Best Fish For 10 Gallon Aquarium

If you want to setup an aquarium in your home but you don’t want a large one to care for or spend the money on, then considering a smaller, 10 gallon tank is highly recommended for you. Ironically, the smaller the fish tank is, the more difficult it is to take care of the tank as well as the fish inside of it. But if it’s done properly, then the extra time and effort is completely worth it.

Smaller 10 gallon aquarium tanks have the ability to make your room look beautiful, and they’re neat to have in your home. They can store a large amount of plants, rocks, other decorations as well as a wide variety of specific types of fish in such a small compact space. Because of that, you should consider purchasing a 10 gallon aquarium for your home.

But choosing the specific types of fish species to place into the small tank can be a difficult task, especially if you’re a beginner to the fishkeeping industry. Because of that, this complete guide for choosing the right fish for a 10 gallon aquarium may be beneficial for you. I’ve put together helpful information that you can consider before purchasing any fish to go in your compact fish tank, and I’ve even included three of the best fish on the market for 10 gallon aquariums.

Benefits of 10 Gallon Aquarium Tanks

Compact

Since 10 gallon tanks are usually small and compact, they have the ability to fit into smaller spaces throughout your house. You also don’t have to purchase a large aquarium stand when you have only a 10 gallon tank, since it’s small enough to fit on stands that you likely have throughout your house already. Since they barely tank up any space, you also have more freedom when choosing where you want to place the fish tank.

Less noisy

Larger aquariums have a larger amount of water that needs to be filtered in an adequate amount of time. Because of that, the filter is likely noisy, preventing you from being able to place larger aquariums in quiet places like your bedroom or your office. On the other hand, smaller aquariums only have a small amount of water in them.

More specifically, 10 gallons tanks have such a small amount of water that the filter doesn’t have to filter the water nearly as fast as large tanks are required to. Given that, you can effectively place your 10 gallon tank in your bedroom, office, or your living room.

Cheaper

Even though they require more maintenance than larger tanks because of the difficulty in maintaining the balance of elements in the water, 10 gallon tanks require smaller sized equipment, less water, and they use less material to produce the tank itself. Because of that, 10 gallon tanks and other smaller tanks are likely a large amount cheaper than larger aquariums for large, expensive fish (1).

Things to Consider Before Purchasing 10 Gallon Aquarium

Cost

Since fish for a 10 gallon aquarium are smaller in nature, the fish themselves may not be expensive to purchase. But the cost of maintenance may differ according to each fish species. Because of that, it’s important that you consider what the cost of the fish is as well as the cost of their maintenance and care will be.

Space of a 10 gallon aquarium

Before you purchase fish for your aquarium, it’s important that you consider where you’ll place it. You don’t want to place the aquarium near a heating or cooling vent, and you’ll also want to refrain from placing it near a window where it’ll likely experience direct sunlight. You should pay close attention to the type of fish that you have and place the 10 gallon tank accordingly.

Maintenance

Different fish require different types of treatments, so you should make sure that you’re aware of the depth of maintenance that each fish will require if you purchase them. You should especially pay attention to your fish tank if you’re planning on purchasing various different types of fish species, since you’ll have to accommodate for each of the particular species themselves.

Don’t overfeed

Many beginners to the fishkeeping industry aren’t aware of the negative implications that can occur if you overfeed the fish in your tank. When you feed your fish, only feed them the amount that they’re going to consume. And if there is any fish food leftover in the tank afterwards, you should remove it. Leaving fish food in their tank won’t encourage them to eat it, since fish don’t typically over eat when they’re full.

Because of that, leaving the leftover food in the tank will cause water pollution and create poor water conditions for your aquatic friends, which can ultimately lead to them attracting an illness if not taken care of (2).

Best Fish for 10 Gallon Aquarium

1. Happy Betta Splendens Siamese Male Fighting Fish

You should consider purchasing this betta aquarium fish because it’s one of the easiest tropical fish to maintain. They have the ability to either stay on their own or live quietly with other types of fish, but you should refrain from putting this male betta fish with other male bettas of its kind, since they are known to fight each other for dominance.

In addition to that, betta fish are highly recommended for your 10 gallon aquarium because they have the ability to make your aquarium look beautiful, since they have large fins that are able to flow nicely in the water. Bettas also come in a variety of different colors, so you can add multiple different colors to your tank.

Furthermore, male bettas are more recommended than female bettas because they have the ability to come in more colors than females. Not only that, but females don’t have fins as large and as beautiful as the male bettas.

Caring for Bettas:

Betta fish don’t like to eat plants, so you should purchase betta food that’s able to provide them with the nutrition that they need to grow healthy and strong. More specifically, feed your bettas up to two pellets of betta food per day, and you can even give them treats up to once a week. In addition to that, you should only clean up to 25% of the tank’s water every few weeks to a month (3).

