10 gallon fish tank: 6 stocking ideas

Stocking ideas · About 6 minutes to read

A 10 gallon tank is a popular first tank. It's small, so it suits a few small fish rather than a busy community. Here are six setups that work, each checked with the free stocking calculator.

Before you buy fish

Cycle the tank first. Small tanks build up ammonia quickly. See how to cycle a new fish tank.
Add fish in stages, a few at a time, a week or two apart.
Change about 25% of the water every week. Small tanks change faster, so routine matters more.

Six setups that work

Each plan below opens in the calculator with one click, so you can change the numbers and see the result.

1. Betta and a snail

1 male betta · 1 nerite snail

Keep at 76–78°F · 28% stocked in the calculator
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The classic. Plenty of space for one betta, and the snail cleans algae off the glass. Add lots of plants and a gentle filter, because bettas don't like strong currents.

2. Betta with ember tetras

1 male betta · 6 ember tetras

Keep at 76–82°F · 54% stocked in the calculator
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Embers are tiny, calm and like the same warm water. Add the betta last, and have a backup plan: some bettas chase every tankmate.

3. Tiny school and tiny catfish

8 ember tetras · 6 pygmy corydoras

Keep at 73–79°F · 74% stocked in the calculator
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Orange embers in the middle, busy little corydoras on the bottom. Use sand or smooth gravel for the corydoras, and drop in a few small sinking pellets for them.

4. Guppies, no babies

3 male guppies · 1 nerite snail

Keep at 72–78°F · 51% stocked in the calculator
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Bright, active and easy. Buy only males so you don't end up with dozens of babies in a few months.

5. Shrimp colony

10 cherry shrimp · 1 nerite snail

Keep at 72–78°F · 13% stocked in the calculator
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Fun to watch, almost no waste, and the shrimp will breed into a colony. Add java moss and other plants for them to graze on. Leave out fish, which eat baby shrimp.

6. No heater needed

6 white cloud mountain minnows

Keep at 60–72°F · 72% stocked in the calculator
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These like cool water, so a heater isn't needed in a room that stays above about 60°F. Hardy, cheap and active. They're a good choice for a cooler room.

Fish to avoid in a 10 gallon

Goldfish. Even fancy goldfish need 30 gallons or more, and they make a lot of waste.
Common plecos. They can grow over a foot long. A bristlenose pleco stays small, but still needs about 20 gallons.
Angelfish, mollies and swordtails. They get too big. Plan on 30 gallons.
Zebra danios, bronze corydoras and cardinal tetras. Fast or bigger schooling fish that need about 20 gallons to swim in a proper group.
Tiger barbs. Fin nippers that need a big group, and a 30 gallon tank.

Gear for a 10 gallon tank

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Want more ready-made plans? Your First Aquarium includes stocking plans for 10, 20 and 29 gallon tanks, plus care cards for 15 beginner fish. Get the guide for $12