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I am setting up a new 10gal for my Daughter. This is her first tank. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on what type of fish to get. I want something she will enjoy but won't dirty up the tank too quickly. This will be the 2nd tank in our home.

A 10g tank will still require a minium weekly maintenance regardless of what you place in the tank.
If you want to keep it simple stick to one species and not breeding live bearers but she could have M guppies. If you have plenty of live plants I would suggest 10-15 Cardinal tetras with a few Ottos or Khuli loaches.

My link has photos of my one and only 10g Betta tank.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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I wholheartedly agree with Keith, weekly maintenance will be required and I would even up that to bi weekly. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the 10g tank, but the water parameters can spike very easily in even a moderately stocked ten. Mine homes a beautiful male betta, and a nice trio of ottos. Even lightly stocked as it is, it still needs weekly water changes and gravel vacuums.
My recommendation would be a light to moderate stock of a hardy species, like half a dozen harlies and a few kuhlies or ottos. Be sure to do research and make sure they won't outgrow such a small tank and that they will be compatable. Good luck, keep us posted and we're here iffin ya have any more questions.

Thanks for the advice.

Hi there,
Id recommend heavily planted,
with a group of 6 neons and a group
of 6 lemon tetras.
Or, 6 small schooling fish,
and a group of 5-6 small cory cats.
You will need to do 35% water change once
weekly.


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ye i agree with So_Very_Sneaky

Get some neons they are easy and hard. They would look great in a planted tank.

If u dont want a fish to keep the place clean then shrimps are a good option. I must say i do fine my self sitting down and watching them and they make for a good change besides fish

I will suggest 6 Harlequin rasboras and a male betta. That is what lives in my 10g and it works well. Your daughter can pick out her own betta, which she would probably love to do. And the Harlies are just pretty fish and quite hardy I have found.

*Kristin*

Easy recipe for a fun and low maintenance plant tank.

Collect rocks and driftwood bits from a local stream.
Clean (old toothbrush works great), then boil. Let the wood bits soak in clean water afterward until it sinks. Tie java moss and java ferns to them using dark thread or fishing line. Add a fast growing plant such as Guppy Grass which will not shed leaves all over the tank, and have the added benefit of absorbing some nitrates from the water.

Get a type of loach that will stay small (not Clown Loaches). Loaches are very forgiving to a new fishkeeper and kids love em. 4 to 6 is ideal.

Add an applesnail, many colors are avail now. There is your cleaner

It's great that you're introducing your daughter to this fun hobby. She will learn alot

The Amazon Nut...

OK. Back from the fish store.
Got 5 orange flame tetras and 3 panda coreys.
they look good together.

Collect rocks and driftwood bits from a local stream.

Please think very carefully if you are even considering this. Too many streams these days are contaminaterd. Also unless you know exactly where the wood come from (and I am not talking about out of the stream) I am refereing was the tree ever sprayed with chemicals etc. Not all rocks are suitable for fish tanks either.

Buy from your local LFS to be on the safe side.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
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D-Diddy Wrote:
OK. Back from the fish store.
Got 5 orange flame tetras and 3 panda coreys.
they look good together.

Just remember, cory cats are schooling
fish. I would add 2 more.

Did you cycle the tank before putting the
fish in it?


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If I add 2 more Coreys would this over load the tank? 10 fish?

Cycle.
yeah, I let it cycle for a month. and I exchanged water between my existing tank and this new one. Thought this would help the new one get kick started. Hope that was OK.

Well, hopefully you dont mean cycled
as in just letting it sit empty.
Water from an old tank wont really cycle
a tank, you need a source of bacteria,
gravel or filter media.
Did you use pure ammonia to cycle the tank?
The only real way to tell if it is cycled
is to check readings on Ammonia, NitrItes,
and NitrAtes.
No 2 more cory cats will not overload the tank,
however, you did add a huge number of fish.
Dont be surprised if you get a large ammonia spike
and lose some/all of them.
You should add fish slowly, a few at a time to avoid
this.
Corys should be kept in groups of 5-6 minimum,
their mental wellbeing requires it.
I believe Orange Flame tetras are actually
Glowlight tetras, and if so, they only grow to
about 1.5 inches.
Any chance of a picture?

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My LFS guy started me with 3 Zebra Danios in a 10gal. to help it cycle, then after it cycled he gave me 4 more. I only lost one in the first month. Danios are great starter fish and I have heard on more than one occasion they are a good fish to help cycle the tank due to their hardiness. My kids especially liked them because of their playfullness with each other, constant movement and limitless energy. I hope your Tetras and Corys work out but if they perrish due to a possible ammonia spike as So_Very_Sneaky alluded to, consider the Danios.



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