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Stocking a Peaceful Community Tank
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Stocking a Peaceful Freshwater Community Tank
The choices below are arranged by tank size, obviously those listed for the smaller tank would be suitable for the larger tanks and appreciate more space, but not vice versa! All tanks should have completed the nitrogen cycle beforehand and all fish listed are tropical fish so require a heated tank.
The fish listed are considered entirely peaceful. They will not eat or bully tank mates. Some may show a tendency to fin nip however if kept in too small a group or kept with slower fish. It must also be born in mind that larger fish, no matter how peaceful, may still consider much smaller fish as a meal, even if they're known for being vegetarian! Always research fish species extensively before purchase.
Under 10 US Gallons (37.9L)
See Stocking a 10 Gallon Tank and Stocking a 5 Gallon Tank.
15 US Gallons (56.8L) plus
- Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)
Neons are peaceful and common shoaling fish. In order to have a healthy group they should be kept in a minimum of 6-8 individuals. Smaller groups will be shy and withdrawn and may turn to nipping at tank mates. In a 15-20 US Gallons (56.8-75.7L) a maximum of 8-10 should be considered. They are mid to top dwelling fish and kept with other peaceful fish will not shoal tightly together and will spread throughout the tank.
- Glowlight Tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus)
The Glowlight has exactly the same needs as the Neon Tetra, in fact it looks very similar but is minus the bold blue markings and has a red lateral stripe rather than blue. In this size tank a group of 6-10 would be suitable and, like the Neon, will not shoal tightly when it's secure in its own environment.
- Green Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon simulans)
The Green Neon Tetra is the opposite of the Glowlight Tetra. It lacks the red horizontal band but has a strong lateral green/blue iridescent band from the nose to the caudal peduncle. Like the Glolights and Neons, they're happiest in groups and otherwise have very similar care needs.
- Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi)
The Cardinal Tetra is like an over-sized Neon Tetra, instead of having the red colouring on only half the body, on the Cardinal it extends from the gill plates to the caudal fin. They are larger than Neons but have the same care needs, to be in a shoal of 6 or more in a laterally spacious tank.
- Otocinclus (Otocinclus sp)
Otos (usually Otocinclus macrospilus, Otocinclus mariae or Otocinclus vittatus) are some of the smallest of the Pleco family available in the pet trade. These tiny suckermouth catfish are sociable, and best kept in groups of 3 or more. They are excellent little algae eaters, but will only eat some soft algaes, they will not touch hair algae or tough green spot algae. They benefit from bogwood being present and will need supplementary feeding of sinking algae wafers and blanched vegetables. These little fish are almost always wild caught and can be very delicate, they should only be added to mature tanks at least 6 months old. They often have a fairly poor survival rate in captivity.
- Pitbull Pleco (Parotocinclus jumbo)
This is a small and entirely peaceful Pleco that may get mislabelled as Otocinclus. Like Otos, they're happiest in groups and will eat some soft algaes, and also be supplemented with algae wafers and blanched vegetables. Should happily cohabit with other peaceful similar sized fish without any problems. They are at risk of being eaten by larger fish though.
- Harlequin Rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha)
With similar shoaling habits to the Neon Tetra, the Harlequin is a popular alternative to Tetras. It is entirely peaceful and best in groups of 6 or more. It is mid-top dwelling and its orange colouration is quite striking against a green planted backdrop.
- Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)
A very common and well loved fish. The fancy males, with their long colourful fins, are a popular choice. These are very prolific livebearers and females should be kept with caution, even without males present they can still give birth if they were kept with males at the breeders or at the store. For a worry-free tank, keep males only. In a group of 4-5 plus they should not worry each other. They are active fish and appreciate lateral swimming room, however, the long-tails of fancies mean they cannot be kept in tanks with strong currents.
- Threadfin Rainbowfish (Iriatherina werneri)
An interesting alternative to more well known shoaling fish. The Threadfin is very distinctive to look at and entirely peaceful. It's best to keep 1 male to 2-3 females, more than one male to a tank is advisable as this is when they show their best colours as they show off towards each other. They shouldn't fight. Due to their long fins it's best they're not kept with anything that may even slightly nip such as Tetras.
- Cherry Barb (Puntius titteya)
The Cherry Barb is one of the more peaceful of the Barb family. Unlike it's notoriously nippy cousin, the Tiger Barb, the Cherry will generally be fairly oblivious to tank mates as long as they're kept in a good group, several females to a male are recommended, a minimum of 6 individuals makes for a good group. They shouldn't be nippy, but do not keep with very long finned fish just in case!
