i want to get a small 10gal tank for my little cousin. she likes colorful and active fish, what do you think a good choice would be for a 10? i would like to have more than one fish and they would have to be in there for life so they should be pretty small. i was thinking some gouramis. what d0 you guys think?
Dwarf Gourami
- Thread starter Nicksplosion
- Start date
You could get a wide variety of tetras. You can even get ones that glow in the dark and stuff. Some neon tetras would be good in there. They are very colorful, very small, and easy to keep.
Ooooooooohhhh you two - you sound so sensible! I love it!!! 
The most important thing when buying fish for children (believe me, I have learned) is to try very hard not to buy fish that will DIE - either because they are "fragile" or because they will eat each other. Not like monster fish, but in a nippy way. Kids hate to see fish floating because their tails got chomped off.
Rule #1: it's either all barbs or no barbs (see the tail chomping part)
Rule #2: Avoid "fancy" fish (goldfish and guppies) and in general stick to fish that are hard to tell apart from one another (you'll figure out why when the first one dies).
Rule #3: Kids don't ever want to return or give away a fish (why I had those darn giant danios for so long) - so NO PLECO - EVER!!!
Dwarf Gouramis would probably work...
I like the idea of the tetras - I would get all the same kind because they prefer to school. If you don't like neons or head & tail-light, you might consider skirt tetras or rummy-nose tetras, about 6 of any one species. Please don't overcrowd and remember that if you are gifting a tank to a child, you will probably also end up maintaining it. Bonus - they can be fed just flakes.
It's a very nice idea. My 9-year old is quite a fishkeeper. Beware of letting the child make the choice unless you are prepared to say "no" a LOT and deal with some disappointment.
The most important thing when buying fish for children (believe me, I have learned) is to try very hard not to buy fish that will DIE - either because they are "fragile" or because they will eat each other. Not like monster fish, but in a nippy way. Kids hate to see fish floating because their tails got chomped off.
Rule #1: it's either all barbs or no barbs (see the tail chomping part)
Rule #2: Avoid "fancy" fish (goldfish and guppies) and in general stick to fish that are hard to tell apart from one another (you'll figure out why when the first one dies).
Rule #3: Kids don't ever want to return or give away a fish (why I had those darn giant danios for so long) - so NO PLECO - EVER!!!
Dwarf Gouramis would probably work...
I like the idea of the tetras - I would get all the same kind because they prefer to school. If you don't like neons or head & tail-light, you might consider skirt tetras or rummy-nose tetras, about 6 of any one species. Please don't overcrowd and remember that if you are gifting a tank to a child, you will probably also end up maintaining it. Bonus - they can be fed just flakes.
It's a very nice idea. My 9-year old is quite a fishkeeper. Beware of letting the child make the choice unless you are prepared to say "no" a LOT and deal with some disappointment.
Get the largest school of neon tetras or cardinals you can comfortably fit in there! 
A dwarf gourami would be great... but its kinda hard to hide to your kids that it died... by getting a shoal of identical fish the kids will get attached to "the shoal" more than individual fishies, so if "Lucy" or "Simba" dies they might not notice (specially if ya replace them before they notice some are missing )... and if they do they will be less sad than if it was the only fish!
A dwarf gourami would be great... but its kinda hard to hide to your kids that it died... by getting a shoal of identical fish the kids will get attached to "the shoal" more than individual fishies, so if "Lucy" or "Simba" dies they might not notice (specially if ya replace them before they notice some are missing )... and if they do they will be less sad than if it was the only fish! yea im not gunna get a 3 year old a monster fish, just something to enjoy.
would a small school of tiger barbs be ok? they seem fairly active and they also look nice in a school.
and don't worry i will be there with her mom to help care for them.
would a small school of tiger barbs be ok? they seem fairly active and they also look nice in a school.
and don't worry i will be there with her mom to help care for them.
Tiger barbs grow to 2.5 inches and prefer plenty of space. No can do. Simply stick with four sparkling gouramis/one dwarf gourami and 10 ember tetras.
Albel;1941536; said:Get the largest school of neon tetras or cardinals you can comfortably fit in there!
Yeah, and losing one of a pair, or "the special one" can be devastating!
Don't know if you can easily get ember tetras, they're not the most common.... you want something that can be replaced at a moment's notice if necessary.
thanks for all the advice guys
im gunna head to my local fish store and see what kinda tetras they have tomorrow.
im gunna head to my local fish store and see what kinda tetras they have tomorrow.
I have 2 Male Drawf Gourami's and they fight each day. At first only the blue one would fight the red one, however now they both fight with each other. I wouldn't put more than 3 or maybe 4 in a 10G. In my 10 gallon my girlfriend has some guppys a danio and a tetra.
