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Funny Convict story: When I was a kid, we had a large cichlid tank which had an Oscar as the main star and other misc fish. Of course, we had a couple convicts in there and a huge shovel nose catfish. Well one of those convicts had it out for that catfish. Mom always caught him picking on the catfish and when she caught him doing it for the thousandth time, she warned him, “one day that catfish is gonna eat your onery a$$”. Well one day came. Mom was watching the tank and the convict, minding his own business, swam in front of that catfish and WHOOMP, convict was gone. Mom screeched and grabbed the net and thunked the catfish on the head a few times until he spit out the convict. That convict never nipped that catfish again. Lesson learned 😂
Wow! What a story! It's amazing that the Convict lived. Had your mom not been in front of the tank when it happened that Convict would have been a goner. Typical Convict behavior though. LOL! Thanks for sharing that, Sarah!
Keeping Chinese Algae Eaters in a community tank full of beautiful, slow-moving fish is part of one of the Circles of Hell, I believe. STRESS OVER THAT, AQUARIST
@@gladiatesolid5043 Very true! Bristlenose, Rubberlip, and Clown plecos make great alternatives to the Chinese Algae Eater. Although they produce a lot more waste, they have a much better temperament and are far more efficient at consuming algae. Great suggestions!
Back in the 90s, I worked at a PetSmart for years, and back then we had pretty good employees and a good selection of fish and supplies at a good price..FFWD to today and they are pretty much a joke for Fish hobbyists. It's sad to see, but like many chains, they start off great, then they go downhill due to corporate greed and stupidity.
When I was new to the hobby, I was mistakenly sold a Chinese Algae Eater as an Otocinclus. The thing grew huge and kept attacking all the other fish. To this day it is the most evil fish I've encountered.
I work at a pet store (pet supplies plus) I watch these videos to inform myself so i can inform my customers. (I’m the fish guy there) I make sure everyone knows how big the fish get and the temperament. We get tons of Plecos and Bala sharks donated to us all the time, so sad.
@@TheHeretic018 Of course, the only problem with skipping the rest of the video and only reading the list is that you don't know *why* each fish species is a terrible community aquarium fish or how to possibly keep them in a community setting while dealing with their bad traits. But I get it. I wouldn't want to use up your data plan. Thank you for at least checking out this video even if you didn't watch the entire thing. (I have shorter videos too by the way.) Blessings to you!
@singleton222 LOL! No worries, I wasn't offended. My reply was meant to be humorous. It's perfectly fine that @TheHeretic018 posted a list of all the fish covered in this video. That could be of service to people who have been in the hobby a while. The trick with having a channel like this is producing content that has something in it for both the novice fishkeeper and the seasoned aquarist. I've been in this hobby for over four decades now. Over the years I've gained a certain level of "expertise" (although I don't care for that word) and experience, but I know fully well that to be a good teacher one must be a lifelong learner. That's why I stated at the end of the video that this is just one man's opinion. The Aquatasy Countdown series is meant to be a conversation starter, not rules carved in stone. I want everyone to chime in with their own views and experiences. At the end of the day these videos are part instructional and part entertainment. I'm an entertainer (actor, visual effects artist, animator, voice-over performer) who is also an educator (college professor, lecturer, author, motivational speaker) and a has a lifelong fascination with tropical fish and the aquarium hobby. The one point I was making in my (apparently failed) humorous reply to @TheHeretic018 was that if people just read the list of fish names and don't watch the full video they won't understand why those particular fish were selected for the list or get the advice on how to successfully get them to fit into a community setting if possible. But if I honestly had a problem with that viewer posting a list of all the fish in the video I would have deleted their post. I didn't (that would have been sad and pathetic on my part). The whole purpose of this channel is to bind this fish tank community together, foster a sharing of ideas, and celebrate this hobby we're all hopelessly obsessed about. I really appreciate you watching and chiming in. I hope you'll check out the rest of the videos on this channel.
I work in a pet store and thankfully i knew about the majority of these and i am well known for making certain every animal in my care go to adequate home (my manager sometimes gets mad at me because i refuse to sell a certain animal to people i know will cause a scene because they dont have the proper set up but she knows i wouldnt refuse without a reason) one thing i did not know was #1 thank you so much for telling me🖤 in my store we simply call them algae eaters and theyre labled as having a 55gl as their min tank size. They dont sell very often and we usually only have 3 or 4. We house them with our smaller tiger barbs (usually we have no less then 6 or 7 at a time) and they are labled as semi aggressive. But knowing this i will definitely be warning people🖤 thank you thank you thank you🖤🖤🖤
I'm happy this video helped you out. And thank you for doing what you do. I wish more pet stores had people like you working in them. Housing the Chinese Algae Eaters with barbs is perfect. Good combo. And even though CAEs aren't the best algae eaters and can get ornery and territorial as they age, they can still be very useful scavengers in the right tank set-up. Thanks for leaving such a great comment!
@@Aquatasy I couldn't agree more about #1. My thoughts on the CAE is they shouldn't be allowed in the trade. They aren't just aggressive, they actively eat the slime coats of larger fish, eventually scooping off scales. I do appreciate the heads up on them though for the underinformed Aquatasy as everyone should be aware they are problem fish and do not belong in a community tank. When I had no choice but to sell them, I gave full warnings and made it abundantly clear we would not buy them back after they exceeded 3.5 inches. We sure sold lots of garlic infused food because of them, to help knock back those secondary infections when the super stubborn refused to take advice. When I was finally in a position to not carry them, I sure as hell didn't. There's nothing they can do at any size that a few otos or dwarf plecos couldn't. The big advantage to plecos was always that sharklike profile when the fins were up so even those who hated their mouths would usually come around. I never kept the CAE's in any community tank in retail, they got their own 10 gallon, no matter what any corporate big mouth would try to shove down my neck. Hell, they were always mad at me as store manager for a Petco because I refused to keep the octagon display tank for reptiles stocked with actual reptiles (I usually kept the chinchillas in there as the POG normally had them next to the octagon with the ferrets so they were always on the verge of stroking out, fucking corporate buffoons.). It was too close to the doors and my store was in Buffalo, NY. That's just far too many months each year to follow a Plan-O-Gram that had them 8 feet from the ice blast of air every time someone would enter our store. I even demanded the CEO come to town and used an infrared thermometer to show that bald dumbass why it was such a bad idea. The regional manager did all he could to get me fired after that. I stayed long enough to see him fired before I left to open my own fish store. A week after I was gone, the 10 gallon was broken down and the CAE's went back into the MarS system. Dumbasses became plural that day.
Wow! What a story! I can't even begin to fathom the hell you went through as a caring, well-informed person running a store for an uncaring, uninformed corporate entity like that. You deserve a medal for lasting that long. I hope your own fish store business has been successful. I'm guessing that the CAEs found in stores in the US are all wild caught. I doubt companies like Segrest Farms are breeding them commercially. So the best way to keep them out of the trade here in the States would be to ban the import of them.
@@Aquatasy Thanks for the kind words. I had to let my fish store go, I needed to care for family and couldn't do both. Sadly, the person I sold it to got wrapped up with drug abuse after marrying an addict. So, he let it just fall apart. I found a local hobbyist to buy all of his livestock and they continue to thrive in his basement fish room. In fact, he does a lot to supply local stores with his abundant breeders, he'll never have to pay for fish food or filter media for the rest of his life, lol, bless his heart. It took a lawsuit for one of the corporate "overlords" to make them stop euthanizing small animals in freezers. So change can happen, but sometimes you've got to be sneaky about it when the "overlord" is signing the paychecks. It turned out the PetCo I'd taken over had been scheduled for an early death, but the sales and average tickets went so high after I took the store, they couldn't justify closing it. That's why I hadn't been fired for refusing the POG as well. Less than 6 months after leaving, the store was gone. I have a history with three of the bigger corps, PetsMart, PetCo, of course and Pet Supplies "Plus" but it was PetCo that left me with the biggest scars. It took me years to get over the horrors and the complete blindness that company has towards livestock. I wish they'd just go strictly into hard goods, but even then, I'd still make a point of checking expiration dates.
Thank you so very much, Clarence, for your kind words. I truly appreciate it. I will definitely keep it up. In fact, there is already a follow-up to this video which you can find here... 9 Fish Species Mistakenly Sold As Tropical ua-cam.com/video/LDmFqOe1Q6Y/v-deo.html Thanks for watching and leaving a comment. I hope you'll keep watching Aquatasy. Blessings to you!
I have been keeping puffers for years, I've done several species of them but I always go back to the pea puffers. I don't know why, but I am always drawn back to them. I have had to tell so many people that they CAN NOT have puffers in community tanks. No, not even the cute little ones I have. Don't do it, they also produce so much waste, and they will attack your hands if you touch the water or go to clean the graveyard of snail shells out from the tank. But they are never mentioned on videos like this, so thank you! Thank you for bringing up the community villain that I have fallen in love with, hopefully it helps!
Thank YOU, Nolan, for sharing your experiences with pea puffers. They are one of the big reasons I wanted to make this video. People who have never kept them really have no clue as to their true behavior. So again, thank you so much for leaving a comment. I really appreciate it!
@@Aquatasy I'm curious, when cleaning their tank do you just put up with the attacks or do you have a specialized cleaning method? I don't intend to get one, because I want a bit of low maintenance fish but I am curious about pea puffers.
Hah! Many, many years ago I had a 55G tank. I had guppies, mollies, swordtails, angel fish, Gouramis, jack dempseys, CONVICTS, a pair- yes, a pair of Bettas, and an Oscar. Everyone got along and the Bettas and convicts built bubble nests all the time. I guess ignorance is truly bliss - until Oscar got big and ate everybody else!
Wow! That's a great story, Deborah (apart from the Oscar eating everybody). It just goes to show you that there are exceptions to every rule. For every species I put on this list there is a way to keep them in some sort of "community" setting (even the Bucktooth Tetra, although it's the most difficult). Naturally, the idea behind this video was to inform people of possible issues trying to put these species in a general community tank because the pet stores never tell you these things. Thank you so much for leaving a comment and sharing your experiences. I truly appreciate it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not disputing anything you’ve said. I just did everything wrong from not checking if the fish I had actually got along to stocking the tank all at once and not cycling first. Yet they all lived until Oscar grew up! There was no YT back then ( did I just date myself?), now the info on the net is overwhelming, some good, some not so much.....,
No worries, I didn't think you were disputing me. I understood you were sharing your experiences which I enjoyed reading. That's what this channel is here for. I hope you'll keep watching and keep commenting.
I had a synodontis cat sold to me at a Petsmart when I was young and naive. "It'll be great for your tank," the employee said. "They don't get much bigger than this." 'Feathers,' though adorable, grew to be a foot long and took on a habit of chasing the rasboras out of the tank. Elderly guppies would up and vanish, as if spirited away by some sort of whiskered grim reaper. She also had a tendency to make a noise in the middle of the night that was like two balloons rubbing together, which drove the dogs crazy. After 6 years of Feathers' behavior getting increasingly more of a problem, my friend offered to house Feathers in her African cichlid tank. The week Feathers moved in, one of said cichlids appeared to have had its head bitten off. Luckily, Feathers has not had another incident since then (that we know of). She is still alive and well, though much bigger.
