My daughter's birthday is Saturday and she wants her own fish. We have a 10 gallon tank already and plan to buy everything else we need. And of course we plan on cycling the tank before putting any fish in. But what I would like help with is what kind of fish can you put in there. I was thinking of only putting in 3-4 fish in. But I know some are schooling fish and need to have 6 more of them together. My daughter has her eye on mollies, gourami's, angelfish, tetra's and barbs. What can you tell me about those? Also I would like to see a couple of those ghost shrimps in there. But can she have 3-4 fish and those in there as well. Are any of these compatible. Any other suggestions would be very helpful.

Thanks in advance, Jenn

10 gallons are a great size for kids to start out on. I had a 10 gallon gowing up and we currently have a 55 gallon and a 28 gallon.

Mollies - community fish. If you get male & female, they will probably have at least 1 set of babies (they are live greeders)

Gourami's - I would not put these in a 10 gallon tank because they can get pretty big (3" or so). Even though a lot of store have them listed as community fish, they can be aggressive. They may also try to eat the ghost shrimp.

Angelfish - I wouldn't put these in a 10 gallon either. Their fins get much too long and they do need a lot of room to swim around. They are also a sem-iagressive fish and will eat smaller fish. They will eat the ghost shrimp.

Tetra - what kind of tetra the good ole blue and green striped one? If so, you can throw 4 of those in a tank with 2 mollies and a few shrimp and that should be fine

Barbs - I have never owned barbs, but I am pretty sure they are an aggressive fish.

What you want to shoot for - since you have the ghost shrimp - a few fish that will swim at the top of the tank (like the mollies) and a few that will swim at the middle of the tank (like the neon tetras). Since she like the mollies I would get a pair (just make sure there is adequate enough plant life for babies) and 4 neon tetras. The tank will be lively but no over stuffed.

A ten gallon tank is a good starter size, but gets dirty more quickly than a larger tank. I think the rule of thumb is 1" of fish per gallon of water. I am not familiar with ghost shrimp and what they are compatible with. I had a pair of beta fish when I was a child, and they actually bred and produced babies. It was very interesting to watch, but you actually need to remove the female once the eggs are laid. We laid a piece of Saran wrap over one half of the tank, and the male would blow bubbles until there was a layer about an inch thick. During this time the female's belly would get swollen with eggs. Then the male would wrap around the female so that she would lay her eggs. He would fertilize the eggs, catch them into his mouth, and then spit them into the bubble nest. After the female is done laying her eggs, she is removed as she would eat the eggs. After that the male tends to them, watching to see if any fall. He catches them and spits them back into the bubbles, until they hatch. Now I did this at least 39 years ago, so I am a bit sketchy on whether he eats during this time. After this the male is removed as well, and the babies are fed fresh hatched shrimp that are almost invisible to the eye. I had a little shrimp hatcher thing that I just added shrimp eggs to. I bet that is where sea monkeys come from as they look like that.
I have had several aquariums since, but they were much larger. Again I found the larger the tank the easier to keep clean. I had cichlids which are probably the most colorful of freshwater fish, and are quite hardy. They are quite aggressive, need larger tanks and are more expensive.

A ten gallon isn't a lot of work if you have the right set up. You will need to do monthly water changes (which you should do any tank) and change the filer monthly, but if you have an external filter - like the biowheels - they arenot a lot of work. My son & I both had 5 gallon biowheel filtered tanks and they were less work then our 55 gallon was at the time.

Be sure the tank has a lid on at all times as the ghost shrimp can jump out of a tank. I would say that tetras, mollies, platies, guppies etc... can go in the same tank together. We had mollies, tetras, ghostshrimp, and platies in the same tank and they got along together very well. Angelfish and barbs are very aggressive though, even to their own kind, and it can be quite shocking to see one kill the other. I hope your daughter enjoys her fish and has a wonderful birthday!

I had tropical fish for 35 yrs. as a hobby. Guppys,Zebra fish,Neons ,Mollies,Platies,and Swordfish all get along fine. Thats what I had. You will get lot's of babies though. You will need a tank to put them in when thier born or they will get eaten up by the adult fish. I had lots of things for them to hide under in a 25 gallon tank. I had a 20 gallon for the babies. Buy one or 2 of the small catfish that clean the bottem of the tank-that will help keep it clean. The under gravel filter works best. If you only have a 10 gallon tank only put 10 fish in it or so . 1 fish for every gallon is a good rule. If you don't want babies get 2 Angle fish. They will get along but don't put them with other fish. When I did this they killed a lot of my fish. The Kissing Gouramis(White Ones)are my favorite. You could get 2 of these. They are quite large at fulll size and a coulple of cat-fish. They actually do kiss to get oxygen from each other. They lived for 8 yrs. or so when I had them. I hope this helps you.Also you should clean it out every 2 months or so and remember to age your water 24 hrs. and put the clorine remover in it they will tell you at the pet store how to do it.

