Exotics lair
New Member
Give me list's of your favorite Canadian or us native fish that can be kept in a 10 gallon tank
What can I keep in my 10 gallon native aquarium
- Thread starter Exotics lair
- Start date
Rainbow shiners are native to North America, but south of you...
www.canada.ca
Rainbow Shiner (Notropis chrosomus) - Species Profile
Species summary for Rainbow Shiner (Notropis chrosomus)
nas.er.usgs.gov
Western Silvery Minnow (Hybognathus argyritis): COSEWIC assessment and status report 2017 - Canada.ca
COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Western Silvery Minnow (Hybognathus argyritis) in Canada 2017
Rainbow shiners get too large for a 10 gallon. And so do bluntnose minnows (rosey reds).
Unfortunately if you are in Canada, ALL other natives aside from those are off limits in majority of areas. Check with your province or state, but most places keeping natives, even ones deemed baitfish, is illegal.
If you had a larger setup, I'd go the rainbow shiner or rosey red route, but absolutely not for a 10 gallon.
If it was legal, I'd totally look into keeping brook sticklebacks, they're neat little fish. Alas, as an Ontarian, it is illegal for me to keep them. Though, probably could keep the invasive stickleback species, but it's not native, so unsure if that would rule it out for you or not.
Unfortunately if you are in Canada, ALL other natives aside from those are off limits in majority of areas. Check with your province or state, but most places keeping natives, even ones deemed baitfish, is illegal.
If you had a larger setup, I'd go the rainbow shiner or rosey red route, but absolutely not for a 10 gallon.
If it was legal, I'd totally look into keeping brook sticklebacks, they're neat little fish. Alas, as an Ontarian, it is illegal for me to keep them. Though, probably could keep the invasive stickleback species, but it's not native, so unsure if that would rule it out for you or not.
Exotics lair
New Member
Crustaceans also count
There's many Crayfishes that are pretty interesting, We had some purple and blue ones that where very cool and lived long lives in aquariums.
They where probably a variation of the common ones found around here.
They where probably a variation of the common ones found around here.
Exotics lair
New Member
Anything aquatic count's now
Everything, other than a few test tube and hybrid fish, is native to somewhere... but not many fish do well in a 10 gallon.
I have Heterandria formosa, from the southern US (so not natives for me) and they'd be fine in a 10.
I have Heterandria formosa, from the southern US (so not natives for me) and they'd be fine in a 10.
Mr Limpet
Fish Fanatic
Swamp darters, from the eastern US, grow to about 2” and are a lot of fun to watch.
To develop a thought - on an international forum like this, where the person reading you could be Australian, English, Indian, American, Indonesian, Canadian - the word "native" doesn't get you what you want. Most of the time, in our corner of the world, it means North American fish (since we're both in Canada), but a fish from Florida is as exotic and non native (to us) as a fish from Mexico. If we stick with the continental idea, guppies from the Caribbean are what you need.
You can buy US fish online, as you can buy Colombian or Congolese ones. As far as ones you can physically catch without crossing a border or going into another climate zone, there isn't one single fish in Canadian waters I'd keep in a 10. I assume if you want a fish, it's to watch its behaviour, and a ten is pretty cramped.
Sticklebacks, 4 species of darters, a couple of small Notropis shiners, Fundulus killies and Umbra limi can be kept in small tanks (15 to 20 gallons and up). That's assuming you aren't in Ontario, where that's illegal.
In my region of Canada, I can catch Fundulus diaphanous and heteroclitus. Every else here is larger, as is the norm for colder water. Darters never made it here after the last ice age.
It's wonderful to go to the habitats of these fish and just take a detailed look. You learn a lot, but the first lesson is that a 10 gallon is brutally inadequate. It's convenient for us, but awful for the fish. However, for native killies from Gabon and Cameroon, those tanks are great.
You can buy US fish online, as you can buy Colombian or Congolese ones. As far as ones you can physically catch without crossing a border or going into another climate zone, there isn't one single fish in Canadian waters I'd keep in a 10. I assume if you want a fish, it's to watch its behaviour, and a ten is pretty cramped.