Wow! What a story! I'm glad that it sort of eventually had a happy ending, at least for Feathers (great name, by the way). But yikes! All the carnage along the way. Sadly, not all pet stores or even local fish stores fully understand the fish they are selling. Some species of Synodontis catfish make good community tank inhabitants. Upside-Down Catfish ( Synodontis nigriventris) are usually quite peaceful. Other species are aggressive and opportunistic. This is exactly why I have the Aquatasy channel, so that information like this gets out there and so that hobbyists and casual pet owners won't be in the dark. Thanks for sharing Feather's story! (So is Feather so named because she's a Featherfin Squeaker?)
You are so right, Frank. Not only do many of the employees at certain store location give out misinformation, the signage that the store chain places on each aquarium to describe the various species is often completely wrong. Fish that are intermediate level at best are labeled as beginner fish. Common plecos are purported to only get a few inches long. Since when is a foot and a half classified as "a few inches"?? I'm actually working on a video about how and when to intervene when you stumble across a pet store employee giving out completely inaccurate information to novice fishkeepers. Although I'm sorry you and your daughter got duped by your local Petsmart, I'm happy it worked out in the end and you now have such a terrific pet.
@@Aquatasy Intervene the moment you hear the chain store employee start to give misinformation. It's better for the owner and better for the animal, and fuck the store. I've actually found a not-inconsequential number of the employees were happy to learn the actual facts rather than what PetsMart has told them. I quit shopping the chain stores long ago because of that and how horribly they keep the animals even without giving inaccurate information.
@@Aquatasy > Yeah, I believe she was an African Featherfin, though she lacked the jagged fins. 'Feathers' referred to the shorter pair of 'feathered' whiskers below her mouth. I have another upside-down cat of a different species, named 'Pea Pod.' He has never once caused problems, aside from getting constipated early on, which was remedied by feeding him split (shelled?) peas. Since then, peas have become his favorite delicacy, hence his name. Looks-wise, he's very different from Feathers as well. I believe he's a nigriventris due to the very obvious 'armor' on his body. He is over seven years old and is a very good boy. He is a little ugly but I love him anyway.
0:34 lol I see what you did there Your content is perfect for people that are new to the hobby, you seem like a seasoned fish keeper unlike many channels that try to educate with their poor knowledge. keep it up!
Why golly, Richard, I have no idea what you're talking about. LOL! You have sharp eyes. Actually, you're the first person to catch the little hidden joke in that shot. I've used it in several videos now and nobody except you has commented about it. Thank you for the compliments, by the way. As you've guessed, I have been at this hobby since I was 12 years old. I've been fascinated with fish my entire life. But I'm not a "know-it-all". I always take the approach that if one is going to be a teacher one must also be a lifelong learner. That's why Aquatasy exists, so we can all share what we know and all get better at something we love.
"I challenge you to find any other freshwater aquarium fish that is as cute as the pea puffer" Me: hold my Cory Catfish no actually don't. put it back in the tank where it belongs but challenge accepted none the less here they are.
LOL! I hear yah. Cories are pretty darned cute, especially the Panda Cory. Oh, and the Pygmy Cory too. Darn it! You win this time, but we will meet again. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment. I really appreciate it.
You're welcome! Happy to hear you enjoyed this video. Yes, I always try to inject a little humor into my videos. I believe humor is one of the best methods for teaching. You put people at ease with the humor and it helps them remember things better. If you are new to the Aquatasy channel, my "day job" is that I am an actor, visual effects artist, animator, voiceover performer, and comedian. Fish tanks are what keep me sane when working in the crazy world of film, television, games, commercials, and stand-up. So you'll find aspects of my day job (especially the comedy) spilling over into my videos. If you liked this video there is a follow-up to it called "9 Fish Species Mistakenly Sold As Tropical" and I'm working on a new Aquatasy Countdown video right this very moment. If you want some straight up humor you can check out my videos "Living With MTS", "Are You Okay?", and "Revenge of the Aquatasy Blooper Reel". Thank you for watching and leaving such a nice comment. Hope you'll keep commenting. Blessings to you!
Yeah, I had asked my mom to pick up a Panda Cory if the store had any and she brought home two tetras and a Golden Chinese algae eater. His name is Noodle.
Make sure Noodle gets plenty of protein in his diet, especially as he ages, so that he doesn't at some point take out his protein cravings on your other fish.
Great video, this very true I have a Chinese algie and it's constantly bullying my beta fish. . . After watching this video I'm definitely going to remove him and add him to my other tank with bigger fish.
I have a crazy random wild community fish tank (125G), all mix (aggressive to non agressive) but I have them sin they were small as a baby to experiment how they all grow up together.
+Elvis Santana That sounds like a wise move.Like I said in the video, Chinese Algae Eaters can be fun fish to own, but they turn into real bullies when they get older. If you have a tank with bigger fish in it that would be a better setting. Thanks for leaving a comment!
Aquatasy yes, if you would like send me your email that way I send you a small video. The only fish I had to remove was my koi, yes I said koi fish it got to big that it eat 1 one fish.
Andrew............This is the Most Thoroughly enjoyable Aquarium video I have ever watched.......Thankyou so much for sharing your special talent...........and superb advice.
This was a great video. Your voice cadence was mesmerizing - I thought I was watching some expensive-slickly-produced video. I hate to admit it, but I agree with 9 out 10. (I've never had a mean gourami) I would put Balas at #1 and add Clown loaches - too big, too active, need a bunch. As for balas, the only way I think is ok to keep them is a group of 20 (or more!) in a giant circular aquarium with a strong current akin to public aquarium saltwater displays. If ever a fish was born to run, its a bala.
+Catfish Cave I'm blown away by your compliments.Thank you! No big studio production. Just me in my home office / fish room sitting at my computer. But to be completely honest, this is the sort of thing I do for a living. Been an actor for decades, both on camera and behind a microphone. The other half of my career is visual effects & animation for feature films, television, games, commercials, etc. So I have a bit of experience. Which is not to say I got all that voice-over down perfectly on the first take. It took a few tries...more than I care to admit. LOL! I truly appreciate your comments. I also agree with you regarding clown loaches, and I love your idea of a circular bala shark tank. Thay would be impressive!
I'm a Clown Loach community Fan. In 30 years I've never found a Clown Loach to cause a nuisance. I've regularly found fry growing out in my tanks untouched by the biggest Clowns, which is amazing. They must be eating some, but definitely not hunting them all down. Red Cherry shrimp are now living with my Clowns too. Who would have guessed?
I've never had them be a nuisance either. Too big, too active, need a bunch - meaning they need a BIG tank. Now add in other fish... so BIG tank. Not your usual community tank for beginners. Let the beginners start with a zebra loach.
This video was very informative. As a novice the information was useful. You also have appealing style of presentation and videography. Much appreciated, Jim
Thank you, Jim! I'm so glad this video was helpful and entertaining for you. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment. I hope you'll take a moment to check out the other videos on this channel. Blessings to you!
lol i got a golden one unknowlingly; had him for six monthes now. No problems yet... Another youtuber said ever since he started feeding his carnivorous bottom feeder pellets hes had no problems over years. Before the pellets he went for the gouramis slime coat... i got the pellets now and he loves them; leaves my silver hatchets, rasboras and golden tetras and golden mystery snails alone so far.
lol i got a golden one unknowlingly; had him for six monthes now. No problems yet... Another youtuber said ever since he started feeding his carnivorous bottom feeder pellets hes had no problems over years. Before the pellets he went for the gouramis slime coat... i got the pellets now and he loves them; leaves my silver hatchets, rasboras and golden tetras and golden mystery snails alone so far.
My pleasure, Jess. You really do have to watch it with Convict Cichlids in a community setting, especially a breeding pair. A single fish might be okay depending upon the size of the tank and the tank mates you choose. Honestly though, they are better off in their own dedicated aquarium. Fun and easy fish to keep otherwise!
I keep Blue and Gold Gouramies in my Water Lily pots in my garden here in Thailand, they share the pots with guppies, platies and 1 large pleco per pot. No problems with these communities. The only problem for the gouramies is they sometimes chase each other, and jump out, where they quickly become food for either my cats or the local ant population, if I don't find them first. Sometimes if we have heavy rain i can catch stranded 3 spot silver gouramies in my road, along with snakeheads, climbing perches and a sort of silver fish called "pla sil" by the Thais (it has wings like a flying fish, and is a great jumper).
Thank you! I've been keeping fish since I was a kid too. I've managed to maintain at least one tank since I was 12 years old. Currently have six tanks set up in the house.
Jack Dempsey. The shop told me he was on his own because he was just coming out of quarantine. This was 30 years ago now. I had never even heard of one but the colour is so vivid you could be forgiven for thinking it was a marine fish. Popped him in the tank with my Cichlids. Next morning I got up to complete devastation. Some of the fish in there were 5 times it's size. All dead or dying. That was the wife's fault "Aww, look at him all on his own. Can we have him? can we. Can we..... blah blah. :D Pretty, but psychotic. - the dempsey - not the wife (although now I say it) :D
Oh my gosh, Gary! That's a fish tank horror story if ever I heard one. (I have an old video called "My Favorite Fish Tank Horror Story" you can check out if you like.) Yes, the Jack Dempsey is an incredible looking fish. Stunning colors. No wonder your wife was captivated by it in the store. Sadly, not all of us know our sports history and know who Jack Dempsey (this species' namesake) was: a brutally powerful and cunning boxer who would have scared the snot out of even Mike Tyson back in his heyday. You live and learn, right? So do you still have that fish? (Hopefully you still have the wife.)
@@Aquatasy Thanks. "My Favorite Fish Tank Horror Story" is next on my list after I type this. Yup, 38 years for me and the wife this year. Our youngest recently received her ten year service medallion (UK Police) ........ amateur :D Shamefully, I am a boxing fan and did ask the assistant if the name had any meaning regarding aggression. I can be a bit naive sometimes. Like you rightly say, you live and learn. I'm sure this channel will help me avoid anymore pitfalls. Good job BTW. I'm an ex broadcast cameraman/editor. I KNOW how much work goes into it.
Congrats on the long marriage! My wife and I have been married for 25 years and have known each other for 30 (which means she had five years of fair warning of what a goofball I am before making her fateful decision to walk down the aisle with me.) I thank you for the compliment on my video production skills. We are kindered spirits then. I've worked in broadcast as well, but am primarily a visual effects artist & animator for feature films, television series, commercials, and video games. When I'm not doing that you can find me in front of the camera as a actor, behind the microphone as a voice-over performer, or on stage as a stand-up comedian. That's why I need my fish tanks. They keep me sane in the crazy world of entertainment!
I have a massive JD in a 130 gallon. He has a black convict, huge pink convict, a gold severum and big pleco as tankmates. 2 years so far and no fish has been dinged in the slightest. He could easily kill all the other fish, and they know it but all he does is chase them away from where he wants to be at that moment. And he is spectacularly beautiful. I’m fortunate to have 5 big fish living rather peacefully together.
I had one too several years ago that was a total pushover, and yet others that were complete snots. Every fish is different. I just wanted to give viewers a heads up about the possibility of aggressive behavior with Three-Spot Gouramis.
