Hello all! I have been hemming and hawing over what to do with my 10 gallon. So far i have 1 male guppy and a mystery snail. I'm ready to take the plunge and get a couple more fish - but what kind, and how many? I don't think i want to deal with breeding and rising fry. I'd like to have an assorment of distinct looking types. Any suggestions?
Thanks! Dana.

how about 3 female guppies?

well - i'm not sure if i want to deal with breeding. I understand that guppies can be quite prolific. What happens if you leave the fry in the tank? Do they get eaten? Is that cruel and/or gruesome? Do males do ok together without a female? Could i get 2 more male guppies and also 3 of something else of a different size or shape - like 3 mollies? or 3 tiger barbs? or 3 dwarf gouramis?

male guppies are happy with females, I wouldnt get another male cause they might fight and I wouldnt suggest tigerbarbs. I think female guppies are ur best option, Im pretty sure they will eat their fry, its not cruel, thats just nature, sometimes petstores will also take fry.

ok - tiger barbs are now crossed off the list. Thanks for reassuring me about the fry eating. To be honest, i like the guppy guy i've got, but i'm looking for something else to add. What about a bristlenose plec? I've always likes those guys! Danios? Platys? Mollies? I think i like mollies. What about:

10 Gallon Community Tank

3 guppies (1 male + 2 females)
3 mollies (sexes?)
1 snail
1 brisltnose plec (male)

or

1 male guppy
3 cherry barbs
3 mollies
1 bristlenose plec
1 snail

With those quantities, your tank would be overstocked. A bristlenose pleco alone can get 4-6" easy. IMO he would be better off in a larger tank. Zebra danios are great, but they are also a schooling fish. All the types you mentioned are. I would say you could do 3-4 danios or mollies, plus the lone guppy and the snail. That would probly be ok. Keep in mind the ADULT size of the fish you are looking at. Plus snails are quite messy, so you would want to do frequent vacs and water changes. Just my

ok - no bristlenose. they're just so cute and useful! But ok - i'll wait for the dream tank for that one. Would Mollies be ok in a pair? what about corys? Maybe i could get 2 of each, and then i would still have a nice variety, and the corys could look after the bottom of the tank? I certainly don't want to be overstocked.

A pair of mollies would mean a fry drop ever 30-40 days. Cories need to be kept in quantities of 4 or more to feel secure. I have kept them in pairs or in 3's but they tend to be a lot happier in groups of 4+. Its pretty neat to watch them schoal as well. You could try 3 cories, your brig and the guppy. Or you can just keep all male guppies. Just keep an eye on your water params.

Thanks Kat! So nice to hear from you, btw! SO - i'm off to the lfs today to see what they've got! I made sure that i put away my 5 gallon so that nothing else would be able to tempt me, and i really hope that i don't fall in love with a goldie (is that even possible?) and that there will be some little trops to come home with me!

I have 5 male guppies together and they get along fine. Been that way for a few months now. They chase each other sometimes and do what looks like "play fighting" but none of them ever have any shredded fins or anything. So I'd say they are ok without a female.

Remember mollies need slightly brackish water in order to stay in optimum health. I know cories don't tolerate salt very well.

And yes it IS possible to fall in love with another goldy--I did! It doesn't mean you love your departed goldy any less--just means you just have a big heart.

well, just got back from the lfs, and i came home with 2 corys. That's all the corys they had, so that's what i got! They have been dubbed Corey Hart and Dora the Explorer - or Corey and Dora - for obvious reasons. They are now bag floating & waiting to get into their new home! They are pretty cool - almost translucent, with a little bit of iridesence around the gill plates. And they are so teeny! About half an inch! I look forward to seeing them grow.

Try an ID the cories you have, as mostly they like to be kept in groups of the same tyoe. Also the size cories grow to varies a lot. In regards to your lone male guppy, they like company and keeping all males is fine if it is a big enough number. Just hope you bought a small type of cory so you have room for a group of them and a group of guppies.

you could probably get a small shoal of tetras, that would work well with the fish that you already have, and they have a kinda calming effect.