Getting New Fish, Help?!

Maddy

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Okay so TECHNICALLY I'm not getting new fish quite yet. I would just like to have some knowledge of a few things under my belt before I go crazy and buy the wrong kinds of fish. I will be looking to purchase more as soon as I raise my molly fry and find a new home for them after the summer is over.

Some aspects of my tank:

Fish: 1 Golden Dojo Loach, 1 ghost shrimp, 13 or so molly fry
Size: 10 gallons. Yeah, yeah, it's ridiculously tiny and everyone's probably like "OMG fish abuser! You need like 1,000,000 gallons for those fish!!!" as usual... :( Honestly, it's all I can afford at the time and I'm very very new to keeping an aquarium so my fish are all very small thus far anyways, my dojo is only like 2 inches! Hopefully I can upgrade when my fish grow a little more, but for now they seem comfortable with the space they have.
Other shtuff:
-I don't have a heater, mostly because I live in Arizona and it gets to be around 85 degrees inside my room in the summer and I just don't see the need for it as of now. I will probably want fish that can deal with a colder water temperature because of this. However, if the fish that I really want needs the heater, I am willing to make a sacrifice ;]
-I have not tested my water yet D': I know, this is horrible! I need to get around to going to my local pet store and picking up a testing kit ASAP. Right now, I have the very basics of supplies so I would like some suggestions on what else I could get to make my fish happy!
-My tank was not cycled properly... I KNOW, just shoot me right now!! I was very mislead the first time I researched and (background details omitted for time's sake :p) I ended up only throwing in some water conditioner and aquarium salt and letting my filter run for about 8 days.

P.S.- I am almost entirely a beginner, so please excuse some of my rather horrible missteps in the preparation of my tank and lack of knowledge...

I know that because I have a rather small tank, my choices will be limited... But here are the fish I DON'T want:
-No mollies! I had two that died within the first week and a half of owning them. My boyfriend used to own mollies too, and also found that they seemed to die off pretty fast. I also find that they lack personality... but this is entirely a personal opinion and I mean no offense to anyone!
-No goldfish! Although they have great personality, I already have around 6 goldfish in my new pond, so I'd say I have enough of those! Plus they are messy to keep in a tank.
-Would prefer no guppies... Guppies... ahhhh guppies... I just don't like how they look at all! I actually really seem to like "ugly" fish with great personalities instead.

So basically what I'm looking for is a fish with a great and fun personality. I want one that's fun to watch, curious, friendly, and not frightened by everything. One that might even eat out of my hand would be so awesome! I want to be able to have a bond with my fish, I know that sounds kinda stupid, but the more connected I feel to my fish, the more enthusiastic I am about taking care of him. I am a strong believer in the idea that when you're looking for a pet, that animal will choose you and you'll know that that's the one you want. I knew me and my mollies didn't have that connection because I was kinda pressured into buying them by the Petco guy and myself wanting to start my tank... My golden dojo though, I had always known was the one. I would always find myself wandering back to his tank while at the store to check up on him! <3

ANYWAY, I tend to ramble... haha! So I had done some research myself, and I really like the dwarf puffers. I've heard they have great personalities and are always curious about things happening outside the tank. However, in my research, some places said that dojo loaches are acceptable tankmates, but some said that they will pick on them... Does anyone know of either of these occurrences? Would keeping them together be safe? Also, I heard that they were quite messy! I would like some more info on these fish, if anyone has had the experience of owning some!

I was also interested in dwarf loaches, but it says that they need to be in groups of at least 5, and I really don't think I have enough space for them to coexist comfortably. I do find them EXTREMELY gorgeous though!! :D Hopefully if I upgrade to a larger tank, I can snag me a few of these!
 
I totally understand your budget problem and if u want more fish I would recommend a kuhli they very pretty and look like eels
 

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