Thank you so much for such a nice compliment! You'll be happy to know that I am currently working on the latest Aquatasy Countdown video. Putting the finishing touches on it now. Thanks again for watching and letting me know you enjoyed this. More to come so check back very, very soon!
I knew a lot about the fish, especially the Algae Eater. I work in a pet store, and I have been adjusting so much with Support Office to change the fish we got in. I very quickly got rid of Bala Sharks and Algae Eaters (We didn't sell the others listed), and a whole lot of others, because I knew they were not suited for most of the fish customers we had (this is after the stores had been going for over 20 years, and have not changed their fish they got in). Even going to the point that some of the fish were kept in store for almost a year because most people who showed interest, did not have the correct set up for the tanks. It made me feel good that I was ensuring all customers knew exactly what the fish could expect to be like, and so they were confident in recommendations. If they were not happy with the selection, I would even organised with suppliers to get other varieties in that the customer was interested in. From all of my hard work, that store was the go to store for fish (even customers that were previously at fish specialist stores were coming to us) for in that Region of up to 2 hours drive away, increasing sales by over 70%. I no longer work at that store, and unfortunately lost a lot of those customers, but goes to show what an impact you can make just from knowing what you sell, and how you display your fish, and implementing steps to reduce sickness, though they are tedious.
@@lauchlanstill6677 because most people did not have the appropriate size aquarium to house them since you need s school for for them and 150 gallon tank or about 600 litres, when the average person only had less than 200 litres. So they were kept in the holding tanks for months (6 months+) so to me that was not ethical.
I was pretty successful at keeping pea puffers by feeding them the snails from about a dozen other tanks, all of which I had planted and deliberately overfed to maintain a burgeoning mollusc population. I love those little mini attack fishicopters, but they're _definitely_ not good fish for beginners because of their dietary peculiarities. I kept mine in a planted tank with the aforementioned diet (supplemented with bloodworm, which they slurp up like spaghetti noodles), and they largely ignored guppies (even the pretty boys who had those big flowing delta fins) and anything that inhabited the middle/top of the tank. I never put them into a tank that had a crustacean I wanted to keep, nor with any plecos; that's a recipe for disaster right there. They'll eat your water-bugs and enucleate your plecos.
They are utterly fascinating little creatures to be sure. I toyed with getting some pea puffers for my daughter's aquarium to reduce/eliminate the zombie horde of Malaysian Trumpet Snails she has in there, but was concerned that the puffers would bother my daughter's beloved Kuhli loaches. That was a great comment too, Steven. Quite an enjoyable read. You have a way with words, sir!
I got some Convicts because they were free. Big mistake! 7 to start and a few weeks later there was about 45 babies! 😳 Luckily I got rid of all but 6 of the original and 3 of the little ones (males and females totally separated).🤪 Always research, people. Lesson learned!
As you've experienced, Convict Cichlids are exceptionally prolific breeders. Aggressive too, but they can also be a lot of fun, right? Just not the best candidates for a community tank. Glad to hear you've managed to get your Convict population under control.
Brilliant as always!!! Couldn’t agree more with the list. Especially the CAE - never had one but have heard horror stories about them. 😳. Well done as always, sir!
When I started out in this hobby as a kid I unwittingly kept Chinese Algae Eaters all the time in my tanks to help control algae. I didn't know any better. So did my grandfather. Then we figured out their true nature. He switched to Red-Tailed Sharks and Flying Foxes and I switched to Plecos and Otos for our algae eaters. Currently I have Clown Pleco (named "Junior") and a truckload of Ramshorn Snails in my 20 gallon South American tank and a Siamese Algae Eater (named "Mop") plus some Nerite Snails in The Thailand Project aquarium for algae control. CAEs are entertaining, but I'll never keep them again unless it's in a single-species tank. Thank you for the compliments on this video. Always great to get your feedback!
Lots of good advice. Thank you! I wouldn't presume to disagree with your list - the thing about this fascinating hobby is that nobody who's kept fish for a few years is ever really 'wrong' about them, because their experiences will be unique, valuable, and interesting for other enthusiasts. I think it's always good to compare notes and see how other aquarists are getting on. So I'd like to add Zebra Danios to your list of angry fish! Although I used to have many tanks and all sorts of tropical species years ago, I've gradually simplified things and now just keep one 6' long, quite shallow, unheated tank modelled on a small Amazon stream - lots of bogwood, Java fern, moss, and a partial carpet of catappa leaves over a sand substrate [swimming pool-filter grade]. It's been established over a decade, so everything's mature and nicely settled. I have a group of White Cloud Mountain minnows and a huge 'herd' of 24 bronze Corydoras catfish. Yep, it's a 2 species-only community tank! I used to have 14 Zebra Danios as well, but I found the females to be territorial and too aggressive. The poor minnows used to huddle together in a corner, barely feeding, their colours muted. After several weeks it was clear that the Danio 'mafia' wanted no neighbours, so they got evicted to a tank of their own. Immediately the minnows relaxed, regained their bright colours, and formed a peaceful, free-swimming group, breeding happily. Cute bit: any new, small minnow youngsters will gather round my oldest catfish (I call her 'Grandma') and follow her at a polite distance, nibbling at any bits of detritus she kicks up; it's like watching eager kids asking too many questions. "Hey, Miss, what are you doing?" "What does the sand taste like?" "Can we have some, too?" "Why are you turning over leaves?" "How many whiskers have you got?" Grandma takes no notice and obviously isn't at all concerned, but I could imagine W. C. Fields looking up and muttering, "Go away, boys, you bother me..." Incidentally, I've found swimming-pool-filter grade sand - which is 'soft', smoothly rounded and heavy enough not to get drawn into my external canister filter's inlet - to be PERFECT for Cory catfish. My guys love to dig in it, chomp on it, and sift it out of their gills; they all have magnificent sets of whiskers. I only use a 1/2" depth of sand, which avoids pockets of sulphurous 'black sludge' building up. I know it's contrary to the purpose of this video, but for any keepers looking for a perfect community fish, I recommend bronze Corydoras catfish. They're sweet natured and incredibly robust. I live in the north of England; my house has no heating, so my unheated tank's temperature drops to my living room's ambient temperature in winter, which is around 50° F. (I don't mind and my fish don't mind either.) Cory catfish have spines on their fins. Being so well protected makes them fearless, confident and very relaxed fish to look after. In a large group they're wonderful subjects - always busy, never aggressive, and even quite tame at feeding time. I wanted a long tank so that they would exhibit natural behaviour, and they do - it's fun to watch them embark on a feeding 'mission', creeping en-mass upstream, followed by those curious minnows. They're not just bottom feeders, either - when I give the minnows a treat of well-soaked freeze-dried daphnia (which floats), the Corys rise to feed on the surface as well. Lovely fish. Very long-lived, too! Happy fish keeping, peeps. :-)
Yes, Snakeheads are like that. I see them sold often in dedicated local fish stores here in the United States, but not often in large chain pet stores. That's why they weren't included on this list. I'm thankful, though, that you brought them up here in the comments because people need to know about them. Thanks!
@@Aquatasy When they are babies they look like they could mix with neon tetras etc. Some of the shopkeepers here used to just let people buy them. I think they are banned in US. Channa argus (northern snakehead) is banned in UK, it survived -35 C in tests.
@@Aquatasy I can't find the article now, I think they tested them in ice ponds in Siberia. The fish is native in Siberia, but all the references I can find now say 0 degrees. The eggs might not hatch at very low temperatures.
If you're talking about Channa micropeltes, yes, I've seen the juveniles offered for sale. Except that they're 36 inch fish as adults in the wild, and at that size, are capable of eating live rats. That cavernous toothy mouth isn't for show. Snakeheads are also tough as old boots. They'll survive in the crappiest water you put them in, and will survive battle scars that will dispatch lesser fish to the great tank in the sky. If you have a big enough tank for the purpose, they'll breed as well, though what you're going to do with 1,000 or more baby Snakeheads, I leave to you to decide. :) Though if you're looking for the silliest fish to be offered for sale here, try Hoplias lacerdae. it's not known as the Giant Amazonian Wolf Fish for nothing. Adults are capable of amputating your arm at the elbow.
When the algae eater got number one I spat out my coffee laughing, its so true! I was convinced to put one with my golds to manage the algae, two weeks later the Lil spawn of Satan had doubled it's size, badly battered my favorite gold and nipped all the other fish. I tried giving it extra food, growing alge for it, buying alge discs nothing worked, had to give him away. My favorite gold died of stress last week. It is a pretty fish and this one was unusually aggressive, but still, ya'll, choose this Lil monster with caution.
Glad you enjoyed this video, but I hope I didn't induce any coffee stains on your clothing while you were watching it! LOL! As you can tell, I don't have much love for Chinese Algae Eaters, especially when there are so many better alternatives. Sorry to hear you lost one of your goldfish to these vile creatures. If you want a good algae eating option for a goldfish tank I highly recommend Rubberlip Plecos.
It’s great you can find out so much about fish . You learn the do’s and don’t because keeping fish can be a disaster if you don’t know what your doing . Thanks for putting the info out there .
You're very welcome, Kim! I'm delighted to know that you enjoyed this video and found the information in it helpful. It has bothered me for years how certain fish species are sold or touted as being great fish for a general community aquarium even though they aren't. That's why I wanted to make this video. And even as a so-called fish "expert" (I hate that term, but will roll with it) I learn a tremendous amount by making these videos and researching the topics. Thanks for watching and commenting. More videos like this to come!
Awesome video. I'm actually planning a 5 foot setup with some barbs, bigger tetras, gourami, medium sized peaceful cichlids, loaches ( not skunk loaches), bristlenose, rainbow shark, big cories and a hoplo. Idk if that's too crowded so I may add less fish. Actually seen Chinese algae eaters at big box stores being sold to go with goldfish and minnows ( a big mistake ). It's sad that these fish are sold to inappropriate homes. Some more fish I would add are Redtail sharks Endlers ( little bullies ) Pacu African cichlids Tinfoil barbs Common goldfish Brackish puffers Serpae tetras Buenos Aires tetras Crayfish Love the presentation style. Btw have you heard of Rio claro convicts
I like your plan for the 5 foot tank. I hope you'll post some videos of it when you have it set up. I agree with most of your suggestions for fish that do not make good candidates for a community aquarium. Red-Tail Sharks are hit or miss. Some behave themselves nicely while others a pure bullies. It depends upon the individual fish. I've never had trouble with Serpae Tetras. You just have to keep them in a group of 5 or more so that they will chase each other and leave the rest of your fish alone. Buenos Aires Tetras made it onto a different Aquatasy Countdown list, "9 Fish Species Mistakenly Sold As Tropical".
You should make a antonym list for this one. Like three spot gouramis? Go with Dwarf gouramis instead! Chinese algae eater? More like Siamese algae eater (Crossocheilus oblongus) amirite?
Interesting idea, Jonathan. Sort of like the community aquarium fish equivalent of the book series "Eat This, Not That." I will definitely consider it. Thanks!
Me too, Jose. I think a lot of us learned that lesson. Bumblebee Gobies are wonderful fish to keep, but you have to do it under the right circumstances and set-up.
@@Aquatasy I actually had 3 in my golden wonder tank. They were happy, peaceful fishes that behaved perfectly well, they ate the snails that plagued the tank as well as whatever pellets I fed to the other fish. They died recently, one after the other after 5 years of life. They didn't even bother my kuhli loaches or anything.
