Good "centerpiece" Community Fish For 10 Gallon

[OneOnion]

what's a good "centerpiece" community fish for 10 gallon BESIDES the dwarf gourami or honey gourami? I was going to get a gourami but I heard that they get sick easily and are usually sick when you get them so I might not so I'm looking for an alternative to a gourami for "centerpiece" fish. Thanks

 

[OldMan47]

How about a nice Betta splendens? They are generally peaceful outside their own species and are very pretty and a good size. As long as they are with other peaceful fish, they will do fine. They do not do well with nippy fish but few peaceful fish do.

 

[aly_starh]

I would also reccommend a betta splenden , what other fish have you got atm?

~betta_246

 

[OneOnion]

I actually don't have any other fish at the moment besides shrimp, but the stocking that I was planning was:

2 Dwarf Gouramis(As I said before this is where I want to replace)
5 Shrimp(It'll stay at 5 because I only have females. Getting males maybe christmas or when I get more money)
6 Black Neon Tetras

So, yeah. Can I order the Gouramis off of the internet and will that make them have less chance of disease(I read this) And is there any good recomendatiosn for sites selling fish in the US?

Ehh, I'm kind of not liking the idea of betta splendens... I heard that they like to eat shrimp sometimes and adding one might limit my choices for other fish when I get a bigger tank a little... I kind of wanted a pair of "centerpiece" fish, sorry for not being clear about that part.

I've been doing some research, however, and have found some fish that might work(At least from what I've read). PLease provide info or links to info of the fish I list, and whether or not they work (Remember this isnt a stocking list its just the fish I found that said that they're good for centerpiece fish!:

2 Blue Rams,
2 Killifish(I don't know what kind, I just found somewhere that they would work, any suggestions of what kind will help)
Any other suggestions? Lol small list I got tired of searching

 

[Truck]

its too small for blue rams and most community fish wont like being kept at the higher temperatures they require...most apisto species will be fine

 

[waterdrop]

First let me say I kind of -like- the betta idea, thinking back to the size of a 10g and the difficulty it poses for the centerpiece search. But since you don't like that idea and have asked again about gouramis, I'll comment.

I think a good way to think about the gourami problem is to realize that its kind of an "all or nothing" type thing. Yes, statistically, there is this thing out there that's been hitting a lot of the dwarf gouramis for quite a while. But when it comes down to the actual two that you will bring home or receive on your doorstep, they will be either diseased or not! In other words, it will either be a total non-issue (fairly likely in my opinion) or it will take some persistance, as in getting your LFS or internet supplier to let you try another pair!

I guess in a 10g the choices must pretty much be dwarves or honey's... the little Sparkling gouramis are probably too little to really count as a centerpiece fish (I've actually never had sparklings, so I don't really know. I've had just about every other type.) The contrast between the Dwarf and the Honey would be that the Dwarf pair will have the edge on eye-catching looks (they really reflect light nicely!) but they can be pretty irritable little fellows, with potential trouble within the pair a bit as well as with tankmates. The Honey pair would also be good looking, just maybe slightly less showey than the dwarves and I believe you'd find the personalities to be easier on tankmates. I'm really not leaning the decision either way, just trying to describe it for your own info. Either type seems quite do-able.

GBRs are a whole different ballgame, being cichlids and very, very sensitive to their water. Of course they are quite beautiful fish! But as cichlids they need more space I think. Killis you'd have to get more specific as there are tons of types and many have very different characteristics. Some only live for a single "season" (year?) I believe.. obviously I do not hava a card to the killifish association! Good luck!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Rediahs]

I don't like the betta idea just because you have shrimp and, as you said, they sometimes eat them.... it's not always just an expensive snack either! Sometimes it means the death of your betta... I know this from experience. I personally had a betta with some shrimp and he ignored them for about 2 weeks, then one day decided to snack on one, got it halfway down his throat, we couldn't remove it..., he couldn't get it down his throat and he couldn't spit it back up, so he choked on it and died.

 

[OldMan47]

I have some sparkling gouramis and find them delightful but they are not big enough to be a centerpiece fish. To me they most look like an iridescent version of a female betta. They are quite small for a gourami, the same shape and fin shape as a female betta and are not much more active than a betta. I really love mine but they are not centerpiece fish.

 

[natalie265]

I was also put off from dwarf gouramis from rumors of their ill health. Supposedly honey gouramis tend to be healthier, so i went w/a male/female pair for my 30 gallon tank. They are beautiful fish, but the male bullies the female quite a bit. I'm not sure if i just got an extra aggressive male, but if i had this pair in only 10 gallons, i think my female might be harassed to death. Two females might be safer.

 

[OneOnion]

ok thanks for all the replies, I might just stick with the Dwarf Gourami but I have one more question. Does the dwarf gourami sickness infect other fish/inverts? Thanks.

 

[shane87]

i had 2 corys 2 dwarf honey gouramis 4 neons and a male betta and all the betta did was chase the gouramis, i moved them out to my new tank along with the corys but then had to move the corys bk and all he did was attack my corys , the blue and orange striped dwarf gouramis are beautiful try them

 

[waterdrop]

No, without doing a search.. I remember that someone, probably many more than that, has posted the particulars of the disease which if I remember right was a virus but its specific to the dwarf gouramis (actually a quick search shows it was probably the "Dwarf gourami iridovirus")... other tropicals are not susceptible.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OneOnion]

No, without doing a search.. I remember that someone, probably many more than that, has posted the particulars of the disease which if I remember right was a virus but its specific to the dwarf gouramis (actually a quick search shows it was probably the "Dwarf gourami iridovirus")... other tropicals are not susceptible.

~~waterdrop~~

Ok, thank you. I will just take a chance with Dwarf Gouramis then.

 

[keenonfish]

Dwarf Gourami's are a great centrepiece with lots of character I added two recently and their feeler fins have grown back (they were not present when I picked them up) and they seem very healthy. Just make sure your source is good and your tank is very mature!

 

[waterdrop]

Dwarf Gourami's are a great centrepiece with lots of character I added two recently and their feeler fins have grown back (they were not present when I picked them up) and they seem very healthy. Just make sure your source is good and your tank is very mature!

Yes, excellent comment there and what a beautiful Dwarf in your avatar!

It would be a great plan if the OP can have the patience to enjoy the black neon shoal for a few months and the obtain the centerpiece dwarves after the tank is 4 to 6 months mature. This would give the new gouramis better chance of resisting any minor infections they might have picked up in the stressful transport process.

~~waterdrop~~