- Marbled Hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata strigata)
This Hatchetfish is entirely top-dwelling, the same as its other Hatchetfish cousins. It is entirely peaceful and must be kept in groups of 6 or more, smaller groups will leave the fish stressed and far more likely to jump. Speaking of jumping, these guys are pros and a tank with Hatchets must have a very secure lid with no holes at all, and be wary when you have the lid open for routine maintenance too! They work well with mid-bottom dwelling fish and should really be kept as the only top-dweller.
- Dwarf Pencilfish (Nannostomus marginatus)
The Dwarf Pencilfish is small and peaceful and an interesting alternative to Tetras. It's not strictly shoaling but does better with others of it's own kind, keep in groups of at least 3-4 or more. They are tiny and shouldn't be kept with much larger or boisterous fish.
- Dwarf Gourami (Colisa lalia)
A well known Gourami that must be bought with caution. They are known to carry their own virus, the Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus, any tanks with sick fish should be avoided, and any fish shipped from Asia should definitely be avoided. Apart from that, a male alone, or a male/female pair would be fine in a 15-20 US Gallons (56.8-75.7L). Do not keep two males as they will fight. They are otherwise peaceful fish who occupy the mid-top levels of the tank.
The Honey Gourami is a colourful addition to a small community tank. They are generally peaceful, but two males can be aggressive to one another. It's best to keep either a single male, a single female or a male/female pair, in 15-20 US Gallons (56.8-75.7L) you could keep one male and several females. Due to their long ventral fins, they should not be kept with nippy fish and should not be mixed with other Gourami species.
- Bronze Corydora (Corydoras aeneus)
Also commonly seen in albino, this is one of the most well known Corydoras. They get to around 2.5" (6.4cm) and in a 15-20 US Gallons (56.8-75.7L) only 3-4 should be kept. They must be kept with others of their own kind however as they love company of their own and will bumble around the bottom of the tank scavenging for food and will not bother tank mates.
- Sterbai Cory (Corydoras sterbai)
An attractive spotty Corydora also often seen and a good alternative to the Bronze Corydora. It stays a little smaller than the Bronze at 2" (5.1cm) and also must have company of it's own kind, again 3-4 in a 15 US Gallons (56.8L), more in larger tanks.
- Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus)
Another common and popular livebearer, the Platy is a good colour choice for an aquarium. Selectively bred with many colours now available including orange and blue. Like other livebearers, they are very prolific, to stop overstocking with unwanted fry, keep males only. They should not bother other tank mates.
- Forktail Rainbowfish (Pseudomugil furcatus)
An attractive alternative to other small groups of fish. Should be kept in groups of their own kind, 5-6 in a 15 US Gallons (56.8L). Males should be kept in similar ratios as with livebearers as males will show some aggression towards one another. Avoid keeping with long-finned fish but should be fine with other fish like Tetras.
Stocking Suggestions
In this size tank it's recommended to consider one group of shoaling fish, with a small group of bottom dwellers and one (or a pair) of centrepiece fish. For example:
- 6 Neon Tetras
- Male/Female Dwarf Gouramis
- 3-4 Bronze Corydoras
Or a variation on that. For a first community tank this would be ideal. Once you become more experienced variations on this can be considered.
20 US Gallons (75.7L) plus
- Zebra Danio (Brachydanio rerio)
Often marketed for much smaller tanks, these very active fish really need as much lateral swimming space as possible. They should be kept in groups of 6 or more, smaller groups may result in them turning to fin nipping and bothering tank mates. They are mid-top dwelling and shouldn't be kept with slower moving mid-top dwellers like Gouramis as their active nature could be bothersome. Zebras are ideal for a highly-active community.
- Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox)
An active mid-swimming peaceful shoaling fish. Keep this Rainbowfish in groups, more females than males. They should not bother tank mates, but do not keep with very long-finned fish. They are otherwise entirely peaceful and a good alternative to Tetras and Rasboras. Do well in planted tanks.
- Rummynose Tetra (Hemigrammus rhodostomus)
A larger Tetra that must be in groups of 5-6 or more. Will mostly occupy the mid-bottom levels of the tank and can be sensitive to water quality, so regular water changes and mature tanks are a must. An otherwise peaceful active fish provided it's kept in a good shoal.