That's good to hear that they were peacefully coexisting for you. Clearly you were providing for their needs and the Bumblebees didn't see the other fish as threats. Sorry to learn that your fish recently passed. Five years is about the average lifespan for Bumblebee Gobies if I remember correctly. Sounds like they were in good hands with you.
Skunk loaches man, they are the devil. And they can live through anything. I had one in a tank for six months with less than an inch of water and NEVER fed him. I didn't know he was in there. Found him when I went to set the tank back up. He was shockingly in good health. No food, no filtration, no heat, nothing... wasn't even skinny. Love them or hate them, gotta respect a fish like that.
@@Nickels4Tickles I tore the tank down and never saw him. I thought the tank was empty, as I hadn't seen him for a long time. It was the wildest thing. He scared the crap out of me when I found him. He was not happy about being disturbed.
I have been keeping pea puffers for years in a 100 gal community tank. My secret is how I set up the tank. The substrate is about 4 inches deep. I introduced trumpet snails and let them breed like mad. So many that you can see the substrate moving all the time. Then I introduced the pea puffers. They don't bother any of the other fish and their bellies are always full. They don't even go after the cherry shrimp.
Todd, you are a genius. That is the perfect way to keep Pea Puffers in a community: a whopping huge tank with plenty of space for everyone and a well-established, virtually never-ending food supply for the puffers. Brilliant!
Wish I would have seen this when picking out my first fish. I had a pictus catfish kill one of my mollies two days in. Got it cause I thought it was a scavenger. We all learn though.
Sorry you had that happen to you, Tanner. You're right, we all live and learn. Don't blame yourself though. The myth that all catfish are scavengers has been perpetuated for years and years by decent, well-meaning people. Pictus Catfish are constantly sold as harmless scavengers so I'll bet you were told the same thing. On the plus side, given the right setting they are really cool fish to keep. Happy to know this video was informative for you (even if it came too late to save your mollie.
Tanner Vodicka I kept Pictus, unlike a lot of Catfish they don't hide away & are very active. To be honest you should have done your research before buying the Pictus or any fish/live animal.
I love them too! They are amazing to watch and, I think, incredibly attractive looking for a catfish. Just a really handsome species. They made this list primarily because most stores that sell them don't inform their customers of Pictus Cats being predators. If you know that going into it, then you can plan accordingly and put together a tailor-made community setting for them that reduces the risk of trouble.
@@Aquatasy I have a "chuckoo" catfish (synodontis multipunctatus) and it looks similar to the Pictus its just a lot calmer in nature. I keep it with Angels and Congo Tetra's and they are doing great together.
About seven years ago I had a pair of convicts in a tank with two Ocars, A parrot fish, Two Common Plecos, an un-identified fish and a upside down catfish. When the convicts were breeding everyone was pushed to the other end of the tank in fear. this was a 120 gallon long btw. I ended up with some amazing babies but they were jerks to all other fish.
That doesn't surprise me, Marissa. You picked the right word to describe Convict Cichlids: jerks. I can just picture all the other fish in your big tank huddled over at the far end trying not to envoke the wrath of the Convicts. So do you still have that tank? What did you eventually do about the "jerks"?
God, you truly KNOW YOUR FISH. I just watched this one and BRAVO!!!!. YOU made me almost laugh because i have had nearly every single one of these you mentioned. Accept the ciclids and convicts. Tried Africans twice, BIG MISTAKE. I had 4 in a 20 gallon. One killed every other one. I said UNLESS I have a huge tank never again. You ROCK.
What can I say, Sam? I've been in this hobby for 35+ years since I was a kid. It's the hobby that keeps me sane amidst all the other crazy stuff I do (actor, visual effects artist, animator, voice-over performer, writer, editor, comedian, and genuine Dark Lord of the Sith). The entertainment industry is a stressful business. I chill out by having fish tanks. I've been fascinated with fish and aquascaping all my life. Over the years I've managed to pick up a lot of information and have garnered a ton of experience. That's why I make these videos. When I started out in this hobby as a child there was nowhere to go to get good information about aquarium fish. My grandfather and I had to rely on a few books, a handful of other hobbyists we knew, and the questionable advice of the pet stores. I wanted Aquatasy to be a resource for new fishkeepers as well as seasoned aquarists. So I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this video. I've kept 7 out of the ten species on this list myself. I hear yah about the Africans. Definitely need a big tank for most of them and lots of safe zone hiding places!
Iridescent sharks should be on the list. They get huge, and every one I’ve had has little freak outs swimming back and forth at full speed while knocking over rocks and hitting other fish
You are absolutely right! That is exactly how they behave. Iridescent Sharks will inexplicably suffer panic attacks and dash about the tank full tilt crashing into everything. They certainly could qualify for this list, but the reason I didn't include them...is because they are going to be part of a different list for an upcoming installment of the Aquatasy Countdown. Stay tuned!
Man I must be lucky! I had someone gift me a Serpae as I was buying like 5-6 other fish from them. They asked if I wanted it for free. I asked them ”aren't they suppose to be in a community?” They told me yeah, but this one was OK. I told em if it got out of hand, I was bringing it back. 2mos later, that Serpae is docile and gentle and interacts with Giant Danios, Golden Barbs, Rainbows and Odessa Barbs Just fine. I got lucky I suppose.
I kept looking for Serpae Tetras in the top 10. I bought 4, along with 15 neons. They were all in the same tank so I thought, oh they must get along right!' oh and they cleverly called them Rosy Tetras. I put them in their tank and they started killing the neons before my eyes. So, I separated them by putting them in an empty 29 gal. I was told to get more so they wouldnt feel threatened. I bought 4 more. I am scared to put anything else in there. They are so mean to each other. There are 3 that keep the others in hiding at all times. Now I hear all kinds of bad stories.
You're right, Thomas, and I would have included them on this list except I'm saving them for a different upcoming Aquatasy Countdown video. Stay Tuned!
Awww! Lol! I love my Oscars but they are notorious I’ve been told for being professional movers! Lol! Can be temperamental but are fun to watch! Mine swims upside when he wants to coherence me to give him more food! It’s truly hilarious!
I just wanted to say thank you, my other half and I were looking into putting some Chinese algae eaters into our community tank with our tetra, betta, loaches and cory cats and thanks to your video we were able to protect our fish and not put these jerks in our tank, so again, thank u😊
You're welcome, Nikole! I'm thrilled to know that this video helped you out. If you are looking for an alternative to Chinese Algae Eaters (one that will actually eat algae and not pester the rest of your fish) I would suggest looking into Bristle-Nose Plecos or Siamese Algae Eaters. Nerite Snails are also terrific at keeping your aquarium virtually algae-free.
The plecos will do a better job of eating algae, but may need supplemental food (algae wafers, blanched zucchini, etc.) once the algae is gone. Siamese Algae Eaters aren't quite as good at polishing off algae, however they will be fine eating regular fish food if there is not much algae left in the tank. Both species are quite peaceful.
You're welcome, Richard! And thank you so much for subscribing. I will do my best to make it worth your while. If you liked this video be sure to check out the follow-up, "9 Fish Species Mistakenly Sold As Tropical". By the way, the next installment of the Aquatasy Countdown is in the works now. Stay tuned!
Honestly, you'd be surprised. I've come across far too many people who got Bucktooth Tetras without knowing enough about them and tried to combine them with other species (to disastrous results of course). That's why I included them on the list.
I saw them in my local chain pet stores at one point. And then never again lol. I bet a real hard lesson was learned as I'm sure some people took those monsters home to put into their community tanks...
You're seriously underestimating how ignorant people can be. Im willing to bet theres plenty of uneducated people that saw "bucktooth tetra" and assumed they were just like neons without doing any research
I had bb gobies, 3 spot gpuramies, and a Chinese algae eater on separate occasions in community aquariums with zero problems. But then, for reasons unknown to me, I've been a successful fish keeper from the day I started keeping fish. Three things I've always consistently provided fish with: complex environments, heavily planted aquariums, and am a voracious reader about fish, their natural habitats and their needs. I'm generally not a gifted or talented person in any particular field, but for some reason, I've always done well with fish.
That's wonderful to hear about your success at keeping those three species in a community setting. Trust me, everyone without exception has talent in some shape or form. Clearly one of your talents is keeping fish. I think the key to your being able to put those three species into community tanks without incident is right there in your comment. Having a complex environment for the fish to explore with various places to retreat to (or the other fish to retreat to) goes a long way towards curbing the bad tendencies of fish like Three-Spot Gouramis and Bumblebee Gobies. The fact that your tanks are heavily planted means there are plenty of broken lines of sight. So well done, good job! As for the Chinese Algae Eater, I'm just going to say you are blessed and fortunate. LOL! Thank you so much for leaving a comment. This is exactly the kind of dialogue I always hope to see happen with each Aquatasy video. Keep up the great work with your fishkeeping and please continue comment on my videos. Blessings to you!
I keep crayfish with some other fast swimming tetras. Now my pair of crays are about 4 inch long adults now and totally capable of taking down fish a few inches long. A while back I bought a few of these Chinese algae eaters to deal with algae problem. They grew up and started to get territorial, and were nasty enough to beat the bloody crayfish to submission. Now they get the best spot and chase my crayfish out of their nest. I've never seen another species of fish capable of standing up to crayfish of similar size. Bloody brutal fish. Should definitely be given enough respect.
fish you haven't named that came to mind are Gouramis or fishes in the gourami family like paradise fish and batas. Angels, goldfish, and I once overhead someone buying a discus for a community tank.I was in a chainstore, I was there to buy goldfish for a pond. And I tried to help but the family said no. I talked to the employee afterwards, he only educate when asked, the main job was to sell them.
You are right on the money with that, Lori. Goldfish are not the best fish for a community aquarium, even a cold water community, because their needs are so much more specialized and they can be little eating & pooping machines. I didn't include them on this list because I'll be talking about goldfish in an upcoming Aquatasy Countdown video. Paradise Fish, Betas, and Angelfish are a very similar situation to the Three-Spot Gourami in that it often comes down to the temperament and personality of the individual fish. Some are pushovers and some are little snots. That's why I left them off the list. Plus, I covered Paradise Fish in the follow-up Aquatasy Countdown to this one, "9 Fish Species Mistakenly Sold As Tropical". I know what you're talking about regarding pet store interventions. Been there more times than I can count. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Great suggestions!
Early on when planning this video I thought about including Tiger Barbs, but ultimately left them off the list in favor of other species. But don't worry, I will be talking about the Tiger Barb in a upcoming Aquatasy Countdown video on a different topic. What's that video going to be? Stay tuned to find out!
Tiger barbs are awesome you have to keep 5 or more I have 6 with black skirt tetras a bloodfin foil barbs tigers are grate community fish I've never had a problem
Oscars should be on this list. They get big and eat anything they can fit in their mouths. They also terrorize other tank mates by chasing them and tearing up their fins
You are absolutely right. Oscars are wonderful pets with tons of charm & personality, but they do not make great community tank inhabitants unless kept in a very large aquarium with fish their own size or larger. The reason I did not put Oscars on this list is because I plan to include them in a different list for an upcoming Aquatasy Countdown video. Be sure to come back for that!
