What to put in my 10 gallon tank?

10 Gallon Tank, what to put in it?

• I have had my tank for a little over a month now. Some of the fish have died out because I added them before allowing it to cycle. I added the bacteria from the store a while back, tested the water levels, added some things for the fish to hide in and swim through. Basically my tank is up to speed and the fish are thriving. I have had only 5 fish in there for almost two weeks. I currently have one cory. I had another, I know they like friends. But this little fellow LOVES my balloon molly, they like to sit inside the cave together. He is doing just fine. I have a female balloon molly, two female guppys and a platy. I was thinking about getting one male guppy and two females tonight at Petco. Is a one to four ratio okay for Males and Females? I might just skip out on getting the male if the Females are interesting looking enough tonight. What other tank-mates would be a nice addition? I like having a variety of colorful fish that will all get along. Thanks

• Answer:

  You need to hit the books. There's just too much wrong here, and you need to get a good understanding of the Nitrogen Cycle and basic requirements of fish before you continue. Briefly: - A proper Nitrogen Cycle takes about 6 weeks to complete. You have too much going on in that tank for that to happen. So, your tank IS NOT CYCLED. - Corys don't "like friends", they require schools. Kept on their own, they will be stressed. Stressed fish are far more prone to illness/disease/untimely death. The minimum Cory group is 6. All the same kind. The minimum aquarium size for any but Pygmy Corys is 20-29 gallons, depending on the kind. And no, he's not doing just fine with the Molly. He just doesn't have a choice. - Speaking of Mollies... Healthy Mollies do not sit in caves. They swim around. Mollies need 29+ gallons, and should be in groups of 3+. - Platies need 15+ gallons. Again, they should be in groups of 3+. - The Guppies are the only fish that belong in 10 gallons. However, because yours are female, they will be pregnant. Female Guppies store sperm, and so can have several batches of fry with no male around. 10 gallons is not sufficient for breeding. - All Livebearers, (which includes Guppies, Platies, and Mollies,) should be kept in same sex groups or in ratios of at least 2 females per 1 male if the aquarium size allows. To give you an idea of your aquarium's capabilities, 10 gallons will be fully stocked with 5 full grown male Guppies. That's it. Please, return your fish from whence they came. It is not humane to keep stuffing fish into unsuitable/toxic conditions over and over again as they continue to die. FYI, good fish profiles that include minimum aquarium size, grouping needs, and compatibility: By species/kind: http://www.peteducation.com/category.cfm?c=16+1911 Alphabetically: http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profile_alpha.html Search-by-name: http://www.aquariumlife.net/fishprof.asp Nitrogen Cycle: http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquarium/cycling.php