I would cycle the tank with 3 zebra danios or with a product called Bio-Spira (adds live bacteria to the tank to speed up the cycling process). Be sure to take things very slowly with such a small tank. The smaller the tank, the less room there is for error. Never add more than about 2 fish at a time, wait a few weeks and then add a few more until the tank is stocked. Everything done slowly. Have you tank water tested regularly - especially at the beginning before adding any fish. Angels will get too large and will get aggressive in such a small tank. Barbs are also fairly aggressive and will be nothing but trouble in a small tank. Gouramis can be testy in a 10gal and most get too large. Stick with the dwarf varieties if you are set on having them. Tetras, mollies, platys, guppies, ect should all live peacefully together. Ghost shrimp will live fine with them too and will help clean up extra bits of food on the gravel too. Disregard the feeding instructions on the fish food bottles - they will have you feeding several times a day.. This is pollute your tank. Especially at the beginning, feed once every other day no more than what they will consume in about 30 seconds. This is always difficult for children, since feeding is the only true interaction with the fish. After the first 6-8 weeks, get on a water change schedule of about a 10-15% water removal every month. Always use a water conditioner when ever tap water is added (after changes and when refilling for evaporation).

Great info guys, thanks. Now I know where to start.

I don't have to have the ghost shrimp, I think they are kinda cool and I figured we needed a bottom feeder. Do we have to have a pair of mollies or could we have just one? I don't think we are ready to deal with babies just yet. Also I've been reading where you have to have at least 6 tetras, since they like to school.

All of the live bearers can be sexed, so you can have more than one that won't mate. Look into cory cats (corydoras). They stay small and make a good bottom dweller. No plecos and no chinese algae eaters in a 10 gal. Three tetras of one variety should be fine.

Okay here's my next question. Now this will not happen, but my husband wants to know if you can use lake water in place of cycling? He's just curious to know what you say. And please believe that he is the one wanting to know this not me. I have told him that he is being stupid but he wants to know anyway.

I would be worried about contaminating the tank with excess algae, microbes, and parasites that would affect the tank in the long run.

I agree, NO lake water...it can bring in disease that could kill your fish in a heart beat...

I've had tanks off and on most of my life and just recently took down my last 55 gal tank to make room for more birds. I started out with goldfish and graduated to guppies and that was long before they had all the fancy equipment they have now for filteration and what not. If you spend the money now and get an undergravel filter and a good pump you'll be much happier and it will be much easier to keep your tank running effeciently. They have back filters as well that pump or syphon water from the tank into a holding recepticle in the back through a filter and back into the tank that also helps. But the undergravel filters work as a bio filter and its very similar to a lake bottom or a stream bed. But you will need to get it cycled and what not before you put a lot of fish in there. As the others have said.

Your biggest worries will be ammonia levels and nitrate levels. Chlorine is really not a problem if you allow the water you use in your tank to set for 24 hours before you put it in the tank but I still use the conditioner just to help keep the other chemicals balanced. Ammonia will be your first problem and it is produced from fish waste. The more fish you have the more ammonia is given off and without the benefit of the benefical bacteria it can be deadly. Nitrate levels usually come from over feeding and something that you might try to remember, its far better to underfeed than to over feed. A fish can live without food for up to 7 days.

I think you've been given some good advise about starter fish. zebra danio's do well in groups of 3 or more they're an upper level fish, Tetras (neon or cardinal) do well in 3 or 4 and up, they are mid tank fish,
Mollies and Swordtails and Platys, guppies do well as pairs or more and a pair doesn't have to be male and female it can be two females, Two males may end up fighting for territory... I've always had two or 3 females for every male in the live bearer groups because other wise the male will chase the female constantly. Of those mentioned, I usually start out my tanks with Mollies because they can handle a broader range of conditions than the others... Many many people with salt water tanks will start out with Mollies as well because in actuality they are a brackish water (slightly salty) fish but do well in fresh water. Of those also mentioned they are mid level fish. Some of the other bottom dwellers are catfish and the cory cats are really fun, I like the albino's a lot. There are many different kinds of coryadoris catfish and I wouldn't worry about getting them until your tank is balanced as they can starve to death if the nutrients aren't there. Something that is also kind of fun to watch though they do hide a lot is a kooli loach they are great bottom dwellers and also help to keep the tank clean by eating the dead matter at the bottom.

I think if it were me starting my tank up again, I'd get 3 Mollies to start with...that's it. Just 2 females and a male. Don't worry about the babies...if their are any...chances are very few would survive as the parents would end up feeding off of them...I know...sad but true...survival of the fittest...leave them in there by themselves till your sure the tank has balanced. A couple weeks and after a couple of partial water changes. Then you can slowly start adding one or two fish at a time. The 1 inch of fish per gallon of water is a good strategy... That doesn't mean 1 fish per gallon, its one INCH of fish so if you have big mollies some of them can get to be 2 inches long with 3 of them that big, that's 6 inches of fish that would mean you could have 4 more inches of fish. so like 3 or 4 neon tetras or fancy guppies. One way to tell that your tank is becoming very close to being balanced is that your mollies will start reproducing and that means the conditions are right.

I have a tendency to like a slightly over crowded tank but I make sure that the water movement ratio that regulates the oxygen levels in the tank is pretty high so that there is good enough oxygen to support them all. It also means that you have to be more diligent about water changes especially in a smaller tank.

Hope that helps...