This video is on point, I have been misled into keeping several of these fish early in my hobby and all of them are complete jerks in a small community set up. I have since set up a large 125 community tank and have been able to successfully keep them. This might be a loophole for certain species, but the bottom line is always do your research before hand.
Well said, Nick. It's not that you can't ever keep these species (with the exception of the Bucktooth Tetra) in a community aquarium, it's as you've discovered an issue of settings up an environment that addresses the issues that often make these species poor community candidates. A 125 gallon tank, huh? I'm thoroughly jealous! Thanks for watching and commenting. I truly appreciate it. More videos like this coming soon!
Wow! LOL! And they say rabbits are prolific breeders! That is amazing. Like a couple of newlyweds on their honeymoon who can't wait to get to the hotel room. Hilarious!
Tiger Barbs is one of the most troubled residents, as well. They want to choice their tank mates. And fins of any size is magnet for Tiger barbs, I don't know any other fish, that is so addicted to fin biting and not scared of bigger sized fish, so they have long fins. Anything half size of Tiger barbs equals food, fins equals food, plants equal food, Snails equals food, I had Tiger barbs that tried to eat gravel. Great fish, with interesting behaviour, but would only go with bigger tetras, and more peaceful barbs, catfish and loaches. They are really easy to stress out and shy fish, but they are also pretty active fish, I found their best tank mates in Kuhli Loaches, as they are pretty calm and shy fish, but the Tigerbarbs playing chase, lure the loaches out of their hide.
Great comment! Yes, Tiger Barbs can be trouble. I left them off this list, though, because I plan to include them as part of a different Aquatasy Countdown video. What will that topic be? Keep watching to find out!
Like he said, Pictus catfish are in fact carnivorous. Mine spent most of his time sharing his castle with a lace catfish, but my cardinal tetras disappeared overnight after adding him. He was fine with all the larger fish, but I wasn’t aware of his predatory nature until my school of tetras was eaten. Can’t blame the fish for that though, should’ve done more research first
@@rossgooch1275 mollies should be fine too big to be a snack. Plecos are armoured and barbed so theyre fine. Guppies not sure when he gets bigger some might go missing. If hes well fed you might be fine even when hes bigger but they are notoriously ravenous and never full. Also they are a shoaling cat so a group is preferred. They arent really guppy tank bottom feeder. How bigs your tank? Hoplo , upside down and featherfin are much safer in my experience but they get big so....
Kacie, where there's a will there's a way. I've seen online sellers offer up electric eels. (Yeah, I was as surprised as you.) Of course, I mentioned them mostly in jest as a fish that obviously would be a bad choice for a community fish tank to hopefully solicit a chuckle from everyone watching. Hope you enjoyed the video.
Definitely agree about the black convict cichlids. They essentially killed all our yellow labs. However, they are very low maintenance & hardy fish. They're also really cooperative when I do a water change. The whole group will literally go to the other half of the tank while I do the other half.
That's pretty cool that your Convicts all move out of the way for you during a water change. I have one tank where my female Betta and my Black Kuhli Loach just *have* to be right where I'm trying to clean like, "Hey, what are you doing? Can we help??" LOL! Thanks for watching and leaving a comment, Daisy!
Well done Sir, the best fish video producer I have run across on this Site. Agreed 100% on your top 10, was surprised about Chinese algae eater, but when I did have those in my tank, would catch them trying to suck on the other fish so no more. Ohhhhhhhhhhh, how those fish stores will lie to you on compatibility, as this 1 store cost me hundreds $$$$$$$$$$$$, but more importantly watching these fish die in my tank.
Yes, Bala Sharks are also known as Silver Sharks. And no, you're not dumb. This hobby is a constant learning process. I've been keeping fish since I was 12 and I'm still learning new things every day.
Yeah petco told Me the jewel Cichlids would do well In my tank so I brought it home And it started eating my Other fish.... so I brought it back and of course the employees denied recommending it.....
Don’t go to petco for fish.. I went to petco a few months ago and they recommended that I put 12-15 tiger bards with my one angel fish... tiger bards in my opinion are the worse fish to have. They have zero personality and look basic and all they do is nip on your other fish fins. Only plus side on tiger bards have is they are hard to kill and they school together well. Besides that they are not the best community fish. Also after I adding them to the fish tank, my whole entire tank Got ick as well and all the petco offered me was a refund if I turn the fish and 10% off my medication! Lol! You already got all my fish sick in the entire tank so why wouldn’t I just keep the fish and cure all the fish at once? I didn’t even bother with the discount or return because I was overly pissed off that they wanted me to refund sick fish and get a 10% discount on medication after they were the ones who messed my whole tank up. I didn’t want the tiger bards anyway at the end but it’s crazy how I was only offered 10% off a $9-12 bottle of medication. I would only go to petco for decoration, food, filters. Not fish.
Every individual fish is different. We have a Golden Chinese Algae Eater in our 40 breeder tank and he is one of our favorite fish. His name is "Goldspot", he is about 7" long and between 2 and 3 years old. he continuously eats algae from the glass, plants wood etc. His sum total of aggression is to chase the Cory's away from his "house". The secret to keeping him in check is to feed him correctly (and often). He gets all manner of frozen food, Extreme bottom feeder pellets, Repashy. live blackworms and even flakes. I guess we were just lucky to get such a good fish.
That is exactly what you need to do, address their dietary changes as they age. Goldspot sounds like a cool fish. Do you have any videos posted of him?
This is good....most all loaches and Botias can be bullies but like you said keeping em in big groups keeps them preoccupied....we’ve even had em attack our turtles and had to move them....👍
Thank you for the compliment! I love loaches and botias, but I gotta tell it like it is. They can be cantankerous sometimes, and many people don't know about keeping them in groups to curb their bad behavior. Interesting to hear that you had some go after your turtles. I would not have expected that. Just goes to show you how bold those fish can get. Thanks for sharing that!
@@gwendolynamy7462 I found that they were pretty happy with 1-3 of the little tadpole snails (those little brown-shelled guys, _Physella acuta_ I think) a day, but you can supplement their diet with ghost shrimp and bloodworm. They'll happily eat cherry shrimp, too, but you don't want them to because of how expensive they are. Get the runtier ghosties, not the big full-sized adults. There's been more than one month where all puffers had was some bloodworm every couple of days until my snail populations in my other tanks bounced back. They were fine with that. Breeding up tadpole snails is actually crazy-easy. Because they'll live in practically any conditions (compared to fish, anyways) and eat just about anything organic, I've had success with setups as simple as a fish bowl that I threw some flakes in to as complex as a normal fish tank. Remember to feed them a rich, balanced diet, though, so that your puffers get as much nutrition out of them as you can provide. I find I prefer breeding up my own snails, as that reduces the chances of getting some parasites that could hurt the little puffers.
Good list but I think the video was more about the cheap ones found at any Petco or Petsmart, and sold by employees that don't know anything about them. The fish on your list are not common in most places. Unless you have a really good LFS.
Years ago when I first started fish keeping a rotten owner of a fish store sold me a baby Jack Dempsey as a peaceful lovey doves fish. Jack grew fast. And ate everyone else in the tank. He was awesome, tho, I generally fed around 5:30. If I ran late fix ur people dinner he would spit water at me..,smart fish!
My condolences to all the other tasty fish that were in that tank, but as you discovered Jack Dempseys can be terrific wet pets with tons of personality. Unless they have actually kept them as pets, I don't think most people understand just how smart cichlids can be, especially South & Central American cichlids. They can recognize different people, know what time of day it is, etc. That's a hilarious story about your JD spitting water at you to remind you it was feeding time. Thank you, Sharon, for sharing that. I hope you'll keep watching and commenting.
He was a character and a half. I had to give to a good person fir him because I was a single mom and didn’t have money 5o hat him a really big tank! He had a very happy life.
I've got a golden algae eater about 3.5 inches that I've had almost two years. He's never bothered my other fish that I've seen, but that may be because the only other fish in that tank are small and fast. But it's also by far the most voracious eater of algae I've ever had, regardless of species. Dude is a machine. Chucked him and a smaller one into a pretty heavily planted and VERY algae covered tank and he had that glass spotless in two days. Don't know if he's just a weirdo or what but I love that little gold bar.
this one had me wondering if i have been doing something wrong in the past... but i remembered after reflecting hard, I never really have a community aquarium, it has always been species only. Nice share. Some of the fish eg algae eater eats small fish in their space.... I hate those buggers
I’ve had some bumblebee gobies in a 29 gallon fresh water micro tank and they have been thriving for the past 6 months, I didn’t know they were supposed to be brackish fish until a few months in the mom and pop shop I bought them from marketed them as fresh water. I’ve have great success with them eating frozen foods. I loved the video, it was great!
It may very well be that the Bumblebee Gobies you own have been acclimated to freshwater for several generations if the store's supplier has been breeding them towards that goal. So don't think you immediately need to switch yours to brackish water. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I am thrilled to hear you are having so much success with your Bumblebee Gobies. They are a fun species. And thank you for the compliment on this video. This is a continuing series. You can find the second installment, "9 Fish Species Mistakenly Sold As Tropical", on my channel as well as many other informative (hopefully) and humorous (definitely) videos. Thanks for dropping a comment. I appreciate it!
I’ve had dozens of 3 spotted gouramis and I can tell you they are the most chill fish and get along with every other type of fish lol. Never even seen one act aggressive in the least
I'm glad to hear that! Like I said in the video, I love Three-Spot Gouramis and I hated putting them on this list. I've owned some that were absolute pushovers and I've had others that were ruthless killers. As you read through the comments on this video you'll see a lot of stories from people who, like yourself, have had peaceful Three-Spots and others who went through hell with theirs. That's why I wanted to put them on this list, so that people are aware of the potential for certain Three-Spot Gouramis to display aggresive behavior. Thanks for posting your comment, because I want viewers to hear about everyone's experiences with these species.
You are so right. Three-Spot males can be far more aggressive as they age. Mature females tend to be more docile than males. Good point! Thank you for watching and leaving a comment.
I work at a pet store and thankfully dont tell my customers any of the misnomers you mentioned... Always more to learn about these lovely creatures though to help others learn too :)
Bless you, Brittanie, for being a good resource for the people who come into your pet store. Pet shops need more people like you. Is the store you work at a chain pet store or an individually owned shop?
It's great that your particular Petsmart has an actual fish person like you working for them. Many of the stores have folks whose expertise is in other areas covering the fish section and they don't know much more than how to net & bag.
@@Aquatasy Thank you, I try my best. I never want to give advice that could harm an animal. Like another person said in the comments, it may hurt sales figures at times, but I never want to sell a pet that I know won't be properly cared for.
Oops! Did I accidentally show my disdain for those horrible little monsters? LOL! In all fairness, Chinese Algae Eaters are fun to watch on their own. They just don't belong in a community tank. Happy you got a good laugh out of this video. I always try to blend humor with teaching.
There are many other algae eating creatures you can choose instead. Bristlenose Plecos, Siamese Algae Eaters, Otocinclus Catfish, and (my personal favorite) Nerite snails.