Pros:

• Compatible with various types of fish species besides other male bettas
• Affordable
• Easy to maintain

Cons:

• Only ships with one betta fish

2. WorldwideTropicals Live Freshwater Aquarium Fish

You’re recommended to purchase this assorted arrangement of male guppies because they’re able to supply various different colors for your aquarium tank. This shipment of aquarium fish comes with an assorted arraignment of five different guppies that each have a different color. Because of that, they’re able to provide your 10 gallon aquarium tank with a wide range of colors to brighten up your home decor in the room that you decide to place them in.

Furthermore, guppies are recommended for your 10 gallon tank because they’re classified as a peaceful fish species. They aren’t territorial and they don’t fight with other fish over dominance. They’re also classified as omnivores, so they’re easy to care for. And they are capable of living for up to two years, so you can experience the benefits of having guppies for a long period of time.

Guppies are also available in a wide range of colors, including strains of red, blue, and green. They’re even known as the “rainbow fish” in the fishkeeping industry, since they come available in such a wide range of color options. More specifically, they’re usually only represented in a vivid and bright color, rather than a duller and more natural color. This will help your 10 gallon aquarium tank look even more beautiful with bright-colored fish swimming throughout.

Caring for Guppies:

Guppies are active fish, so you shouldn’t keep too many plants or other decorations in the tank that you place them in. Because of that, you should also refrain from overcrowding the fish tank that you have guppies in, since they will typically need space for swimming around. They typically require a tank that has a water pH of between 7.0 to 7.2, and you should have adequate filtration for your tank, since they’re smaller and are known to produce a larger amount of waste.

In addition to that, you have lenience when choosing what to feed your guppies, since they’re omnivores and can consume either plants or animal matter. They aren’t even picky eaters, so you can simply throw general guppy food into the water of the tank and they will likely consume all of it (4).

Pros:

• Comes with 5 guppies
• Affordable
• Easy to maintain and care for

Cons:

• Only ship fish on Mondays, so you’ll have to wait if you order it during the week

3. Aquarium Plants Discounts 4 Black Neon Tetra Freshwater Fish

These tetras from Aquarium Plants Discounts are highly recommended for you because they’re classified as a peaceful fish. Since they’re peaceful, you have the ability to place them into an aquarium with practically any other peaceful fish and they will get along. Tetras aren’t known to be territorial, nor do they fight with other fish for dominance. Not only that, but tetras aren’t even known to eat certain aquarium plants, unlike a large amount of other freshwater fish.

In addition to those benefits, tetras from Aquarium Plants Discounts are shipped in an insulated box that’s treated with high quality care, so you don’t have to worry about your aquarium fish dying before you even get to place it into the tank water. There tetras are also recommended for you to consider purchasing because they’re easy to maintain, since they’re not picky eaters and they can withstand various different water conditions without getting sick, attracting an illness, or dying.

Caring for Tetras:

In order to best care for your tetras, you should keep the water in your fish tank at a pH level of between 6.8 and 7.8, so you have a large window to maintain. You should also keep multiple tetras together when you have them in a fish tank, since they do best when they’re kept in schools. When they’re alone or alienated from other tetras, they may become stressed easily.

Furthermore, tetras are omnivorous fish, so they’re able to consume a wide variety of fish food, including tropical flakes, granules, or even pellets. They can even eat frozen and live foods for treats, but you should limit their treat consumption to no more than twice a week. Even though tetras are a peaceful fish that can be kept in community fish tanks, you’re recommended to only keep them in tanks that have fish similar in size to them, since they’re smaller than most other fish and can get eaten easily (5).

Pros:

• Comes with 4 tetra fish
• Affordable
• Peaceful and easy to maintain

Cons:

• Smaller than most fish, so you should refrain from housing them with fish too large for interaction with them

Conclusion

Overall, each of the aquarium fish included in this list have the ability to offer you a wide range of benefits, such as the ability to be easily cared for while requiring minimal treatment and care. Not only that, but each of the fish included on this list is affordable and can make your 10 gallon aquarium look beautiful. They all have beautiful colors that go well with practically any decorations that you may have in the tank.

This list contains the best fish for 10 gallon aquarium, but it can still be difficult to choose the best fish out of all three of them included. Because of that, you are most recommended to purchase product #2: WorldwideTropicals Live Freshwater Aquarium Fish. These fish are easy to maintain, affordable, and have the ability to interact well with various other fish species. Given that, you should consider purchasing WorldwideTropicals Live Freshwater Aquarium Fish on the market for your 10 gallon aquarium.