The following fish are particular top dwellers. Others are middle to top, but many people would like to create a nice balance by having fish that enjoy a certain region.
A) Betta Splendens are considered top dwellers because they are labyrinth fish. Labyrinth fish are so named because of an organ known as a Labyrinth that they use to gulp fresh water out of the air – an organ that Gouramis have as well. When oxygen is low in their water, they use their labyrinth to help with gas exchange – something not possible with gills alone. However, Bettas do explore around the tank. If you want to encourage a Betta to keep to the top of the tank, find decorations that can suction to the side of the tank and stick them up towards the top. Bettas will often hide behind or under these decorations. I had a Betta once who enjoyed resting behind the heater.
Bettas should only be kept one to a tank, though they can be kept in a community tank. Be careful, however, as each Betta has a differing personality, and while one Betta would pay no attention to your other fish, another may constantly harass another fish. Do not keep Bettas with fish that look like them, such as guppies, or any fish that are tail nippers.
Minimum Tank Size: 5 gallon
B) Hatchet fish are a fish with an interesting morphology. Thin from side to side, but long from top to bottom, these fish were built for flying. This is why it’s important to have a tight fitting lid for these guys. A hatchet fish is an ideal top tank dweller because they are peaceful fish, interesting looking, and don’t go wandering around the tropical fish tank. Their life is lived just below the surface of the water, which means that they need to be fed a floating food and provided floating plants to hide in. These little guys jump out of the water as a defense mechanism, so any time they are stressed, you may see one trying to fly. And their pectoral fins are built much like wings, so keep a tight lid on these guys.
Hatchet fish are best kept in groups – the less there are, the more stressed they will be. The more stressed they are, the more likely they will fly. Most say 6 is a good number to keep them in, but some say they don’t keep less than 10 in a tropical fish tank. Also, they are not the fastest fish, so if you are keeping them with faster fish, they may be out competed for food. It’s good to keep in mind if you have yet to stock your tank that guppies and platies may not be the best choice for tank mate.
Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallons for Marble and Marthae, 20 for Silver
As for other fish that will stay around the top, but are considered top to middle, are guppies, tetras, rainbowfish, gouramis, rasoboras, mollies, swordtails, mosquito fish, and pencilfish. However, I features these fish top tank dwellers because of their desire to stay only at the top. Feel free to research the fish you think would be right for your tropical fish tank.
Each of these fish listed next are fish that may need special conditions or special care that someone who is new to keeping fish may not yet be equipped to deal with. I do not consider them “beginner fish” for various reasons, but if you have some experience with fish and are looking for more interested fish, the following are some to consider. Again, these fish are recommended as a species only tank, and I do not recommend keeping them in a small tank as community as many of them do better in groupings of their own species.
A) 5 to 6 Neon Tetras or Cardinal Tetras. Tetras are often thought to be easy to keep, but they need the right water parameters in order to survive and thrive. They aren’t the best choice for a newly cycled tank, but a well-cycled tank that has had the water tested for the right parameters would be ideal. Don’t add all your tetras in at once – put in maybe two or three, and see how they fair. After that initial period, add the rest of your tetras. You can also try Lemon Tetras, Pristella Tetras, or Serpae Tetras in a small school of six or less.
B) Cichlids generally aren’t good for small tanks, as most need at least 35 gallons. But there is a species of Cichlid called the Shell Dweller Cichlid, which can be kept in a long, shallow 10 gallon tank. They are bottom dwellers, and live most of their lives in shells you would have to provide for them. They can be kept at most four in one tank, but it depends more on how many shells you can provide per Cichlid. Shell Dweller Cichlids need around six shells per Cichlid to choose from. Remember, Cichlids tend to be aggressively territorial, so they are best kept as species only tanks.
C) 5 Marble Hatchet Fish. There are odd looking little fish, but they are relatively resilient. However, they are best added to a fairly aged tropical fish tank, not a newly cycled one. Be wary, though, that you have a tight fitting top on this fish’s tank, because they are known jumpers.
D) 2 of 3 Kuhli Loaches. A bottom dweller, they are eel-shaped in appearance, and share the eel’s appreciation for a good escape, so make sure if you want one of these, invest in a tight fitting lid. They are also nocturnal, so you might have the chance to appreciate them as you would other fish. I recommend reading up more on them if you’re interested, but note that they need to be fed either with the lights out of before lights are turned out, and that they like to burrow in sand, so gravel is not a good choice of substrate for them.
