Low maintenence freshwater fish?

Question

i want to get my boyfriend some fish for his dorm room. i went to the local fish store and the guy there gave me some quotes on what it would take to set up a saltwater tank. but after he told me it was much more complicated to keep a small saltwater tank i figured freshwater was the better way to go. any opinions on freshwater versus saltwater? the tank is only a 10 gallon (that's the limit for his residence hall). also, if there are any neat, low maintenance freshwater fish that would be happy living in a small tank. and maybe other fish that they are compatible with? thanks so much :)

Answer 1

By far, get a beta. I have one here at work, they take only a glass bowl for a home, and if you feed them properly, their food lasts about six-ten months and their water will only need replaced once a month. (If fed right)... I even leave my beta over the weekend without feeding it, so they are durable. (At least up to four days is my experience). Plus they live a long time. They are beautiful as well.

If you do get one of these, they can't be mixed with other fish because they are very territorial! It wouldn't need a 10 gallon either, but if you put it with other docile fish, like tetras or something, they would be fine.  

Answer 2

if you get a filter get 4 black skirt tetras they are very hard to kill. and dont need a heater as long as the room is warm

or get a very small dolphin

Answer 3

Get a dwarf puffer fish and some otos. Or maybe you can get a betta or some black mollies. He needs a filter, heater, gravel, plants, caves, hood with a light. Cycle your tank before getting the fishes to provide a healthy and long life for them. Goodluck!!!

Edit

Oops! I forgot to say a gravel vacuum and a bucket that's for aquarium use.

Answer 4

Well, once you get the filter and heater, 1 male betta OR 3 females, no less or the 2 females will battle constantly. A few cory cats, some tetras ot live bearers, wow, there are a lot of options! Well, good luck (Ooohhh, dwarf gouramis would do well!) e-mail me if you have any more questins and don't 4get to cycle the tank b4 you put fish in it!

Answer 5

You'll need a filter and heater if you want to keep fish (but you don't need a heater for coldwater fish).

A Betta is probably the best choice for a 10 gallon (1 male or 2-3 females) as long as you have the filter and heater. All you need to do is feed it, test the water, and do weekly water changes.

Without a heater (but still with a filter), then a school of White Cloud Mountain Minnows would be best. Again, you only have to feed it, test the water, and do weekly water changes.

If you e-mail me, I'll give you more fish choices.

Answer 6

One of the most important things to remember is the rule of thumb - inches per gallon. This means you can have one inch adult of per 1 gallon of water. So, 10 gallons = 10 total inches of adult fish.

All tropical/freshwater fish need a heater and a filter.

I would say your best bet would be mollies and / or tetras. Tetras are small so you can add more of them, they come in many breeds - blue neon, black neon, red-skirt, black-skirt, etc. They are schooling fish so they will do better in groups of AT LEAST three. They are also very hardy fish.

Here are som links for more info:

http://www.petco.com/caresheets/fish/Set...

http://www.petco.com/caresheets/fish/Wat...

http://www.petco.com/caresheets/Fish/Fre...

http://www.petco.com/caresheets/fish/Tet...

http://www.petco.com/caresheets/fish/Bar...

http://www.articleco.com/Article/The-Won...

Best of luck!!

Answer 7

Tropical fish, tetras, guppies stuff like that.

NO GOLDFISH! A ten gallon is too small for goldfish.

Answer 8

goldfish

Answer 9

The reason they suggested doing fresh instead of salt, is because in that size of a tank, the maintenance on a SW will be alot more than a freshwater. Salt water are better in larger tanks.

I would honestly suggest going with a few types of critters for your tank. First off find a type of small growing tetra that he really likes, and buy a school of 6 of them. I would recommend oto's, but they are not a super hardy fish and sometimes people have troubles keeping them alive. I would really recommend getting a bottom feeder fish like a cory cat or some shrimp as the clean up crew. Then you should be all set. Guppies are another fish you could get for a tank that size, or 1 or 2 female bettas (but are not compatible with as many fish) minnows, dwarf frogs, dwarf puffers, cichlid shell dwellers (only 3 max), killie fish, etc. These are all fish that can possibly live in a 10 gallon tank, but some are easier than others to care for.

Answer 10

I love the little feeder fish (goldfish). They last forever! I've had mine for about 6 years. And by the way, you can put them in a ten gallon tank, no problem.  

Answer 11

I would get a couple of fancy guppies for color and a bunch of ghost shrimp as a little clean-up crew and maybe a dwarf frog.

http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com has alot of good info for various fish.

Answer 12

i have a 20 gal and i have fancy guppies i think they r the best u can get many colors and they r really active fish i dont have a heater just a filter i got from petco and i do 10% water changes every sunday i have gravel ad 50/50 lighting and the fish look great they r really playfull fish they r fun fish to look at dont get a dwarf puffer they r aggressive o and i also have platy fish also small fish good luck i think the next best thing to get is crystal red shrimps to clean and eat all the wast and they look nice to? DONT GET BETTAS THEY R AGGRESSIVE FISH I KNOW TRUST ME U NEED A BIG TANK FOR THOSE!