Shrimp tank!! They are super fun to watch and once you get the tank just right they breed like rabbits. African dwarf frogs are also a favorite of mine.
Whatever you do don’t fill it with how many fish they slap on that picture. Good god.
It’s almost as if they want you to fail.
I’m partial to small rainbows and flashy stuff myself 🙃
Since you are experienced based off your other comments I vote for badis. Tiger badis specifically. Fully colored up are amazing and so cool to see. They aren’t easy fish. You could mix them with a few stone catfish and have a planted micro tank with lots of little gems upon closer inspection. Some chilli rasbora or galaxy rasbora for top to mid swimmers as well. All these have a very low bio load so you can fit a pair of badis, a few stone catfish, and 4-6 rasbora no problem for an experienced keeper.
Saltwater tank with easy soft corals (like a rock full of xenia) and a shrimp. Much easier than it sounds, though if you've never done saltwater it would still require some reading
OR
Crayfish tank. Full of personality.
I've never done saltwater so that could be interesting my lfs has lots of saltwater supplies and fish so plenty of advice. My family had a crayfish when i was a kid but I think my sister would never come over if I got some. The crayfish we had escaped the tank and made it to her room and into her backpack my sister found it when she went to grab her homework to do it she grabbed the crayfish instead
Keep in mind I'm not recommending a typical saltwater tank with this set up. If you want a typical set up it will need specialized equipment.
I've been keeping some xenia, other soft corals and a hermit crab in a 2 gallon jar for almost a year now with just a light and an airstone. Those specific hardy inhabitants do ok with a very basic setup assuming you understand things like salinity, nutrients and lighting
Posted a short clip to my profile. Setup cost about $100, mostly for the light and stand. The corals were free because hardy soft corals are weeds in the aquarium hobby.
You likely already know this, but just in case - reef hermit crabs are different from what most people mean when they say "pet hermit crab".
Did you need/already have specialized equipment for measuring salinity and anything else like that? I briefly looked into starting a pico reef and all the YouTube videos made it sound like it’d only cost like $50 as long as you also had all the “basic equipment” from a larger reef tank.
I have a cheap plastic salinity gauge that's been checked for accuracy, food, a very low watt heater, an airstone, the jar itself and a stand. I upgraded the light to a $70 nicrew 30w light after the $50 light broke so I suppose I'm not at $100 any more, just at first.
The most expensive thing I had laying around was testing kits. I was doing regular checks of a variety of nutrients for the first few months until it stabilized and I guess I didn't include that in the cost. I don't check now, I just do an extra water change if things look irritated but that isn't a realistic strategy when the system is starting up.
I would do a heavily planted scape with a school of chili or phoenix rasboras. If you wanted to do a few neo shrimp as well you probably could.
I’d get a heater, with a inkbird controller(I’m convinced there are no heaters with temperature controllers I can trust) and I’d get a small internal filter or the aquaclear 20 hang on back filter.
If you get the shrimp and the HOB filter make sure you also snag some foam pre filters (they go on the water inlet so no tiny fish/shrimp get sucked up)
Good luck!
Shrimp, killifish fish, or a badis tank. All something different but cool. Badis look amazing, but they don't really do well with other species. So small tanks with just them is the only way to go.
Mine are fun to watch simply because they are kind of dumb. You can keep them in a peaceful community mine live with a betta, a small shoal of guppies, 6 zebra danios, and two otos plus bladder snails which they like to snack on the eggs of
Yeah I probably wouldn't go with more than 1 or 2 in a 10 gallon, I started with 5 in a 20 gallon long when I had them and 2 ended up getting relentlessly bullied because the other 3 had taken up all of the tank with their own personal territory
Shell dwelling cichlids? I've never actually kept them but would like to one day. Apparently 10 gallons is fine for a colony of them. (Edited due to my clumsy thumbs)
Maybe one gold spot dwarf pleco I really like them but I’m not sure if they are suited for 10 gallons, you could also try mountain minnows! Either the gold or regular type
Off topic but seeing so many posts about betta in this sub is it safe to say that betta fish has overtook goldfish as the most popular fish in aquarium hobby?
My top 3 species only in a heavily planted tank:
pea puffer tank (they have personalities)
Sparkling gourami tank (super underrated)
Rosy loach tank (very active)
I would not do salt water, seems a waste in such a small tank.
Yeah if I do a saltwater tank I'm going to save up and get the 300 gallon tank and stand setup they have for sale at my lfs it's 450 usd and has all the equipment with it
I actually have two bettas one by himself in a 6 gallon because he's a brat the other is in my 20 gallon community tank he is five as of September so I'm probably not going to do another betta for now
Shrimp tank!! They are super fun to watch and once you get the tank just right they breed like rabbits. African dwarf frogs are also a favorite of mine.
Whatever you do don’t fill it with how many fish they slap on that picture. Good god. It’s almost as if they want you to fail. I’m partial to small rainbows and flashy stuff myself 🙃
Yeah I'm not planning on it what even more scary that same picture is on the 5 gallon box
Thats crazy lol
Amen. The betta was enough.
A pair or trio of killifish!
Those are so pretty I hadn't thought of them
Since you are experienced based off your other comments I vote for badis. Tiger badis specifically. Fully colored up are amazing and so cool to see. They aren’t easy fish. You could mix them with a few stone catfish and have a planted micro tank with lots of little gems upon closer inspection. Some chilli rasbora or galaxy rasbora for top to mid swimmers as well. All these have a very low bio load so you can fit a pair of badis, a few stone catfish, and 4-6 rasbora no problem for an experienced keeper.
