Fancy tailed guppys are very colorful and easy to keep. You can have all males if you want (they have larger "tails" then the females and are generally more colorful) If you want to mix females and males I would reccomend 3 females to 1 male ratio. Gouramis are also colorful and have nice fins.I would only keep the dwarf variety in a 10 gal.German rams are also very colorful and have the nice fins. And I find that larger tanks (10gal>) are a little easier to care for. You have more room for maintainance, and can keep more fish. The only problem the bigger the tank the more $$$. You need bigger filters, heaters, more gravel , decoratinos/plants etc. Also the stands are more expensive. Their are some $$$ saving tips I can suggest. For one thing check the for sale section of your classifieds for used set ups or tanks. Another possibility are schooling fish,neon/cardinal/glowlight tetras, harlequin rasorbas. Barbs are also quite colorful but most are semi-agressive so other mates have to be compatible. Hope this helps.

here are some suggjestions that i like....hopefully you will to.
dwarf puffer.needs a little more care than most fishes so research them.
killiefishes...pairs only as community life stresses them.
1 and i reapeat 1!! angelfish maybe but i wouldnt go for an angelfish unless you have a 20 gallon tank.
Corydoras catfish...very hardy and long lived. need to be kept in groups of 3 or more.

Some ideas on aquascaping. collect rocks from a local creek just make sure they have no veins of metal ore....rinse the rocks and boil them for 30 min each. then let them cool and there ready. easy plants you could try are java fern and java moss. I hope that helps you

You will need to "cycle" your 10 g tank before putting any animals in it. That means you need to hook up your filter and let it run for about 3 weeks first. The filter needs time to grow bacteria which converts animal waste into something less harmful. I mention this because typically, smaller tanks to not have hang on back filters.

I am just getting started in this too and am having lots of fun. I have tadpoles and shrimp together and I just got some freshwater clams. I want to start breeding the ghost shrimp.

bacteria won't grow in the media if there is no resident in the tank. Beneficial bacteria needs a food source - which essentially evolves from waste.

Dwarf gouramis are quite pretty - but won't necessarily have flowing fins. Neon gouramis are very beautiful, but I'm partial to honey gouramis. Chocolate gouramis are also pretty (if you can find them).

But if you want fun in the tank get some cory cats. They'll keep you laughing. :)

I echo the suggestion for killifish and for rams.

You might also look at apistogrammas...colorful, relatively peaceful little cichlids with fascinating spawning behavior!

You can do a "fishless cycle" on the new tank. Especially if you have allready established betta tanks that are using some sort of filtration. The fishless cycle will allow you to grow the beneficial bacteria on your filter, gravel, rocks and decorations. This allows you to slowly stock the tank with minimum chance of ammonia or nitrite poisoning. The fish will stand a better chance in the new environment.You will need test reagents for this. I would reccomend the aquarium pharmaceuticals master test kit it has the Ammonia,nitrite, pH, and now comes with the nitrate test. It is about $20.Also some detergent and additive free cleaning ammonia.

I would rather go for a 15 gal instead, the difference in price is minimal and most of it is in the tank per se, 10 gal tanks are manufactured with 3 mm glass while 15 gal are manufactured with 6 mm glass, also, a bigger tank is more stable.

Thank you all so very much for the insight.
Now I'll do some research before I make up my mind.
Btw,Woeisme you seem to know quite a bit about fish and aquariums. Why aren't you on DIY or one of the other home and garden stations? LOL. We could sure use you!
Chuckr30,it's great fun isn't it? Btw,is that Grand Rapids?
Thanks again everyone.
Grice

I keep most of my fish in 20 gallon long tanks which cost $24. The extra size makes keeping the water stable much easier and lets you keep a greater variety of fish.

Thanks for the compliment Grice. Most of the things I have learned are recent (last 2 years). When I moved from an area that water was supplied by the municipality to an area that uses private wells is when I had to learn the science part of it.(When I kept fish 20-25 years ago it was more of luck and of an art, lack of good info I guess and also alot of luck) Some of the info I had was a little outdated. I had a LOT of trouble starting up an aquarium. I just recently went through some of the plight that new aquarists face so its still fresh in the brain. I know it can be frustrating when your aquarium fails and results in sick or dead fish. Just trying to help out, kind of a way to pay back those that helped me.I love the forums for learning and opinion. The DIY is part of the fun and I love that part of this hobby. Most DIY stuff I may mention is not entirely my ideas but I sometimes modify other peoples for either cost or proficiency. I attached a link for another informative forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Another good forum

Well Woeisme,at the risk of sounding like a broken record,thank you again.
I think that's one of the great things about this life. We learn what we need as we need it and if we are smart,we pass along that learned knowledge to others. Another aspect of the great circle of life.
Thanks.
Grice