I was surprised to see Pictus Catfish on this list. I have a fully grown Pictus cat in my community tank with other smaller catfish, tetras, gouramis and tiger Barb's. He's never harmed or even chased any of my other fish. I guess having a large tank with lots of hiding places helps, but I've never had the Pictus hurt any other fish.
Well, that right there is the key to successfully keeping a Pictus Catfish in a general community aquarium: a large tank with lots of hiding places. And obviously you must be providing for your Pictus Cat's needs including keeping it well fed so that it doesn't look at its tank mates as between meal snacks. I'm also guessing most of the fish is your aquarium are not quite bite-sized anyway, right? What kind of tetras do you have in that tank? One thing that can also help make it easier to keep a Pictus Catfish in a community aquarium is to establish all the other species first and then add a juvenile Pictus later so that it grows up being accustomed to having all those other fish around. So glad it's working out for you!
Im actually glad i watched this video i have 2 Chinese algae eaters and a Pictus catfish, i have a community tank its deff a mixture, and going threw the phase of seeing what i can house together within my own experience because well you hear so many different things. and well i have my beauty tire track eel, tiger barbs, rosy barbs, killifish, kuhli loaches, and cichlids small ones that wont get bigger than about 4inches. Also some applehead snails. this bunch that i have seem to do really well and haven't had issues with, i did not get them all at the same time as i switched from a full Cichlids tank. but i have had some fish pass or disappear during this process of trying to see what would work and getting rid of what i thought was my most territorial and bully fishes. i have had neons pass, danios, zebra loaches.. all either vanished, had chunks taken out of them or just passed of stress. right now i have one danio left body and fins are messed up 2 disappeared. the other fish i had in the tank with pretty much everything now but also plasma eel, starry night eel, gourami. and some other cichlids that i have gotten rid of thinking these fish were the culprits, which i know could have been also but this video explains a little bit more why i'm having an issue and will be getting those guys out also.
Sounds like you've got a great mix of fish species in your community tank, Kadijah. Once you get those trouble makers out of there you should be fine. I'm jealous of you having that tire track eel. I've always wanted one of those. Happy to know this video was useful in helping you identify what was going on in your aquarium. Hopefully everything will be harmonious going forward. I really appreciate your comment. Thanks for watching!
If you enjoyed this Aquatasy Countdown video and want to see more, then click this link here...
ua-cam.com/play/PLtQAWtxl9SzofTra_OY7qevwBrjRZJKJH.html
Funny Convict story:
When I was a kid, we had a large cichlid tank which had an Oscar as the main star and other misc fish. Of course, we had a couple convicts in there and a huge shovel nose catfish. Well one of those convicts had it out for that catfish. Mom always caught him picking on the catfish and when she caught him doing it for the thousandth time, she warned him, “one day that catfish is gonna eat your onery a$$”. Well one day came. Mom was watching the tank and the convict, minding his own business, swam in front of that catfish and WHOOMP, convict was gone. Mom screeched and grabbed the net and thunked the catfish on the head a few times until he spit out the convict. That convict never nipped that catfish again. Lesson learned 😂
Wow! What a story! It's amazing that the Convict lived. Had your mom not been in front of the tank when it happened that Convict would have been a goner. Typical Convict behavior though. LOL! Thanks for sharing that, Sarah!
Wtf lmao
Play stupid games, get stupid results. Lol Nice story
Fish are dumb. They will nip again. Catfish will hunt anything that can fit in its mouth.
I think a great white shark is the best TROPICAL community fish
But they are such messy eaters. LOL!
Okay... whatever tickles your pickle... teach me the ways senpai.
i own two gws in my 5 gallon tank
Aquatasy trueeeeee!!! You also have to have many hiding spots for them to hide in
SoCal Outdoors they dont grow too big either
Keeping Chinese Algae Eaters in a community tank full of beautiful, slow-moving fish is part of one of the Circles of Hell, I believe. STRESS OVER THAT, AQUARIST
LOL! That's the best comment I've received all week! Thank you for the laugh.
That's awesome!
I keep about 3 of them in a South American chiclid tank and they do really well
Smaller Pleco Species make great replacements for the chinese algae eater if you can keep up with the waste.
@@gladiatesolid5043 Very true! Bristlenose, Rubberlip, and Clown plecos make great alternatives to the Chinese Algae Eater. Although they produce a lot more waste, they have a much better temperament and are far more efficient at consuming algae. Great suggestions!
Pet smart employees: Ahh, yes the Barracuda is perfect for a fresh water com tank
LOL! That's so funny I almost choked laughing.
Aquatasy TYSM
Back in the 90s, I worked at a PetSmart for years, and back then we had pretty good employees and a good selection of fish and supplies at a good price..FFWD to today and they are pretty much a joke for Fish hobbyists. It's sad to see, but like many chains, they start off great, then they go downhill due to corporate greed and stupidity.
@@Aquatasy you forgot to put Redtail sharks and rainbow sharks on the list and any other shark basically. Trust me I know
I came close to putting them on this list, but I'm actually saving them for a different Aquatasy Countdown list on another topic. Stay tuned!
When I was new to the hobby, I was mistakenly sold a Chinese Algae Eater as an Otocinclus. The thing grew huge and kept attacking all the other fish. To this day it is the most evil fish I've encountered.
triggered by anything shiny... can relate
LOL!
ua-cam.com/video/93lrosBEW-Q/v-deo.html
artichokez SSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNYYYYYYYYY MACKEREL
So can jews
I work at a pet store (pet supplies plus) I watch these videos to inform myself so i can inform my customers. (I’m the fish guy there) I make sure everyone knows how big the fish get and the temperament. We get tons of Plecos and Bala sharks donated to us all the time, so sad.
the list is :
10. jewel cichlid
9. skunk loach
8. bumblebee gobby
7. bucktooth tetra
6. bala shark
5. three spot gourami
4. pictus catfish
3. pea puffer
2. convict cichlid
1. chinese algae eater
Yep, that's the list! Perhaps people who read your post will be curious now to find out why each fish made it on this list.
@@Aquatasy Nope! Just don't want to waste time watching a video.
@holland June
Thanks for saving my time and mobile data 👍
@@TheHeretic018 Of course, the only problem with skipping the rest of the video and only reading the list is that you don't know *why* each fish species is a terrible community aquarium fish or how to possibly keep them in a community setting while dealing with their bad traits. But I get it. I wouldn't want to use up your data plan. Thank you for at least checking out this video even if you didn't watch the entire thing. (I have shorter videos too by the way.) Blessings to you!
@singleton222 LOL! No worries, I wasn't offended. My reply was meant to be humorous. It's perfectly fine that @TheHeretic018 posted a list of all the fish covered in this video. That could be of service to people who have been in the hobby a while. The trick with having a channel like this is producing content that has something in it for both the novice fishkeeper and the seasoned aquarist. I've been in this hobby for over four decades now. Over the years I've gained a certain level of "expertise" (although I don't care for that word) and experience, but I know fully well that to be a good teacher one must be a lifelong learner. That's why I stated at the end of the video that this is just one man's opinion. The Aquatasy Countdown series is meant to be a conversation starter, not rules carved in stone. I want everyone to chime in with their own views and experiences. At the end of the day these videos are part instructional and part entertainment. I'm an entertainer (actor, visual effects artist, animator, voice-over performer) who is also an educator (college professor, lecturer, author, motivational speaker) and a has a lifelong fascination with tropical fish and the aquarium hobby.
The one point I was making in my (apparently failed) humorous reply to @TheHeretic018 was that if people just read the list of fish names and don't watch the full video they won't understand why those particular fish were selected for the list or get the advice on how to successfully get them to fit into a community setting if possible. But if I honestly had a problem with that viewer posting a list of all the fish in the video I would have deleted their post. I didn't (that would have been sad and pathetic on my part). The whole purpose of this channel is to bind this fish tank community together, foster a sharing of ideas, and celebrate this hobby we're all hopelessly obsessed about.
I really appreciate you watching and chiming in. I hope you'll check out the rest of the videos on this channel.
Bucktooth Tetra: "They aren't intimidated by larger fish either."
Asian Arowana: I fear no fish, but that thing... it scares me.
I work in a pet store and thankfully i knew about the majority of these and i am well known for making certain every animal in my care go to adequate home (my manager sometimes gets mad at me because i refuse to sell a certain animal to people i know will cause a scene because they dont have the proper set up but she knows i wouldnt refuse without a reason) one thing i did not know was #1 thank you so much for telling me🖤 in my store we simply call them algae eaters and theyre labled as having a 55gl as their min tank size. They dont sell very often and we usually only have 3 or 4. We house them with our smaller tiger barbs (usually we have no less then 6 or 7 at a time) and they are labled as semi aggressive. But knowing this i will definitely be warning people🖤 thank you thank you thank you🖤🖤🖤
I'm happy this video helped you out. And thank you for doing what you do. I wish more pet stores had people like you working in them. Housing the Chinese Algae Eaters with barbs is perfect. Good combo. And even though CAEs aren't the best algae eaters and can get ornery and territorial as they age, they can still be very useful scavengers in the right tank set-up. Thanks for leaving such a great comment!
@@Aquatasy I couldn't agree more about #1. My thoughts on the CAE is they shouldn't be allowed in the trade. They aren't just aggressive, they actively eat the slime coats of larger fish, eventually scooping off scales. I do appreciate the heads up on them though for the underinformed Aquatasy as everyone should be aware they are problem fish and do not belong in a community tank. When I had no choice but to sell them, I gave full warnings and made it abundantly clear we would not buy them back after they exceeded 3.5 inches. We sure sold lots of garlic infused food because of them, to help knock back those secondary infections when the super stubborn refused to take advice. When I was finally in a position to not carry them, I sure as hell didn't. There's nothing they can do at any size that a few otos or dwarf plecos couldn't. The big advantage to plecos was always that sharklike profile when the fins were up so even those who hated their mouths would usually come around. I never kept the CAE's in any community tank in retail, they got their own 10 gallon, no matter what any corporate big mouth would try to shove down my neck.
Hell, they were always mad at me as store manager for a Petco because I refused to keep the octagon display tank for reptiles stocked with actual reptiles (I usually kept the chinchillas in there as the POG normally had them next to the octagon with the ferrets so they were always on the verge of stroking out, fucking corporate buffoons.). It was too close to the doors and my store was in Buffalo, NY. That's just far too many months each year to follow a Plan-O-Gram that had them 8 feet from the ice blast of air every time someone would enter our store. I even demanded the CEO come to town and used an infrared thermometer to show that bald dumbass why it was such a bad idea. The regional manager did all he could to get me fired after that. I stayed long enough to see him fired before I left to open my own fish store. A week after I was gone, the 10 gallon was broken down and the CAE's went back into the MarS system. Dumbasses became plural that day.
Wow! What a story! I can't even begin to fathom the hell you went through as a caring, well-informed person running a store for an uncaring, uninformed corporate entity like that. You deserve a medal for lasting that long. I hope your own fish store business has been successful.
I'm guessing that the CAEs found in stores in the US are all wild caught. I doubt companies like Segrest Farms are breeding them commercially. So the best way to keep them out of the trade here in the States would be to ban the import of them.
