gibber

Hi. We'd like to get some new fish for our fully cycled 10 gallon tank. Currently it's got 2 corydoras who spend most of their day hiding, much to the disappointment of our kids. We'd like to get some fish that are more active during the day but are not sure what to get. We've had platies before, but would like to try something different. Would love to hear your suggestions.

Shawnie

Hi gibber..how about some cardinal tetras or glofish? both are super active with some great colors...you could have 4-5 of one or the other
glofish.jpg

tetras.jpg

Time

I would get tetras and guppies.

iloveengl

We have Danios (zebra and glo) and they never stop moving; they dive in and out of the decor and the chase each other and play in the bubbles. They're great for kids (...and cats). Male Fancy guppies are also very pretty and outgoing. This may sound odd, but a gold mystery snail would be a fun one. They are CONSTANTLY on the move, they're pretty, your kids can watch their little mouths suck invisible algae off the sides of the tank, plants, decor, gravel, slow moving fish.... I bet they would also love a dwarf african frog; they're hardy little guys and SUPER cute!

Edit: I just realized that I pretty much described my own tank. I guess my suggestions are a tad biased.

ATKINSON

What about adding another corycat to the other 2 because they prefer to be in small groups.

Shawnie

in my past experiences, 10 gals is not enough for guppies...if you get all males, they tend to rip at eachothers tails and goodness knows a female in a 10 gal, will be hundreds of fems in no time...maybe others have had sucess with them in 10 gals, but I believe they need more room unless its only 1 male and other species of fish

Time

uhhg i didn't know that. thanks!

Shawnie

not saying it wont work, just speaking from my own who had to go into a 30 gal as a 10 made them fight too much

gibber

Thanks for the suggestions. We were originally planning to add another cory, but the two we have have lost their barbels (we're not sure why) so we don't want that to happen to another one.

So are glofish actually a type of danio then? I don't believe I've ever seen them at the local stores - are they commonly available? Sounds like guppies aren't great, but maybe 4-5 danios or cardinal tetras - are they okay in that small a group? I'll check out the snail too - sounds fun!

iloveengl

I have 3 male guppies who are the best of buddies and they get along great with the others; I think sometimes you just get a fish with a bad personality, no matter the type. Yep, glofish are zebra danios whose great-great grandparents were genetically modified with jellyfish DNA (modification makes some people squeamish, so I just want to let you know ahead of time). Mystery snails

gibber

Also what about female bettas? Do they get along okay - is it just the males that are aggressive with other fish?

gibber

Thanks for clarifying about the glofish. I know what you mean about the bad personality - we've one particular white skirt tetra that is just plain nasty! Do the mystery snails go after plants because we have a couple of live plants in the tank?

Time

I will try adding one more. They have a bunch in a 10 gallon community where I bought them so I think it will be fine. I will return if things go bad. Thanks! I have a 10 gallon so I don't know what will happen.

iloveengl

Your plants are safe. Mystery snails will only eat your algae and other gross, "stuff"; for example, when my DAF doesn't finish his shrimp in a day or so, my snail goes straight for it and munches down, and the same with uneaten fish flakes. They do love fresh zucchini as snacks - cut up about a two inch slice and shove it part way under a rock; you'll find the snail mowing it down by morning. Come to think of it, I don't know why they won't eat the plants, but they do love the occasional zucchini slice.

gibber

Hmmm, so 2 cories, 4 danios (glofish or zebra - whatever we can get) and a mystery snail. Is that too much in a 10 gallon?

iloveengl

With gravel, decor, & plants, you're probably closer to 9 gallons. Is it possible to return your cories; they're shy fish and even with a min. of 3, they won't be as active as a group of danios. That would allow you to have 6 comfortable danios and provide all the pizazz the kids are looking for; the snail will do the work of both cories & it'll poo far less. If you can't return the cories, then your above count would be ok (def. at max, though). Smaller tanks just seem to be harder to stock - I'm sure others will weigh in with good ideas!

gibber

No, we wouldn't want to return the cories - although they hide a lot we've had them for some time and are attached to them. Are there any suitable fish that do okay singly or in pairs?

We just went out and got a mystery snail to start by the way - very exciting.

iloveengl

Hmmmm. How about a Dwarf African Frog? They grow less than 2 inches, they seem exotic, but you can find them at Walmart, and they're as easy to care for as your cories....
Of Course!!! Dwarf Gouramis (make certain they are the DWARF kind) are actually BEST kept singly, so that would be a great option for you - they get about 2 inches, the males are very pretty, and they get along well with other peaceful fish (also available at walmart and any LFS).

Okay, so the definite count is
2 cories ~ 5 inches
1 mystery snail ~ 1 inch
(and maybe...)
1 Dwarf Gourami ~ 2 inch
1 Dwarf African Frog ~ 1-2 inch

I know it's not a lot of actual fish, but it's an interesting variety and it should fit your tank well. Keep us updated on how the kids like the snail and how the tank turns out.

ATKINSON

I second the dwarf Gourami idea... I have a flame dwarf gourami and he is stunning.

Time

dwarf gouramis are amazing fish. I am thinking of just getting one more tank with a similar set up.

gibber

The fish store we went to yesterday had dwarf gourami, but they only sell them in pairs - a male and female. I assume that's not a problem as our fish book also says they do well in pairs. Are they very active fish? Thanks for your continued help with all my questions!

gibber

Still thinking.... if I can find single gouramis, what about a single male guppy and a single male gourami - will that work? That would mean 2 cories, mystery snail, single guppy and single gourami. Such a difficult choice!

iloveengl

Lol! It really is! Huh... I've never been to a store that sold them in pairs like that. Perhaps a male and a female will be okay but I've always understood that gouramis should be kept singly. If you can find just a male DG then he should do really well with a male fancy guppy; they're nice companion fish with non-aggressive types. That last list you made sounds great!

*Maybe one more guppy... I know my gups like swimming together, so on second-thought I wonder if your gup would be happier as a pair.