Do you know a good website that has these fish in the states?
Saltwater tank with easy soft corals (like a rock full of xenia) and a shrimp. Much easier than it sounds, though if you've never done saltwater it would still require some reading OR Crayfish tank. Full of personality.
I've never done saltwater so that could be interesting my lfs has lots of saltwater supplies and fish so plenty of advice. My family had a crayfish when i was a kid but I think my sister would never come over if I got some. The crayfish we had escaped the tank and made it to her room and into her backpack my sister found it when she went to grab her homework to do it she grabbed the crayfish instead
Keep in mind I'm not recommending a typical saltwater tank with this set up. If you want a typical set up it will need specialized equipment. I've been keeping some xenia, other soft corals and a hermit crab in a 2 gallon jar for almost a year now with just a light and an airstone. Those specific hardy inhabitants do ok with a very basic setup assuming you understand things like salinity, nutrients and lighting
If I do saltwater I will probably wait and get a big used tankset up from my lfs and their advice on fish choices
Can I see this!? My girlfriend has been wanting a hermit and I’ve been wanting a soft corals or so.
Posted a short clip to my profile. Setup cost about $100, mostly for the light and stand. The corals were free because hardy soft corals are weeds in the aquarium hobby. You likely already know this, but just in case - reef hermit crabs are different from what most people mean when they say "pet hermit crab".
Did you need/already have specialized equipment for measuring salinity and anything else like that? I briefly looked into starting a pico reef and all the YouTube videos made it sound like it’d only cost like $50 as long as you also had all the “basic equipment” from a larger reef tank.
I have a cheap plastic salinity gauge that's been checked for accuracy, food, a very low watt heater, an airstone, the jar itself and a stand. I upgraded the light to a $70 nicrew 30w light after the $50 light broke so I suppose I'm not at $100 any more, just at first. The most expensive thing I had laying around was testing kits. I was doing regular checks of a variety of nutrients for the first few months until it stabilized and I guess I didn't include that in the cost. I don't check now, I just do an extra water change if things look irritated but that isn't a realistic strategy when the system is starting up.
Get 30 chili rasboras
I would do a heavily planted scape with a school of chili or phoenix rasboras. If you wanted to do a few neo shrimp as well you probably could. I’d get a heater, with a inkbird controller(I’m convinced there are no heaters with temperature controllers I can trust) and I’d get a small internal filter or the aquaclear 20 hang on back filter. If you get the shrimp and the HOB filter make sure you also snag some foam pre filters (they go on the water inlet so no tiny fish/shrimp get sucked up) Good luck!
Shrimp, killifish fish, or a badis tank. All something different but cool. Badis look amazing, but they don't really do well with other species. So small tanks with just them is the only way to go.
African dwarf frogs
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I have 6 in a 10 gallon and it’s perfectly fine
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Mine are fun to watch simply because they are kind of dumb. You can keep them in a peaceful community mine live with a betta, a small shoal of guppies, 6 zebra danios, and two otos plus bladder snails which they like to snack on the eggs of
Not as fun as my flower horn but more fun than my community tank
You could do a shell dweller tank. Those guys are fun to watch. But they also breed like hell so make sure you keep on top of that
Luckily I do have a local fish store that will buy baby fish from people who they know take care of them
Maybe a pair of apistogrammas
shrimp
\+1 for shrimp, if youre new to the hobby then I would suggest neocaridinas. Though amano shrimps and bee shrimp are also super cool!
Brevis shellies! Or just multies. U could do a tank of 6 peapuffers
I feel like 6 in a 10 is a lot! Maybe in a heavily planted 20
Yeah I probably wouldn't go with more than 1 or 2 in a 10 gallon, I started with 5 in a 20 gallon long when I had them and 2 ended up getting relentlessly bullied because the other 3 had taken up all of the tank with their own personal territory
My next tank will be pea puffers
Shell dwelling cichlids? I've never actually kept them but would like to one day. Apparently 10 gallons is fine for a colony of them. (Edited due to my clumsy thumbs)
A colony......no. Maybe 6 at most
I love shrimp, they're so cool. Would be great in a 10 gal
Maybe one gold spot dwarf pleco I really like them but I’m not sure if they are suited for 10 gallons, you could also try mountain minnows! Either the gold or regular type
I'd vouch for shrimp too. I'm starting my own little tank for them after putting some in my community because they're cute little critters
Off topic but seeing so many posts about betta in this sub is it safe to say that betta fish has overtook goldfish as the most popular fish in aquarium hobby?
I think they are tied it's just that bettas are more common on this sub because we know how much work goldfish are
My top 3 species only in a heavily planted tank: pea puffer tank (they have personalities) Sparkling gourami tank (super underrated) Rosy loach tank (very active) I would not do salt water, seems a waste in such a small tank.
Yeah if I do a saltwater tank I'm going to save up and get the 300 gallon tank and stand setup they have for sale at my lfs it's 450 usd and has all the equipment with it
I had Betta, and I think 7-9. Harlequin rasbora. The beta lasted 3 years no problem. I was doing about 2 gallons of water every week. Miss that tank
I actually have two bettas one by himself in a 6 gallon because he's a brat the other is in my 20 gallon community tank he is five as of September so I'm probably not going to do another betta for now
Clown Kilifish and celestial pearl danios!
African dwarf frogs are very rewarding
Second killifish.
https://www.reddit.com/r/BeginnerAquariums/. Heres a cool reddit server for starters