Sticklebacks, 4 species of darters, a couple of small Notropis shiners, Fundulus killies and Umbra limi can be kept in small tanks (15 to 20 gallons and up). That's assuming you aren't in Ontario, where that's illegal.
In my region of Canada, I can catch Fundulus diaphanous and heteroclitus. Every else here is larger, as is the norm for colder water. Darters never made it here after the last ice age.
It's wonderful to go to the habitats of these fish and just take a detailed look. You learn a lot, but the first lesson is that a 10 gallon is brutally inadequate. It's convenient for us, but awful for the fish. However, for native killies from Gabon and Cameroon, those tanks are great.
I’d have to concur that most fish species will not do very well in a 10 gallon tank unfortunately.
A 10 gallon tank is fairly small and most if not all small fish can be kept in this size of a tank despite their diminutive size as generally speaking can be fast little fish and do require quite a bit of swimming space and any 10 gal tank just won’t be adequate for them to thrive am afraid.
Usually a single betta splenden is about the only fish that may be kept in a 10 gal tank but other than that, then depending on your water parameters I’d look to having a shrimps only set up.
Some of these shrimps set ups can truly be stunning and shrimps can be really fun to keep as they are very interesting and rewarding to keep to be honest.
Not sure if keeping shrimps is legal to keep in your part of the world but would certainly advise to do a bit more research into what can be kept in a 10 gal tank before committing to anything.
Don’t be too disheartened by the advice given so far and do keep up the good research work, you’ve already made a great start in asking more knowledgable members for advice.
A 10 gallon tank is fairly small and most if not all small fish can be kept in this size of a tank despite their diminutive size as generally speaking can be fast little fish and do require quite a bit of swimming space and any 10 gal tank just won’t be adequate for them to thrive am afraid.
Usually a single betta splenden is about the only fish that may be kept in a 10 gal tank but other than that, then depending on your water parameters I’d look to having a shrimps only set up.
Some of these shrimps set ups can truly be stunning and shrimps can be really fun to keep as they are very interesting and rewarding to keep to be honest.
Not sure if keeping shrimps is legal to keep in your part of the world but would certainly advise to do a bit more research into what can be kept in a 10 gal tank before committing to anything.
Don’t be too disheartened by the advice given so far and do keep up the good research work, you’ve already made a great start in asking more knowledgable members for advice.
Herpin Man
Fish Crazy
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For a ten gallon tank- unless you have access to something really interesting and small in your area- go to a bait shop and get a few fathead, aka “crappie” minnows.
Another option for a small tank would be gammarus or grass shrimp, if you have those in your area.
Another option for a small tank would be gammarus or grass shrimp, if you have those in your area.
Take 3 five gallons pail, go out to your favorite river, during the good season.
Bring home:
1 bucket with soil, rocks and wood
1 bucket of plants
1 bucket of water
Put everything in the tank in the most obvious order. wait until things settles a bit. Start filter.
And wait to see what will come out of that
Bring home:
1 bucket with soil, rocks and wood
1 bucket of plants
1 bucket of water
Put everything in the tank in the most obvious order. wait until things settles a bit. Start filter.
And wait to see what will come out of that
What part of Canada are you in? If you're more south where it gets warmer, you could go to a swamp and catch weird water bugs and a bunch of cool things. Just like what MaloK said random gunk from bodies of water sometimes contains some wacky stuff. Once my brother caught some minnows and a toe biter from a swamp just like that.
Actually that reminds me. There are some cool insects that work too. Water beetles are actually pretty neat. My son kept one last year. Named him Mini Muto because he looked like that monster Muto from the Godzilla series. Not overly difficult to care for either. He ate mealworms and crickets we fed him lol
Some macro photos of the one my kid found.
And a video
A tight lid would be recommended though. They can fly.
But hadn't even considered invertebrate options.
Some macro photos of the one my kid found.
And a video
A tight lid would be recommended though. They can fly.
But hadn't even considered invertebrate options.
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