What fish could live happily in a 10 gallon tank?

Is the tank cycled (and confirmed via liquid tests)?
Are you running a heater or is your water temp stable without one (temp)?
What type of filtration (gph / gallon per hour)?
Planted/non-Planted? If your thinking about going planted you may wanna check this > Small Planted Tank / Aquarium Setup Guide

Granted small tanks can be more difficult since there's less room for error, but with proper tank care/maintenance and monitoring for stability I've found they can be easier than most tend to think (easier in the sense that maint can be quicker due to smaller size when performing partials, requires less chemicals- dechlorinator/additives when planting).

Here's a couple links that might help ya with stocking>
Aquatic Fish Profiles - Tank Set Up (aquatic profile)
Fish Compatibility Chart (compatibility)

If you give me a better idea towards what you are leaning towards I can then help you narrow the list and give you a better idea of how many of this and/or that. It's all about creating a compatible balance!

Do any of these interest you (most you can find through searching the forum, if not you can google-images)?
>Fancy MALE guppy (male because you wouldn't have the room to handle breeding)
>Male Swordtail (possibly a longfin variety)
>Male Platy
>Male Moon's
>Male Molly's
>Male Betta Or female Bettas? (I don't recommend doing both..compatibility issues)
>Endlers
>Corydoras (dwarf/pygmy species)
>Otocinclus (if live plants)
>Dwarf Gourami (ie. Honey Gourami/Male Blue Turquiose)
>Smaller breeds of tetras (Neon Tetra, von rio tetra, F etc)
>a bit bigger tetra (Lemon Tetra, X-ray Tetra, Gold Tetra, Black Neon Tetra, Red Eye Tetra, Head & Tail Light Tetra, Bloodfin Tetra etc.)
>Harlequin Rasbora
>Cherry Barb
>Inpaichthys kerri
>Pencilfish
>threadfin rainbowfish
>pair of rams (german blue, etc)
>maybe shrimp? (cherry shrimp, yellow shrimp...smaller species)
>what about loaches? (kuhili)

 

Also, White Clouds might be good, and are fine without a heater.

 

I would have to say probably guppies! You can have about 10-15 wonderful looking guppies. if you are a good care taker you can try gouramis (app. 3-5 in a tank) , they are related to betta fish, so you cant put them with other fish type besides other gouramis.(you can put them with others, it is just that I don’t advise a beginner to try) there are opal gouramis and rainbow gouramis...etc.etc. Hope this might helps you.

 

15 guppies in a 10 gal would be maintenance from hell. Opals get too big for a 10 Dwarf gouramis are the only species for a 10 gal well maybe splashing gouramls my work. For a beginner start with 5 fish once the cycle is complete. This will get you used to maintaining the tank. After about 2 months you can add 1 fish at a time to limit 8 to 10 fish depending on size of fish.

 

to add to ursi, stay away from female livebearers..won't have room for the offspring and the births will muck with your parameters (ammonia). Males are usually more colorful anyways.

and to add to the earlier recom. I made:
Zebra Danios
Killifish (research first, certain species will be ok in small tanks..others clearly won't)
Snails

 

Licorice gourami?

 

never kept them, but will link you to foster and smith (recommends 20g min).

 

ah.. I thought maybe a 10 gal would be okay since they're so tiny, but I should know that fish size doesn't always determine tank size.

 

No one has mentioned shell dweller, a colony of multifasciatus would do just fine.

 

didn't think of that, good rec.
<--usually thinks of the things I've kept in the past at some point in time & haven't done shell dwellers ..YET

 

I started a colony in a 10, they have since been upgraded to a 20 long. They really are fascinating little fish.