My employer reccomends I get a fish tank

[Suki Wingy]

And I have to agree with her.
What fish like a planted tank, probably a ten gallon, and relatively easy to transport back home? Another betta with a heater this time? A goldfish? How many cichlids can comfortably fit in 10 gallons?

[lute]

A fish tank. Good idea. A goldfish or two would be ok in a ten gallon tank i think. They take stress relatively well. Goldfish can get BIG though so you would have to be careful they don't outgrow their tank.

[Vela]

I wouldn't go the goldfish route. They are "dirty" fish and eat and poop a lot and foul their water very quickly. You can get Danios, Tiger Barbs, Even a Red Tailed Shark or like you said, the Ciclids. Maybe 4 of 5 ciclids to start in a 10 gallon and see how they go? I really wouldnt go goldfish though, they will strip the tank of the plants quickly, so there wouldn't be a lot of good in having a planted tank. They never stop eating and outgrow tanks quickly.

[Christmas_Hamster]

A 10 gallon is too small for most of the fish you are considering. Chichlids are aggressive and need lots of room, goldfish need room to grow and be messy, a community tank is hard to fit into such a small tank. Honestly if you want some of these fish you will need a 30 or 55 gallon aquarium. A betta will be very happy in a 10 gallon, 5 guppies or platies, 10 small schooling fish like neon tetras. If you work hard on water changes then you can over stock a little. Maybe some live bearers, a small group of schoolling fish and some kind of bottom feeders.

[king2005]

A 10 gallon is too small for most of the fish you are considering. Chichlids are aggressive and need lots of room, goldfish need room to grow and be messy, a community tank is hard to fit into such a small tank. Honestly if you want some of these fish you will need a 30 or 55 gallon aquarium. A betta will be very happy in a 10 gallon, 5 guppies or platies, 10 small schooling fish like neon tetras. If you work hard on water changes then you can over stock a little. Maybe some live bearers, a small group of schoolling fish and some kind of bottom feeders.

Good advice!

I vote on Cardinal Tetras. They look like a Neon but get a hair larger (I believe) & have all red bellies. I have 13 of these little guys, they school very well! Right now only 3 are in the 90gal as the Black Skirts turned them into fast moving snacks when I bought 8 :( I have been looking fo rmore for months & finally found them, so I bough 10 & put them in my 30gal to grow larger. No more moving snacks :p

Do NOT get any kind of Pleco. If you want a sucker fish, a Chinese Algie Eater "might" be ok. They get to about 4-5inches long. Having more then 1 can turn into a never ending fighting match. They can be very aggressive, so 1 as a loner is best.

OR you can get several African Dwarf Frogs. They are soooo cute! And get some larger sized Flower/Rock Shrimp or large Glass Shrimp. This setup is very entertaining as the frogs are cute as heck when feeding & so are the shrimp. They'll all scurry to where the food is & will swim all silly like as they catch food hehehe Flower/Rock Shrimp are known as fan hands.. if you see claws, keep away! they'll eat fish! Glass Shrimp have "claws", but they are really just food collectors & spiffyback scratchers, not claws :)

[Christmas_Hamster]

Cardinals are Neons are both fine fish but don't mix them as they require different care. ADF's (African Dwarf Frogs) are a good idea. They aren't fish but they are cute. Just make sure to research whatever fish you decide on getting. ;)

[BitsyNaceyDog]

My friend had a 10 gallon with a betta when she lived in a dorm. (Are you headed to a dorm?) She kept a smaller plastic "tank" with a lid for when she came home for holidays. Then the only time she had to truck the 10 gallon home was when she was home for the summer.

[king2005]

Cardinals are Neons are both fine fish but don't mix them as they require different care.

I'm assuming the above is a typo, but just incase :)
Also this gives more info on both fish.


Neon and Cardinal Tetras are similar in appearance, and are often confused with each other. However there is one very easily identifiable difference. In the Cardinal Tetra the red stripe on the lower half of the body extends the full length of the fish from the eye area to the tail. In the Neon Tetra the red stripe only begins at mid-body, roughly below the dorsal fin, and extends to the tail.

Neon Tetras
Neon Tetras have been in the aquarium trade the longest, and are usually the least expensive of the two species. They are also a bit smaller than Cardinal Tetras, and rarely reach an adult size of more than one inch. They do best in soft acidic water with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 and a hardness level of 5 to 10 dGH. Neons are schooling fish, and should always be kept in groups of five or more.

Cardinal Tetras
Cardinal Tetras have surpassed Neons and are highly in demand in the aquarium trade. As a result, they are often priced a little higher than their smaller and less brilliant cousins. Although they prefer soft acidic water as the Neons do, they are more demanding, preferring a pH below 6 and a hardness level below 5 dGH. Adult Cardinals will reach a length of nearly two inches. Like Neons they are best kept in schools of five or more.

Both the Cardinal and Neon Tetras are very sensitive to overall water quality, pH and hardness. For that reason they should not be introduced to a newly set up aquarium, where changes in water parameters are inherent during the break-in period. To ensure success, wait until the aquarium has been well established and the proper water chemistry is in place before investing in these attractive but sensitive fish.

You can see the picture of both fish here + where I got the info
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/fishqa/f/neoncardinal.htm

[Christmas_Hamster]

Yes a major typo, sorry. I meant and not are. Sorry >.<

[king2005]

Yes a major typo, sorry. I meant and not are. Sorry >.<

hehehe no worries, I do it far too often myself :)
& its usually at the worst of times too! hehe :D

[Suki Wingy]

Thanks for the advice! I don't know if I'll get a tank because I'm moving into the spare bedroom in her house instead of her apartment.

[king2005]

Thanks for the advice! I don't know if I'll get a tank because I'm moving into the spare bedroom in her house instead of her apartment.

Have you thought of a Beta?
You can get a 5gal plastic tank with a little light, filter, heater, & rocks. Plastic plants can rip their fins & real plants can carry an infestation of snails, so make sure to wash the real plant well.

Not sure, but you might be able to put a Dwarf Frog or a Shrimp in with the Beta, but ask others first as I don't know if its a good mix or not. My 3 Betas live in a 90gal tank with many other fish & everyone gets along just fine.. but I have no shrimp or frogs in that tank

[Suki Wingy]

I have thought of getting another betta, but I'm only staying here until the end of the summer and then my plans are to move out of the country so I don't want to have to deal with finding a new home for any fish I have.