# I don't know what to get!



## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

So I'm getting a 10 gallon for my betta and want to get him some friends - I'm thinking tetras perhaps? But honestly, I don't know. Is four tetras too few to have together? 

I want to get 4 fish of the same species. I know I could do more, but honestly, I want to keep the bioload small, so I'm acting on the "goldfish rule" of two gallons per inch of fish approximately. Pretty much, I just want a few extra fish, not a whole tank full. (Yeah I read the sticky about bioload and rules etc. I'm just giving a kind of parameter of what I'm looking for thanks).

Suggestions? And if anyone has information about their suggestions regarding bioload, food, etc. and/or pictures of their successful tanks with these fish, please feel free to let me know! Thanks


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

Get a snail or something. Maybe a few ghost shrimp


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

If you only want 4 fish, don't get tetra. They are schooling fish and will be very nippy if kept in groups of less than 6. Even having just 6 can cause problems. The more you can fit the better. If you just want four fish, get four female guppies. Be sure to catch any fry they drop so it won't go over your desired stocking level. You could also get a small school of corydoras. Four can work, but more would be better. I believe the benefits the corydoras would get from having more conspecifics around would outweigh the costs of a larger bioload. But before we suggest exact species, we're going to need to your local water parameters like GH, KH, and pH. 

Another idea is to divide your tank and put two bettas in it. It will have a very low bioload and you won't have to worry about which your fish your betta will get along with. 

And honestly, the "goldfish rule" doesn't work. A goldfish tank stocked with 2 inches of fish per gallon would be grossly overstocked. For this case, you can actually work with the 1 inch per gallon rule because you are dealing with inch-long fish. This means you could probably have about 7 fish in the tank (10 gal tanks don't actually hold 10 gallons).


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

Haha. If guppies are gonna have fry, they're out of the question! Are there any other fish you can think of? :/ Or is there a way to tell the difference between male/female guppies of any sort? And are "fancy guppies" bad to stick with bettas because of their bright colours and slightly larger fins? 

And I don't know the water parameters as of yet because I'm getting the 10G on saturday, and from there intending to cycle it, though I'm unsure of whether I'll do a fish less or fish in cycle :/ cause its hassles to get into town to buy fish later. 

I figured 4 would probably be too few...  I wish! It would be exactly what I want.

I don't want 7 though... that's a more than what I want. So 6 of whatever tops. Any more suggestions? 

I also don't like shrimp or snails... though I might get one snail for algae eating... but I still don't want it haha.

Honest, I haven't had a fish tank in years, other than my betta which I got 6 months ago, so I'm sorry if my questions seem sorta noobish.


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

Get a school of cories


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

I just googled pictures of them... do they always have that weird moustache thing goin on? :/ I don't think I like cories :$ No offence! aha.


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

What about Danios? They look ok... (I'm so picky! aha)
Plus with their stripes they might look nice... I'm planning to do a sort of "animal theme" in the tank.. I saw a giraffe print background in the "post pics of your tanks" thread that got me thinking, because I love animal print. So with a piece of driftwood or roots or a tree house and some plants and white substrate (sand vs gravel I haven't decided yet)...

EDIT: Plecos are algae eaters too aren't they? I don't particularly like them either, I think they're ugly lol, but I think I used to have one when I used to have a tank... 

Sorry if I seem really set on an aesthetic girly looking fish! aha  I want to give them chick names so Beau looks like a pimp ;D haha jk. But I do want more "cute" fish.

EDIT again: Maybe it was an otocinculus... I guess I'll have to get an algae eater of some sort though. I'll just pick based on who looks the most "animal" printed I suppose lol.

last EDIT: Uhh. So I actually just googled and this was the list I got that I'm googling pics of... 

Zebra danios, Lemon tetras, platies, corydoras catfish, most other peaceful tetras, plecostomus, ottocinclus, cherry barbs, neon tetras, most catfish, african dwarf frogs, snails, and black kuhli loaches.

Corydoras are out. Tetras are out cause they're nippy and you're suggesting I get a min of 6 or more. (I don't want nippy fish aha... I just want a max of 6 fish other than Beau... maybe 6 + an algae eater... that's 8 fish though D: ugh idk...) ... &Loaches are out, they look like snakes.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Danio need at least a 20 gal tank and groups of 6 or more (another schooling fish). There just aren't many fish that fit your wants. Almost all fish small enough to go in a tank of that size are schooling fish with requirements of 6 or more individuals. 

Pleco are a terrible choice. They have a very heavy bioload considering their size. Your tank isn't large enough for one. 

Personally, I think female guppies seem to fit what you want best. They are small enough to fit in your tank in the number that you want, and your betta shouldn't have an issue with them as they are more drab than the males. If you did go with fancy female guppies, there is a breed called cobra/leopard/snakeskin that kinda looks like animal print. The females will have tan bodies and colored tails. You could keep the females in a separate tank for a few months until you are sure they are done having babies. They can produce up to four clutches of young from one mating event (they store sperm). 










This is a pretty good picture a fancy female guppy. This specific female is not pregnant as you can see from the lack of dark spot near her vent.

EDIT: You really have no reason for an algae eater. They tend to be fish with rather heavy bioloads, and while they do remove algae from the tank, they don't actually make it cleaner. They will really make it dirtier because they are adding a lot of ammonia to the bioload. If you want a little help with algae, then get a single, small snail.