E) 5 to 6 Endler’s Livebearers or Guppies. Both are livebearers and procreate at the drop of a hat, so use caution when stocking your tropical fish tank. What started off as six guppies can very easily be an overcrowded tank, so if you only have one ten gallon tank to work with, buy all of one sex – preferably male. There have been times that people have bought pregnant females. Most put these fish as beginners, but as guppies have many babies and eat many of their babies, I thought it was best that people read up on them before purchasing. Also, on the subject of guppies, they are quite a popular fish. Some would say that guppy fish are less resilient than they used to be. This is a common problem with such a popular breed, particularly one that breeds so prolifically. As they come in an array of colors, often times people breed guppies just to see what color babies they would have. When pet breeds or species become popular, they are often overbred with low quality breeding stock by someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. This can make new owners, who heard of a guppy’s resilience, feel disheartened and give up altogether. It’s something to keep in mind when purchasing guppies.
F) 5 Platies. Yes, more live bearers. It’s a little more difficult to tell with Platies than Guppies, but try and keep males and females apart if you don’t want a flood of Platy babies. A male will have a modified anal fin called the gonopodium, which is used to guide sperm into the female and fertilize the eggs. This can be seen in many species of live bearing fish, and used to tell male from female. Again, not a good idea if you only have one tank to work with and you find yourself suddenly inundated with babies.
G) 1 or 2 Dwarf Puffers. I listed this in my 5 gallon tank suggestions, but as they do well with 5 gallons each, you can try two. However, keep in mind puffers are territorial and they can form dominance if there is more than one. This will make it difficult for the non-dominant fish to get to the food. If you have more than one, make sure there is a hiding place for each puffer plus an extra to hide in just in case, and plant your tropical fish tank densely. My puffer lives by himself in a ten gallon tank, and he does fine by himself.
H) 1 Red eye puffer fish. Another fresh water puffer becoming well known in the aquarium trade, they are best kept alone as puffers are notorious fin nippers. As they are also territorial, a red eye puffer in a ten gallon tank should be kept alone.
Ten gallon tanks don’t give much room for error, especially since you have such a small tank to work with. Small tanks mean difficulty maintaining good water conditions, from the toxicity of the water to the temperature. But if you do have a 10 gallon aquarium, here are some suggestions of fish to select to stock your aquarium with. Keep in mind I’m only suggesting for species tanks and not community tanks since most of the fish that will do okay in ten gallon tanks need to be in small groups or do best by themselves. So I recommend picking ONE of the following, and not mixing and matching.
Species Tank Suggestions:
A) 1 Betta Splendens, either male or female. A few snails or some docile shrimp would be okay, but depending on your Betta, you may see some flaring from the males. They don’t always get that anything that moves is NOT a Betta.
B) White Cloud Minnows, a personal favorite, were once said to be the poor man’s tetra. They fair well in cooler temperatures, which means that they are possible tank mates for Goldfish. They are best kept in schools of about 6, and are hardy fish which makes them a good fish to begin with in a 10 gallon tank.
C) 3 Dwarf Gourami. Small, peaceful, and hardy, you shouldn’t have too many problems with them in a newly cycled tropical fish tank. But always make sure to test the water before you add your fish, and that you are familiar with your fish’s water needs. You could also try 6 Sparkling Gouramis (thought they do need more care than dwarfs do, so might fall under intermediate) or 1 single Pearl Gourami.
D) 3 Bandit Corydoras. As many corys, these are peaceful bottom feeders, they do well with anything that is as peaceful as they are. They do well in groups. Another type of Corydoras to consider for a 10 gallon tank would be 3 or 4 Corydoras Catfish, but these would do fine by themselves or just as two in one tank.
E) 6 Cherry Barbs should be fine in a ten gallon tropical fish tank, or one Odessa Barb kept by itself.
F) If you have a tight fitting lid, you might look into a single Red Tail Shark. This beautiful little “shark” is actually a species of carp which unfortunately is extinct in the wild. In aquarium life, they are best kept by themselves unless kept with larger fish that will keep them in line…you know, but not EAT them. They need a tight fitting as they are known jumpers, and you don’t want to come home to find a desiccated carp on the floor.
G) 5 Zebra Danios. These fish are very hardy, and when people had cycled their tanks using fish, this was often the fish they used. Again, I don’t recommend at all using a live fish to cycle your tank, that is just an example as to how resilient these little guys are. They are probably the best for a newly cycled tank, though.
H) Invertebrates. The following will do well in a 10 gallon tank – 1 Crayfish or 2 Ghost Shrimp or 2 Inca Snails. Red Cherry Shrimp are said to have such a low bioload (they don’t eat much so don’t produce much waste, so don’t mess up their water so easily) that they can be kept up to 10 per gallon of water. It depends how many you want to keep in your tropical fish tank, however. Keep in mind that many fish eat shrimp, though.