I was at one of the LFS's near my place the other day...and there was a couple who had just purchased a 10 gallon from the 
who runs the store...(a guy who has trouble helping me net a lone ghost knife in a bare tank) and I overheard him giving tips to the couple...keep in mind this is a ten gallon tank. He said to set the tank up and let it run for a day...then come back and get SIX, SIX juvenile yellow labs (the Malawi Cichlid) and if they don't die within three days then the woman can get more fish. He said this was so that beneficial bacteria from the fish's guts would colonise the water and "eat fish poo".
1. 6 Yellow Labs is overstocked for a 10gal, and he says she can add more fish soon.
2. He thinks water parameters will stabilize for them...
3. Our local tapwater isn't suitable for these fish...
The then went on to say that he thought that cherry shrimp would go well (no mention that they were going to be eaten) with the labs and that they had some 1.5" red bellied piranhas that arrived yesterday...the woman said she didn't like them so the guy pointed at some bettas. The woman said "How many can I have?" and the guys said "only one." Frowning, the woman turns to some rummynose tetras and the guy says that "these are from africa too, but the yellow labs might bite them".
The guy that runs this store once told me he's been keeping fish for 7 years... and he keeps the goldfish that are for sale with heaters...and with an oscar...I told him that oscars shouldn't be mixed with these goldfish and that the goldfish didn't need a heater. He explained that it was because the flowerhorn in the tank above was beating on it...so he put it with the goldfish.
(There were two flowerhorns in a 55gal above them separated by a divider. )
who runs the store...(a guy who has trouble helping me net a lone ghost knife in a bare tank) and I overheard him giving tips to the couple...keep in mind this is a ten gallon tank. He said to set the tank up and let it run for a day...then come back and get SIX, SIX juvenile yellow labs (the Malawi Cichlid) and if they don't die within three days then the woman can get more fish. He said this was so that beneficial bacteria from the fish's guts would colonise the water and "eat fish poo". 1. 6 Yellow Labs is overstocked for a 10gal, and he says she can add more fish soon.
2. He thinks water parameters will stabilize for them...
3. Our local tapwater isn't suitable for these fish...
The then went on to say that he thought that cherry shrimp would go well (no mention that they were going to be eaten) with the labs and that they had some 1.5" red bellied piranhas that arrived yesterday...the woman said she didn't like them so the guy pointed at some bettas. The woman said "How many can I have?" and the guys said "only one." Frowning, the woman turns to some rummynose tetras and the guy says that "these are from africa too, but the yellow labs might bite them".
The guy that runs this store once told me he's been keeping fish for 7 years... and he keeps the goldfish that are for sale with heaters...and with an oscar...I told him that oscars shouldn't be mixed with these goldfish and that the goldfish didn't need a heater. He explained that it was because the flowerhorn in the tank above was beating on it...so he put it with the goldfish.
(There were two flowerhorns in a 55gal above them separated by a divider. )
I listened to it too and ended up with 6 swordtails in a 10gallon critter keeper with only an airstone as my first tank 
and replaced by Petsmart 