Are you tired of Neon Tetras, Bettas and so on? Do you feel limited to only certain types of fish because you have just a 10 gallon? Look no further! You will mainly have smaller fish, but don’t be disappointed! They are still neat!
Shell Dweller Cichlids
Shell Dweller Cichlids are very small. In fact, they are one of the smallest cichlids out there! Males only get about 2 inches and females can less than an inch! Because of their name, shells are needed as they live and breed in shells.
Sand or very fine gravel is the best substrate as they will dig in the substrate. These fish should do fine in a 10 gallon, given that there are plenty of shells and sand. You can have about 6 in a 10 gallon aquarium The recommended temperature for these fish is about 78-80 F or about 25.5-26.6 C.
Scarlet Gem Badis
These little guys are VERY little. In fact, males don’t even reach an inch, and females are smaller than males! Because of their size, they should do fine in a 10 gallon. Some in fact, even say these little fellows can live even in a 5 gallon aquarium!
The tank setup should be lush and have plenty of live plants and hiding places. Plants will help them establish a territory. The recommended temperature is 71-79 F (or 21.6-26.1 C) and hardiness should be about 10-20 dGH. Make sure to give these guys a slow current as well.
Dwarf Seahorse
The only thing with these interested, little fish is that they are hard to care for and not for the beginner! But despite that, they can technically live in even a 5 gallon tank. They should be fed only live food (this makes them really hard, at least for beginners) such as baby brine shrimp and they should be in water 71-75 degrees F. They unfortunately only live about 2 years in capacity and only 1 year in the wild. Don’t forget about salinity! They should also be in water with a salinity between 1.022 – 1.024sg.
Pygmy Sunfish
Pygmy sunfish aren’t actually a sunfish, but they are tiny! In fact these guys only grow to about an inch and a half maximum. Pygmy sunfish are carnivore and actually won’t accept flake or pellet food (brine shrimp are a good choice)! Recommended pH is 7.0-7.5. They can also live in a 5 gallon as well.
Dwarf Pencilfish
Dwarf Pencilfish grow around the size of a neon tetra (1.5 inches). The recommended pH for Dwarf Pencilfish is 5.0-8.0 and their recommended pH is 5.0-8.0. They live for about 2-3 years and they do best in schools of 8 or more. Hardiness should be about 4 to 7 dGh. They do best in warm water.
Have you found one you like? Feel free to comment down below?