The Ideal Ten Gallon Tank

The Ideal Ten Gallon Tank
Now, you ask someone why your fish keep dying. I have been asked this numerous times. I ask: "What kind of fish did you have, and how big was your tank?" I always get the same response. Well, the tank wasn't very big and I just had goldfish. My response would be: "That's why they died".

Goldfish are not something to put in a small tank that is less than at least thirty gallons. I raised goldfish in my forty-five gallon tank for a few years, and had some success. This was before I moved to tropical fish. I had several tanks and ended up having the same thing happening. If I had goldfish in a smaller tank, they would be much more likely to die. Feeder goldfish would be the same. I stocked up a ten gallon tank with about eight feeder fish that I got for about a dollar, and they were dead in a week.

Some of the best fish to get for a ten gallon tank are tropical freshwater fish. The smaller fish live best in this size of  tank. Live bearing fish are a great fish to put in a small tank. Swordtails are successful in a small tank like this, and even a large. Most live bearing fish range from three to four dollars. They can last a long time, and are pretty hardy. Swordtails, along with platies, mollies, and guppies, are a great species to put into a tank. These fish are likely to breed, after a period of time. Black skirt tetras are another excellent fish to put into a small tank like this. The can live along time and are very docile to other fish. These guys range from about two to three dollars, and they are well worth it. Bleeding heart tetras are another great fish. They are another common fish that is about the same price as the black skirts. Sometimes you can get away with a couple of cichlids in a tank this size. Usually only you can only have about two. Just make sure that they are small, and are ONLY with other cichlids. Convict cichlids are a good choice. These can live a long time. Buy the cheap ones, and do some experimenting. Everyone has different experiences with certain types of fish.

What Not to Get-

Many of these fish need a large amount of water, or outgrow the tank quickly. Fish such as tinfoil barbs and tiger barbs would not be a good fish to choose. Tinfoil barbs start out small, as any other fish would, but they grow to about ten inches long, and this could take place quickly. Tinfoils will can also become the dominant fish of the tank very easily, since they can get so large. They can get aggressive and they won't have enough room to establish their own territory. Tiger barbs are another example of what not to get. These guys love to chew up the fins of other fish. The results of that are stress, fin infections, and then death of the attacked fish is likely after a period of time. Bala sharks are also not a great choice. These get large, as well. There are many things of what not to get, so check with your pet store to find some information.