Mike’s Fish Tank – Community Fish

A lot of people ask me what fish get along with other fish. Community fish like most tetras, dwarf gouramis, mollies, platies, cory cats, swordtails, guppies, rasboras, danios, plecos and most of the barbs are usually are good community fish. A lot of the barbs, bigger gouramis, sharks and some loaches can be more aggressive. The redtail sharks are the most aggressive, although sometimes they are fine. The Bala, {tricolor} and Irridescent sharks are the most community. Of the barbs, the tiger barbs are the worst as far as aggressiveness, but things like the gold barb, green tiger barb, and the checkered barbs are usually fairly community. The only danio that can be a little nippy are the giant danios. The rainbowfish are almost always community and they like to school, so they look nice when there are several in a tank. Some of the bigger catfish, like the shovelnose or red tail may not be community when they get bigger because they’ll eat small fish. They have huge mouths and can swallow up smaller fish no problem. So if you buy a baby, be ready because it will become a big fish. The same holds true for tinfoil barbs. Most stores sell the small version but they also become very big and may eat small fish. keep in mind that even the guppy or dalmation molly can become a bully. Any fish, no matter how community it is can become aggressive.

It is somewhat rare but can happen. Agressiveness is sometimes based on tank size. Community fish are more apt to quarrel with each other in a 5 gallon tank or a 10 gallon tank that is overcrowded. Put a bunch of semi aggressive fish in a 75 gallon tank and you may not see any aggression.
When it comes to aggressive fish, the fish farms recommend 1 oscar by itself. You may think that after several years of 2 or 3 oscars doing well together that you are safe. That may not be true. I have had quite a few people tell me that 2 oscars lived together for 5 years and one day they come home and one oscar is all beat up and dead. Agressive fish are hard to predict. Things like devils, dempseys, convicts, parrots, and pacus may be fine for awhile and then one decides he’s the leader and the fighting starts. Again, if your tank is 125 gallons or more, you may be safe. If they all have a lot of room, the aggression
is subdued

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