@@Aquatasy Thanks for the kind words. I had to let my fish store go, I needed to care for family and couldn't do both. Sadly, the person I sold it to got wrapped up with drug abuse after marrying an addict. So, he let it just fall apart. I found a local hobbyist to buy all of his livestock and they continue to thrive in his basement fish room. In fact, he does a lot to supply local stores with his abundant breeders, he'll never have to pay for fish food or filter media for the rest of his life, lol, bless his heart.
It took a lawsuit for one of the corporate "overlords" to make them stop euthanizing small animals in freezers. So change can happen, but sometimes you've got to be sneaky about it when the "overlord" is signing the paychecks. It turned out the PetCo I'd taken over had been scheduled for an early death, but the sales and average tickets went so high after I took the store, they couldn't justify closing it. That's why I hadn't been fired for refusing the POG as well. Less than 6 months after leaving, the store was gone. I have a history with three of the bigger corps, PetsMart, PetCo, of course and Pet Supplies "Plus" but it was PetCo that left me with the biggest scars. It took me years to get over the horrors and the complete blindness that company has towards livestock. I wish they'd just go strictly into hard goods, but even then, I'd still make a point of checking expiration dates.
My gosh, what a saga you've been through. I feel for you.
Put all those fish in a tank together fish royale
LOL! I don't even know which species to place my bet on as the winner.
I’d bet on the buck tetra if it’s a school 😂
@@koletromp6194 Put my bet on the Convicts.
Winner winner fish dinner...!!!
I say the convict cichlid. The CAE if the lights are out
every fish video ought to be short concise and factual.This hits the mark! Thanks keep it up
Thank you so very much, Clarence, for your kind words. I truly appreciate it. I will definitely keep it up. In fact, there is already a follow-up to this video which you can find here...
9 Fish Species Mistakenly Sold As Tropical
ua-cam.com/video/LDmFqOe1Q6Y/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching and leaving a comment. I hope you'll keep watching Aquatasy. Blessings to you!
I have been keeping puffers for years, I've done several species of them but I always go back to the pea puffers. I don't know why, but I am always drawn back to them. I have had to tell so many people that they CAN NOT have puffers in community tanks. No, not even the cute little ones I have. Don't do it, they also produce so much waste, and they will attack your hands if you touch the water or go to clean the graveyard of snail shells out from the tank. But they are never mentioned on videos like this, so thank you! Thank you for bringing up the community villain that I have fallen in love with, hopefully it helps!
Thank YOU, Nolan, for sharing your experiences with pea puffers. They are one of the big reasons I wanted to make this video. People who have never kept them really have no clue as to their true behavior. So again, thank you so much for leaving a comment. I really appreciate it!
@@Aquatasy I'm curious, when cleaning their tank do you just put up with the attacks or do you have a specialized cleaning method?
I don't intend to get one, because I want a bit of low maintenance fish but I am curious about pea puffers.
Does it hurt
Pea Puffers won't attack you as you clean their tank if that is what you are concerned about.
Does what hurt?
Hah! Many, many years ago I had a 55G tank. I had guppies, mollies, swordtails, angel fish, Gouramis, jack dempseys, CONVICTS, a pair- yes, a pair of Bettas, and an Oscar. Everyone got along and the Bettas and convicts built bubble nests all the time. I guess ignorance is truly bliss - until Oscar got big and ate everybody else!
Wow! That's a great story, Deborah (apart from the Oscar eating everybody). It just goes to show you that there are exceptions to every rule. For every species I put on this list there is a way to keep them in some sort of "community" setting (even the Bucktooth Tetra, although it's the most difficult). Naturally, the idea behind this video was to inform people of possible issues trying to put these species in a general community tank because the pet stores never tell you these things. Thank you so much for leaving a comment and sharing your experiences. I truly appreciate it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not disputing anything you’ve said. I just did everything wrong from not checking if the fish I had actually got along to stocking the tank all at once and not cycling first. Yet they all lived until Oscar grew up! There was no YT back then ( did I just date myself?), now the info on the net is overwhelming, some good, some not so much.....,
No worries, I didn't think you were disputing me. I understood you were sharing your experiences which I enjoyed reading. That's what this channel is here for. I hope you'll keep watching and keep commenting.
I was actually expecting to see Oscars on this list. I had one in college that can only be described as 'a huge asshole'.
I had a synodontis cat sold to me at a Petsmart when I was young and naive. "It'll be great for your tank," the employee said. "They don't get much bigger than this."
'Feathers,' though adorable, grew to be a foot long and took on a habit of chasing the rasboras out of the tank. Elderly guppies would up and vanish, as if spirited away by some sort of whiskered grim reaper. She also had a tendency to make a noise in the middle of the night that was like two balloons rubbing together, which drove the dogs crazy.
After 6 years of Feathers' behavior getting increasingly more of a problem, my friend offered to house Feathers in her African cichlid tank. The week Feathers moved in, one of said cichlids appeared to have had its head bitten off. Luckily, Feathers has not had another incident since then (that we know of). She is still alive and well, though much bigger.
Wow! What a story! I'm glad that it sort of eventually had a happy ending, at least for Feathers (great name, by the way). But yikes! All the carnage along the way. Sadly, not all pet stores or even local fish stores fully understand the fish they are selling. Some species of Synodontis catfish make good community tank inhabitants. Upside-Down Catfish ( Synodontis nigriventris) are usually quite peaceful. Other species are aggressive and opportunistic. This is exactly why I have the Aquatasy channel, so that information like this gets out there and so that hobbyists and casual pet owners won't be in the dark. Thanks for sharing Feather's story! (So is Feather so named because she's a Featherfin Squeaker?)
You are so right, Frank. Not only do many of the employees at certain store location give out misinformation, the signage that the store chain places on each aquarium to describe the various species is often completely wrong. Fish that are intermediate level at best are labeled as beginner fish. Common plecos are purported to only get a few inches long. Since when is a foot and a half classified as "a few inches"?? I'm actually working on a video about how and when to intervene when you stumble across a pet store employee giving out completely inaccurate information to novice fishkeepers. Although I'm sorry you and your daughter got duped by your local Petsmart, I'm happy it worked out in the end and you now have such a terrific pet.
@@Aquatasy Intervene the moment you hear the chain store employee start to give misinformation. It's better for the owner and better for the animal, and fuck the store.
I've actually found a not-inconsequential number of the employees were happy to learn the actual facts rather than what PetsMart has told them.
I quit shopping the chain stores long ago because of that and how horribly they keep the animals even without giving inaccurate information.
@@Aquatasy > Yeah, I believe she was an African Featherfin, though she lacked the jagged fins. 'Feathers' referred to the shorter pair of 'feathered' whiskers below her mouth. I have another upside-down cat of a different species, named 'Pea Pod.' He has never once caused problems, aside from getting constipated early on, which was remedied by feeding him split (shelled?) peas. Since then, peas have become his favorite delicacy, hence his name.
Looks-wise, he's very different from Feathers as well. I believe he's a nigriventris due to the very obvious 'armor' on his body. He is over seven years old and is a very good boy. He is a little ugly but I love him anyway.
They sound like terrific fish.
0:34 lol I see what you did there
Your content is perfect for people that are new to the hobby, you seem like a seasoned fish keeper unlike many channels that try to educate with their poor knowledge. keep it up!
Why golly, Richard, I have no idea what you're talking about. LOL! You have sharp eyes. Actually, you're the first person to catch the little hidden joke in that shot. I've used it in several videos now and nobody except you has commented about it. Thank you for the compliments, by the way. As you've guessed, I have been at this hobby since I was 12 years old. I've been fascinated with fish my entire life. But I'm not a "know-it-all". I always take the approach that if one is going to be a teacher one must also be a lifelong learner. That's why Aquatasy exists, so we can all share what we know and all get better at something we love.
I know someone who got an oscar and red tail cat for his 20 gallon guppy fry tank
Yeah I’m sure you know what happened shortly after
Oh the horror, the horror! LOL! Yeah, that didn't end well, did it? Yikes!
Thanks for watching and commenting with that story.
Well, the cat and oscar were some happy campers lol
LOL! Well fed happy campers!
@@mykelbrown3738 a red tail cat could probably eat an oscar
Yep! It could definitely eat an Oscar.
"I challenge you to find any other freshwater aquarium fish that is as cute as the pea puffer"
Me: hold my Cory Catfish no actually don't. put it back in the tank where it belongs but challenge accepted none the less here they are.
LOL! I hear yah. Cories are pretty darned cute, especially the Panda Cory. Oh, and the Pygmy Cory too.
Darn it! You win this time, but we will meet again. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment. I really appreciate it.
@@Aquatasy I like them all but especially the pepper cory I love those little guys.
I think you meant kuhli loaches :p
Kuhli Loaches are very cute too with their sad little puppy dog faces.
@@romantito8892 a Kuhli Loach is basically just a looooooooooooooooooooong cory so we both win.
This was great!! Oh man. I love it. I was laughing so hard. Thank you for adding humor to this hobby. Truly funny.
You're welcome! Happy to hear you enjoyed this video. Yes, I always try to inject a little humor into my videos. I believe humor is one of the best methods for teaching. You put people at ease with the humor and it helps them remember things better.
If you are new to the Aquatasy channel, my "day job" is that I am an actor, visual effects artist, animator, voiceover performer, and comedian. Fish tanks are what keep me sane when working in the crazy world of film, television, games, commercials, and stand-up. So you'll find aspects of my day job (especially the comedy) spilling over into my videos.
If you liked this video there is a follow-up to it called "9 Fish Species Mistakenly Sold As Tropical" and I'm working on a new Aquatasy Countdown video right this very moment. If you want some straight up humor you can check out my videos "Living With MTS", "Are You Okay?", and "Revenge of the Aquatasy Blooper Reel".
Thank you for watching and leaving such a nice comment. Hope you'll keep commenting. Blessings to you!
Yeah, I had asked my mom to pick up a Panda Cory if the store had any and she brought home two tetras and a Golden Chinese algae eater. His name is Noodle.
Make sure Noodle gets plenty of protein in his diet, especially as he ages, so that he doesn't at some point take out his protein cravings on your other fish.
Get rid of that thing as an experienced Aquarist I actually hate them (the Chinese algae eaters of course)
They aren't my favorite either (as you could probably surmise from this video).
Great video, this very true I have a Chinese algie and it's constantly bullying my beta fish. . .
After watching this video I'm definitely going to remove him and add him to my other tank with bigger fish.
I have a crazy random wild community fish tank (125G), all mix (aggressive to non agressive) but I have them sin they were small as a baby to experiment how they all grow up together.
+Elvis Santana That sounds like a wise move.Like I said in the video, Chinese Algae Eaters can be fun fish to own, but they turn into real bullies when they get older. If you have a tank with bigger fish in it that would be a better setting. Thanks for leaving a comment!
+Elvis Santana So are they doing well together as they grow up? Is the experiment working?
Aquatasy
yes, if you would like send me your email that way I send you a small video. The only fish I had to remove was my koi, yes I said koi fish it got to big that it eat 1 one fish.
+Elvis Santana I would be very interested in seeing it. My email address is info@aquatasy.com.
Andrew............This is the Most Thoroughly enjoyable Aquarium video I have ever watched.......Thankyou so much for sharing your special talent...........and superb advice.
+colinbarsby You're making me blush, Colin. Thank you for say such nice things.
You must Blush a lot then :)............Thanks again for sharing this hobby as you do.