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

If you get them, betta's love fry


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

Thank you ! You're so helpful KoiMaiden  
My old tank was 20 gallons with gold fish and an algae eater and two snails but then when we moved it to my sisters place she somehow succeeded in killing everything and then sold the tank  idk what she did.

And I guess guppies aren't too bad... The females all have the shorter fins right? and the males the large ones? And what's the bare minimum I could have in the tank? 

&If I were to have simply 6 of whatever schooling fish, what would be the probable outcome? :/

EDIT: The guppies won't nip Beau will they? Just double checking.


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

xShainax said:


> If you get them, betta's love fry


Lmao! Free fish food eh? haha  I didn't know they'd EAT the fry!


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

My betta Lucifer LOVED eating fry that escaped the breeding trap


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

Lmao. I'll remember that in case one of my fish/guppies decides to lay eggs


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

They give birth to live young


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

Omg! News to me! You just have so many little tidbits of interesting info eh?


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

Lol. They are known as livebearers


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

Wow. I wonder how many babies they have at once? ... I'm so curious  lol


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

Oh another question!

The guppies seems like an okay idea, but as I read online, it says they nip fins :/ is this true of both genders, or just the males? In other words, will a female nip the long fins of my betta?

Also. Cherry Barbs. Are they ok? It says they're schooling fish and I'd need a minimum of 5 on wikipedia (ok, probs not the best source). But I could do 5 or 6 I suppose. And they're apparently peaceful... I could get all females. Is that ok? I just want female fish anyways. Comments on this? Thanks!


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

The males are more fin nippy than females  and I never tried with barbs


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

damn. that means females might still nip  I want to come as close as possible to eliminating that possibility. My poor betta has had his fair share of fin problems.

EDIT: A couple websites are suggesting 20G for cherry barbs.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Cherry barbs are a 20 gal fish. I'm sorry. Have you thought about looking around at second-hand stores for a larger tank like a 29 gal or 20 gal? It would really open your options for fish. 

I think it's just the males that can be nippy. I've heard some users have serious problems with male guppies. I think the females might be a bit more docile. I don't know for certain as I've never kept guppies.


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## SarahandOscar (Apr 30, 2012)

Peppermint Bristlenose's eat algae, fairly pretty (pleco like but cute colouring) and they don't need more than one as far as i know. they do like driftwood though. They grow to roughly 10cm?


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## Batmantha (May 27, 2012)

I know you said you weren't a fan of cories but you might not mind these guys, you mentioned animal themed
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+1163+1883&pcatid=1883
If I ever get a bigger fish tank I'll be getting some of these, they are fun to watch


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Batmantha said:


> I know you said you weren't a fan of cories but you might not mind these guys, you mentioned animal themed
> Tropical Fish for Freshwater Aquariums: Upside Down Catfish
> If I ever get a bigger fish tank I'll be getting some of these, they are fun to watch


They are really neat, but they need a tank larger than 10 gallons. Not many fish can happily fit in a 10 gal tank. I still think female guppies or a small school of cories is best.


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

I'm thinkin I'm gonna go with the female guppies. Thank you all for your help! 

I'm going to get 4 and name them after Disney princesses haha. But I'm gonma wait a while to decide who will get what name


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## DoberMom (Feb 3, 2012)

I keep a pair of guppies in my 29 gallon sorority tank for free fish food


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

Lmao, that's a good idea, but I don't think I'll be getting a male to make that possible


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## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

I've had a bad time with my male guppies and I wouldn't reccomend males with a betta. Females would be good, though as their fins are not as colourful.

One of my guppies died mysteriously. Another died of fish tuberculosis. Another I had to give back to the pet shop today as it was insanely aggressive (guppies being aggressive is almost unheard of, so don't worry). Another has recurring fin rot. And the last is normal. lol


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

Wow, you just have no end of guppy problems eh?  Hopefully I get some healthy ones! Any tips on how to make sure they're healthy when I pick them?

& Just double checking: Females should be fine then? Even if they are fancy females?


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## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

Just make sure that they are active, their fins are not clamped up, no white spots, and they are not behaving abnormally (things like aggression). 

You can tell it's a female if the small fin on it's belly area is the shape of a sea-shell, if it's in the shape of a sword, it's a male. And males are generally more colourful.


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## iElBeau (Feb 20, 2012)

Thanks Maisy


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## baileyellicott (May 13, 2012)

Id say a school of cories they are awesome and inexpensive. i wouldnt suggest tetras because they could hurt your fish or vice versa.


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## nicodimus22 (Jun 14, 2012)

thekoimaiden said:


> And honestly, the "goldfish rule" doesn't work. A goldfish tank stocked with 2 inches of fish per gallon would be grossly overstocked.


It's actually the other way around. The rule is 2 gallons of water per 1 inch of goldfish, not 2 inches of goldfish per gallon.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

nicodimus22 said:


> It's actually the other way around. The rule is 2 gallons of water per 1 inch of goldfish, not 2 inches of goldfish per gallon.


I mixed up my numbers. Even then it's not a reliable stocking method. Inches per gallon is never a good idea to use because fish grow in three dimensions not just one. And fish continuously grow throughout their lives. People who stock koi ponds with this method often end up culling fish at the end of the summer because the pond becomes overstocked.


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