The trickiest part towards setting up a thriving community aquarium is finding the perfect tank mates that would get along with each other. Certain species can be pretty hostile but there are others which are docile, friendly type of fish that would tolerate each others unique behavior without harming or causing havoc to the community setup.
There are different ideas coming from individual hobbyist with certain arguments about the best setup one should have. But for me, as long as you observe to ensure that your fish does not end up fighting and the tank setup is large enough to accommodate every species, then things should be fine.
Before we start, first thing first that I would like to stress and remind a newbie to take note is that, never ever get deceived by the appearance or size. For example, fish like the tiger barb although do not grow up to very large, but however they are actually very good with their fin-nipping antique. And so, without further ado, let’s look at some suggestions which I have in mind which has proven well working for me over the years.
From the list below, you will find that I have taken into consideration to combine the large and small species together, community fish that fills every depth of the aquarium from bottom, middle to the top and finally different color mix.
6 Neon Fish (also known as neon tetra)
2 Dwarf Gourami
1 Clown Loach
3 Platy (1 male, 2 females)
3 Zebra Danios
1 Peaceful Betta (Betta imbellis)
1 Kribensis Cichlids (Rainbow Crib) – Close observation needed. Remove immediately if it shows signs of aggression.
Alternatively you can also use 2nd combination which I would suggest trying out as well.
6 Pencilfish
3 Albino Corydoras Catfish
3 Male Guppies
2 Freshwater Clams
4 Hatchet Fish (can be silver or marbled type)
1 Pearl Gourami - make sure your tank is at least 80 gallons and above as the fish can grow up to very large size. I would suggest you add this fish as the final addition with close observations whether they can adapt well without harming others
There are different ideas coming from individual hobbyist with certain arguments about the best setup one should have. But for me, as long as you observe to ensure that your fish does not end up fighting and the tank setup is large enough to accommodate every species, then things should be fine.
Before we start, first thing first that I would like to stress and remind a newbie to take note is that, never ever get deceived by the appearance or size. For example, fish like the tiger barb although do not grow up to very large, but however they are actually very good with their fin-nipping antique. And so, without further ado, let’s look at some suggestions which I have in mind which has proven well working for me over the years.
From the list below, you will find that I have taken into consideration to combine the large and small species together, community fish that fills every depth of the aquarium from bottom, middle to the top and finally different color mix.
6 Neon Fish (also known as neon tetra)
2 Dwarf Gourami
1 Clown Loach
3 Platy (1 male, 2 females)
3 Zebra Danios
1 Peaceful Betta (Betta imbellis)
1 Kribensis Cichlids (Rainbow Crib) – Close observation needed. Remove immediately if it shows signs of aggression.
Alternatively you can also use 2nd combination which I would suggest trying out as well.
6 Pencilfish
3 Albino Corydoras Catfish
3 Male Guppies
2 Freshwater Clams
4 Hatchet Fish (can be silver or marbled type)
1 Pearl Gourami - make sure your tank is at least 80 gallons and above as the fish can grow up to very large size. I would suggest you add this fish as the final addition with close observations whether they can adapt well without harming others