- Kuhli Loach (Pangio kuhlii)
An unusual and popular eel-like fish, the Kuhli Loach is entirely bottom dwelling and requires a soft sand or small soft gravel substrate in which to burrow. They must be in groups of 4-5 or more, otherwise they'll be so shy they'll never be seen. They are oblivious to tank mates and due to their slender size to not offer much in the way of mess in terms of bioload. Can uproot live plants.
- Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus sp.)
One of the smaller Plecos, they will generally grow to 4"-5" long, and quite chunky with it. These Plecos are primarily vegetarian (but won't turn their noses up at meaty foods or dead tank mates either!) and will graze on some soft algaes. Bogwood is an essential part of their diet as it will aid their digestion. They are one of the more sociable of the Plecos and will tolerate others of their own kind - although in smaller tanks only one male is recommended. These should not be added as "cleaners", all Plecos are messy animals and will mess up a tank rather than clean it. A healthy Pleco should be constantly pooping! So because of this, any tank with a Pleco must be VERY well filtered.
Stocking Suggestions
This size tank should be stocked carefully also, and always bear dimensions in mind! You can still go with the basic one shoal/some bottom dwellers/centrepiece option though, just a couple more shoalers would work, a stocking example could be:
- 6 Rummynose Tetras
- 1 Bristlenose Pleco
- 1 Male Dwarf Gourami
- 2 Female Dwarf Gouramis
30 US Gallons (113.6L) plus
- Upside-Down Catfish (Synodontis nigriventris)
This is one of the smaller and most well known Synodontis. It is an active mid-bottom dweller that will characteristically swim entirely upside down. They are sociable fish and must be kept in groups of 4-5 or more, in smaller groups they may be nippy and one will become dominant. They should not be kept with smaller fish but will be peaceful towards other larger peaceful community fish. They are active swimmers that require plenty of space as well as hiding places.
- Emerald Catfish (Brochis splendens)
The Brochis Catfish looks like a giant Bronze Cory. They get to around 4" (10.2cm) (sometimes a little larger), and like the Bronze Cory are happiest in schools of their own kind. They will not bother any tank mates and keep to themselves. Due to their larger size, they do better in larger tanks than the Bronze Cory.
- Congo Tetra (Phenacogrammus interruptus)
An attractive and popular larger Tetra, the Congo does well in a group of at least 5 or more. They are very pretty fish with long flowing tails which rules them out from being kept with anything that may fin nip. They are mid-top dwelling active fish that do well in a long tank with a good mix of open swimming space and hiding places in tall plants.
- Glass Catfish (Kryptopterus bicirrhis)
An interesting fish with an entirely transparent body. This catfish gets approximately 3-6" (7.6-15.2cm) in length so requires a spacious tank. They can be pretty shy so must be in groups of at least 4-5 or more. They should cohabit peacefully with similar sized peaceful fish, but will be bullied by more boisterous fish. Does not cope in strong currents or very bright lighting, does best in densely planted mature tanks.
55 US Gallons (208.2L) plus
- Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus)
These are popular large bottom-dwelling fish. They are very large growing, at around 12" (30.5cm) and a final tank size of over 100 US Gallons (378.5L) should be considered. Despite their large size, they grow slowly, it will take several years for them to reach their full potential, so can be kept in smaller housing of around 55 US Gallons (208.2L), but this should only be temporary. Like most common Loaches, they are very sociable and must be kept in groups of at least 3-4 or more. They are bottom dwelling and ideally should be the only bottom-dwellers. They may eat small fry but are otherwise oblivious to tank mates as long as they have company of their own kind.
- Boesemani Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani)
A very colourful larger Rainbowfish. These are sociable fish and are best in groups, with more females per males, but keeping several males will result in the best colour displays. They shouldn't be kept with much smaller fish nor with very long-finned fish. They are active mid-swimming fish that do well in planted tanks with open swimming space.
- Common Pleco (Hypostomus plecostomus)/(Pterygoplichthys pardalis)/(Hypostomus punctatus)
The Common Pleco is technically a common name for 3 very similar looking species, only an experienced eye can differentiate them. This fish is often sold as a "cleaner" for smaller tanks, trouble is it grows over 12" (30.5cm) and is therefore only suitable for very well filtered larger tanks. They are generally oblivious to tank mates and will busy themselves grazing on bogwood. They are, however, territorial towards other Plecos so only one Pleco to a tank! They should be supplemented with blanched vegetables and sinking algae wafers, they may also nibble on other meaty foods like bloodworm that's been put in for tank mates. Do not keep with very small fish or fish that may fin nip. They are primarily nocturnal so need plenty of gloomy hiding places and will be most active and be more likely to feed at night.
