The BEST 10-Gallon Fish Tank Ideas for BEGINNERS

Try these top 5 easy, colorful, and beginner-friendly fish that can live in a 10 gallon aquarium!

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0:00 Rules for setting up a 10-gallon community tank
1:24 Betta fish and corydoras tank
3:36 Honey gourami and neon tetra tank
4:46 Endler's livebearer and nerite snail tank
6:00 Glofish and amano shrimp tank
7:21 African dwarf frog and mystery snail tank

#aquarium #plantedtank #fishtank

[haroldgreen]

I got my first fish tank in the 1950's. So I've raised fish for almost 70 years now. Back in the past tank backgrounds were very popular. You got scenes printed on glossy paper to look like water, plants, and gravel. I've made backgrounds from other materials like slate. On one tank I used mirrored window film which made the tank look twice as deep and it looked like I had twice as many fish in the tank. At one time a large fish store in my area sold a crystal paint. You painted the back of the tank with it and as it dried it had the appearance of large crystal swirls in colored paint. I've tried several colors for the background including blacks and blues. I finally found my favorite. Krylon x-metals in blue. When you spray it on glass it has an almost transparent look. You can build up multiple coats making it a darker but brilliant blue but it will always have some transparency that creates the effect of looking through a good distance of water behind the tank. So you don't see it as a flat back to the tank but rather a look off into the distance. It makes the best background I've ever seen.
Lighting. I started with a metal reflector with a 15 watt incandescent bulb. Over time florescents, then on to metal halides, and now all my tanks have led's. I use full spectrum aquarium lights that I can adjust the intensity.
Filters. I've tried many different types. Small box filters, undergravel filter, power filters, canister filters, sponge filters. They all have their place and can work well in the right situation. Now days all my large tanks are reef ready marine tanks with a large sump below in the stand. That allows me to filter using filter socks that can be rinsed off and reused over and over. Room in the sumps for heaters, deep sand beds, ato's and any chemical treatments you care to add. The water pouring down into the sump aerates the water very well and also maintains a set water level in the main tank all the time.
Covers. I got away from glass tops unless breeding betta's. Wood hoods are beautiful but can be a pain to deal with in many cases. Now days for a tank that I want to keep fish from jumping out I use aluminum window screen frames. I cut them to size to fit the top of the tank, install fiberglass screening and set it on tip of the tank. You can't see it unless looking down from above. It lets light and air pass through and yet keeps the fish in.

[GirlTalksFish]

P.S. I've had some people ask why I recommended Glofish. To give a little background, I personally have never owned Glofish, but I had a friend who did. This friend was not a fish enthusiast and just got a 10-gallon tank for her kids. Despite any beginner mistakes she may have made in their husbandry, the Glofish were bulletproof and never got sick or died. I see Glofish (as well as betta fish) as a kind of a gateway drug for getting more people into the hobby. Because of her Glofish, my young son became fascinated with her aquarium. Then my friend offered to buy him a betta fish for his birthday. I didn't own any fish at the time, so I did some research on betta fish and decided I wanted to buy a bigger tank than the one my friend was offering. From there, we got our first aquarium, I became a complete fish nerd, and I eventually started a YouTube channel. So theoretically, if it weren't for Glofish, there would be no Girl Talks Fish. :)

[thebigfellacole]

“Your first 10 gallon aquarium”

*Yes, my first*

[shane]

I thank my dear Grandma who left us 4 years ago for giving me my first aquarium at age 8. I’m 40 now and I have loved the hobby since day one.

[probablynotabigtoe]

My favorite Nano fish are Alligator Gar and redtail catfish.

They quickly outgrow your tank giving you a great excuse to buy a 500gallon tank.

[pleaseleavesarayualone]

You are honestly the most underrated youtuber. Thank you for spending so much time making your amazing videos

[jackjmaheriii]

1 Honey Gourami + 15 Neon Tetra + Cherry Shrimp is my all time favorite low maintenance 20 gal tank!

Recipe:
Plant with lots of moss, frogbit, and a few swords. Add some nerites and trumpets it becomes self cleaning. Wipe down the glass once a month. No water changes needed after 6 weeks. Produces so many cherry shrimp that I give them away.

[danielleleonard]

Your the only person that makes sense when talking about fish and fish tanks thanks

[simplyaquariums]

For anyone considering Mystery Snails in a 10-gallon tank (or larger), these snails are by no means a "clean-up crew". Honestly, there isn't really a "clean-up crew" that you can add to your aquarium. They need high protein, high calcium diets for proper shell growth and development. Look up snello recipes to provide your snails with the most nutritious foods!

[tim_koch]

A note of caution about the African dwarf clawed frogs: They can get really old for such a small animal. As a child, I got 3 of them. 2 died pretty soon (not sure why, maybe they were already sick), but the third one hung on for 10 years and outlived all the fish in that aquarium. It needed to be fed with tweezers every day because its eyes weren't very good.

[knight]

Finally somone who shows different ideas awesome

[jarred]

Perfect calming fish-related video to enjoy my morning coffee with🥰 love you Irene!!

[FoxCrownz]

Ugh! The little baby Corydora are just cute!!

[hannahsms]

Please can you make a test on fine sand vs gravel for growing plants? I’m deciding which substrate to use. I am considering sand because it’s cheap.

(Please like if you want that video)

[spooky]

I love mystery snails, they have way more personality than i was expecting from a snail. Ive got six in my 45 and its neat to watch them crawl all over the place.

[pjp]

There are a ton of your videos that I never got around to watching and this is one of them. It's such a good one! Well thought out and well presented, and now I wish I could have a bunch more 10 gallon tanks to try out all these combos. 😁

[theostott]

I got a 10 gallon tank for free and was wondering what to put in it. After some research I think a good combo for a beginner like me would be
- 1 Honey Gourami
- 6-7 Celestial Pearl Danios OR some sort of tetra OR some chili rasboras
- 1 mystery snail
Thoughts?

[poncec]

Such a great video! Thank you for this. I hardly see such detailed videos for 10 gallon tanks.

[EddVCR]

This video is insanely helpful for a super beginner like me! Thank you!

[hectorsmommy]

Great ideas. One thing about nerites: I love them and they are a great clean up crew but most, except the smaller olive nerites, love to go on walkabout. I have found them in my filter but have also found them in my kitchen sink and dishwasher (the tank was on the counter between kitchen and dining room).