcus are not hyperactive darters that zoom about the aquarium. These fishes, however, have other issues attached to them, principally revolving around whatever abuse they've suffered at the wholesalers or further down the sales chain, which makes them a problematic choice for newcomers. With this fish, as with antiques, provenance is everything - only buy them if you KNOW for certain that they're looked after well at the dealers, and they're being fed algae and appropriate dietary supplements before being sold on.

Under [3], you have the likes of White Clouds, which are bomb proof little fishes, and very attractive into the bargain. However, they're also pretty active, and strictly speaking a 10 gallon is a tad cramped for them. They CAN be kept in a 10 gallon, but it takes a certain degree of skill that isn't required if you keep them in a larger setup.

Under [4], you have Killifishes, which are usually thought of as specialist fishes for the experienced aquarist, but several of these (such as Lamp Eyes, Poropanchax species) are adaptable and also fall under [1] as dwarf fishes. Why these aren't offered for sale more frequently goodness only knows, because some of them are drop dead gorgeous, and they're small enough to live in a 10G. Another speciality choice is shell dwelling Cichlids from Lake Tanganyika, and you'll find LOTS of advice from keepers of these delightful fishes if that's a route you decide to choose. Shellies, as they're known colloquially, are tiny by the usual standards of Cichlids, but have their own maintennce quirks that need to be observed carefully - hard, alkaline water and plenty of shells for them to live in being two critically important ones!

To give you an extreme example of what to avoid at all costs, if ever you see cute little 2 inch Red Tailed Catfishes on sale, do NOT touch them with a 60 foot barge pole. The reason? When these fishes are adult, their heads are bigger than a 10 gallon aquarium. These things are food fishes in Brazil, and a big one can feed a family of eight for two weeks!



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Oh bother! welcome to fish profiles, first off. I'm not a fan of 10 gallon tanks at all, or anything smaller even though I do have a 10 and a 5. The reason is that with a moderate to heavy bio load (the one your lfs suggested is pretty much overstock for a 10) a very rigorous and extremely adhered to maintenance schedule is required. Please remember that the smaller the body of water the more difficult it is to maintain. Water parameters will spike very easily in the smaller tanks, and that may cause diseases for your fish. For a ten I would suggest a male betta and a few ottos. You may get about 6 neons, a few ottos or the platys and swordtails. Neons are NOT the hardiest of species tho, and probably won't survive a cycling tank so should only be put in after the tank is well established.
I'd steer clear of livebearers simply because with just two female mollies I soon wound up with about 30.
Nothing wrong with a school of harlies and a pair of ottos. Good luck with your tanks and welcome to FP
p.s. Wasn't trying to scare you, a small, full tank just requires more water changes and gravel vacuuming. With the stocking you were told I'd change about 3 gallons twice a week.

5 guppies will be good to start off with.

That's what I have in my 10 gallon

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10g tanks are great little tanks for keeping one species of fish. They just don't have the swimming room or the height to keep several species. To put in a proper neon tetra school swordtails and platys won't fit and both those livebearers are questionable additions to a 10g anyway when you consider potential adult size. I like using mine for sparkling gouramis, shrimp only tanks, or for breeding smaller fish such as blue rams or smaller. Guppies are possible but I would only do all males since even 1 guppy female can overstock a 10g with her first batch of fry. Not many places take livebearer fry so you either have to keep buying more tanks or find something to feed them to.

If you want a community tank with several species I'd look into at least a 20g especially a 20 long. These make much better beginners tanks and could hold 2 or 3 species of small fish as well as giving plenty of room for a school of smaller tetras to swim back and forth. A taller tank like a standard 20 or a 29 would work if you want a bottom feeder like cories or a small pleco and then a top swimming species.