This was a great video. Your voice cadence was mesmerizing - I thought I was watching some expensive-slickly-produced video. I hate to admit it, but I agree with 9 out 10. (I've never had a mean gourami) I would put Balas at #1 and add Clown loaches - too big, too active, need a bunch. As for balas, the only way I think is ok to keep them is a group of 20 (or more!) in a giant circular aquarium with a strong current akin to public aquarium saltwater displays. If ever a fish was born to run, its a bala.
+Catfish Cave I'm blown away by your compliments.Thank you! No big studio production. Just me in my home office / fish room sitting at my computer. But to be completely honest, this is the sort of thing I do for a living. Been an actor for decades, both on camera and behind a microphone. The other half of my career is visual effects & animation for feature films, television, games, commercials, etc. So I have a bit of experience. Which is not to say I got all that voice-over down perfectly on the first take. It took a few tries...more than I care to admit. LOL!
I truly appreciate your comments. I also agree with you regarding clown loaches, and I love your idea of a circular bala shark tank. Thay would be impressive!
I'm a Clown Loach community Fan. In 30 years I've never found a Clown Loach to cause a nuisance. I've regularly found fry growing out in my tanks untouched by the biggest Clowns, which is amazing. They must be eating some, but definitely not hunting them all down. Red Cherry shrimp are now living with my Clowns too. Who would have guessed?
I've never had them be a nuisance either. Too big, too active, need a bunch - meaning they need a BIG tank. Now add in other fish... so BIG tank. Not your usual community tank for beginners. Let the beginners start with a zebra loach.
I usually keep 3 together at a time. I love them. I had my oldest one for 15 years. My wife's favourite fish (She is not into Fish)
This video was very informative. As a novice the information was useful. You also have appealing style of presentation and videography. Much appreciated, Jim
Thank you, Jim! I'm so glad this video was helpful and entertaining for you. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment. I hope you'll take a moment to check out the other videos on this channel. Blessings to you!
Love your videos man!
+Jay Wilson Likewise, Jay! You are a constant inspiration.
chinese algae eaters. Arggghhhhh...........
I feel your pain. Nasty little troublemakers, aren't they?
And they get fuggin HUGE!!!
If Satan had a fish for a pet it would be the chinese algae eaters!
lol i got a golden one unknowlingly; had him for six monthes now. No problems yet... Another youtuber said ever since he started feeding his carnivorous bottom feeder pellets hes had no problems over years. Before the pellets he went for the gouramis slime coat... i got the pellets now and he loves them; leaves my silver hatchets, rasboras and golden tetras and golden mystery snails alone so far.
lol i got a golden one unknowlingly; had him for six monthes now. No problems yet... Another youtuber said ever since he started feeding his carnivorous bottom feeder pellets hes had no problems over years. Before the pellets he went for the gouramis slime coat... i got the pellets now and he loves them; leaves my silver hatchets, rasboras and golden tetras and golden mystery snails alone so far.
Great video as always,,, you make it fun to watch 😁
+Floyd Conrad Thanks, Floyd! I always aim to make these videos entertaining and fun.
Wow thanks for the convicts info, I was unaware & was actually going to buy 2 the other day. Glad I didn’t!
My pleasure, Jess. You really do have to watch it with Convict Cichlids in a community setting, especially a breeding pair. A single fish might be okay depending upon the size of the tank and the tank mates you choose. Honestly though, they are better off in their own dedicated aquarium. Fun and easy fish to keep otherwise!
I keep Blue and Gold Gouramies in my Water Lily pots in my garden here in Thailand, they share the pots with guppies, platies and 1 large pleco per pot. No problems with these communities. The only problem for the gouramies is they sometimes chase each other, and jump out, where they quickly become food for either my cats or the local ant population, if I don't find them first. Sometimes if we have heavy rain i can catch stranded 3 spot silver gouramies in my road, along with snakeheads, climbing perches and a sort of silver fish called "pla sil" by the Thais (it has wings like a flying fish, and is a great jumper).
Nice job. Now 65 years old and I have kept fish since a child. Entertaining and
Thank you! I've been keeping fish since I was a kid too. I've managed to maintain at least one tank since I was 12 years old. Currently have six tanks set up in the house.
Jack Dempsey. The shop told me he was on his own because he was just coming out of quarantine. This was 30 years ago now. I had never even heard of one but the colour is so vivid you could be forgiven for thinking it was a marine fish. Popped him in the tank with my Cichlids. Next morning I got up to complete devastation. Some of the fish in there were 5 times it's size. All dead or dying. That was the wife's fault "Aww, look at him all on his own. Can we have him? can we. Can we..... blah blah. :D Pretty, but psychotic. - the dempsey - not the wife (although now I say it) :D
Oh my gosh, Gary! That's a fish tank horror story if ever I heard one. (I have an old video called "My Favorite Fish Tank Horror Story" you can check out if you like.) Yes, the Jack Dempsey is an incredible looking fish. Stunning colors. No wonder your wife was captivated by it in the store. Sadly, not all of us know our sports history and know who Jack Dempsey (this species' namesake) was: a brutally powerful and cunning boxer who would have scared the snot out of even Mike Tyson back in his heyday. You live and learn, right? So do you still have that fish? (Hopefully you still have the wife.)
@@Aquatasy Thanks. "My Favorite Fish Tank Horror Story" is next on my list after I type this. Yup, 38 years for me and the wife this year. Our youngest recently received her ten year service medallion (UK Police) ........ amateur :D Shamefully, I am a boxing fan and did ask the assistant if the name had any meaning regarding aggression. I can be a bit naive sometimes. Like you rightly say, you live and learn. I'm sure this channel will help me avoid anymore pitfalls. Good job BTW. I'm an ex broadcast cameraman/editor. I KNOW how much work goes into it.
Congrats on the long marriage! My wife and I have been married for 25 years and have known each other for 30 (which means she had five years of fair warning of what a goofball I am before making her fateful decision to walk down the aisle with me.) I thank you for the compliment on my video production skills. We are kindered spirits then. I've worked in broadcast as well, but am primarily a visual effects artist & animator for feature films, television series, commercials, and video games. When I'm not doing that you can find me in front of the camera as a actor, behind the microphone as a voice-over performer, or on stage as a stand-up comedian. That's why I need my fish tanks. They keep me sane in the crazy world of entertainment!
I have a massive JD in a 130 gallon. He has a black convict, huge pink convict, a gold severum and big pleco as tankmates. 2 years so far and no fish has been dinged in the slightest. He could easily kill all the other fish, and they know it but all he does is chase them away from where he wants to be at that moment. And he is spectacularly beautiful. I’m fortunate to have 5 big fish living rather peacefully together.
You are very fortunate indeed! That's great! People must envy you being able to keep that assortment of fish together without any casualties. Bravo!
I have the three spot Fish. It’s not aggressive at all I think I got lucky because mine is an adult and it’s an angel 😇
I had one too several years ago that was a total pushover, and yet others that were complete snots. Every fish is different. I just wanted to give viewers a heads up about the possibility of aggressive behavior with Three-Spot Gouramis.
You probably have a female. The males are very aggressive once they reach adult size.
I agree with you, Victor. It seems to be the case with many anabantoid fish like gouramis, bettas, etc. where the male is the aggressor.
I had one that grew up and turned into a total jerk. And it was female
I have 4 Blue 3 Spots in a 40 gallon planted tank with 13 cherry barbs and 3 emerald corys. They do just fine.
HOW CAN YOU SAY NO TO THIS FACE!!! 5:45
I know, right? Pictus Catfish are awesome. You just need to be careful about which other fish you combine them with.
Nice video! You really know how to entertain AND inform. ^^
Thank you so much for such a nice compliment! You'll be happy to know that I am currently working on the latest Aquatasy Countdown video. Putting the finishing touches on it now. Thanks again for watching and letting me know you enjoyed this. More to come so check back very, very soon!
I knew a lot about the fish, especially the Algae Eater. I work in a pet store, and I have been adjusting so much with Support Office to change the fish we got in. I very quickly got rid of Bala Sharks and Algae Eaters (We didn't sell the others listed), and a whole lot of others, because I knew they were not suited for most of the fish customers we had (this is after the stores had been going for over 20 years, and have not changed their fish they got in). Even going to the point that some of the fish were kept in store for almost a year because most people who showed interest, did not have the correct set up for the tanks.
It made me feel good that I was ensuring all customers knew exactly what the fish could expect to be like, and so they were confident in recommendations.
If they were not happy with the selection, I would even organised with suppliers to get other varieties in that the customer was interested in. From all of my hard work, that store was the go to store for fish (even customers that were previously at fish specialist stores were coming to us) for in that Region of up to 2 hours drive away, increasing sales by over 70%. I no longer work at that store, and unfortunately lost a lot of those customers, but goes to show what an impact you can make just from knowing what you sell, and how you display your fish, and implementing steps to reduce sickness, though they are tedious.
Tali Vaughan why would you get rid of Bala sharks...
@@lauchlanstill6677 because most people did not have the appropriate size aquarium to house them since you need s school for for them and 150 gallon tank or about 600 litres, when the average person only had less than 200 litres.
So they were kept in the holding tanks for months (6 months+) so to me that was not ethical.
"territorial lil snots" lmao that got me good
What can I say, Teresa? I was speaking from the heart. Glad you got a good chuckle from that.
I was pretty successful at keeping pea puffers by feeding them the snails from about a dozen other tanks, all of which I had planted and deliberately overfed to maintain a burgeoning mollusc population.
I love those little mini attack fishicopters, but they're _definitely_ not good fish for beginners because of their dietary peculiarities. I kept mine in a planted tank with the aforementioned diet (supplemented with bloodworm, which they slurp up like spaghetti noodles), and they largely ignored guppies (even the pretty boys who had those big flowing delta fins) and anything that inhabited the middle/top of the tank. I never put them into a tank that had a crustacean I wanted to keep, nor with any plecos; that's a recipe for disaster right there. They'll eat your water-bugs and enucleate your plecos.
They are utterly fascinating little creatures to be sure. I toyed with getting some pea puffers for my daughter's aquarium to reduce/eliminate the zombie horde of Malaysian Trumpet Snails she has in there, but was concerned that the puffers would bother my daughter's beloved Kuhli loaches. That was a great comment too, Steven. Quite an enjoyable read. You have a way with words, sir!
I got some Convicts because they were free. Big mistake! 7 to start and a few weeks later there was about 45 babies! 😳 Luckily I got rid of all but 6 of the original and 3 of the little ones (males and females totally separated).🤪 Always research, people. Lesson learned!
As you've experienced, Convict Cichlids are exceptionally prolific breeders. Aggressive too, but they can also be a lot of fun, right? Just not the best candidates for a community tank. Glad to hear you've managed to get your Convict population under control.
Brilliant as always!!! Couldn’t agree more with the list. Especially the CAE - never had one but have heard horror stories about them. 😳. Well done as always, sir!
When I started out in this hobby as a kid I unwittingly kept Chinese Algae Eaters all the time in my tanks to help control algae. I didn't know any better. So did my grandfather. Then we figured out their true nature. He switched to Red-Tailed Sharks and Flying Foxes and I switched to Plecos and Otos for our algae eaters. Currently I have Clown Pleco (named "Junior") and a truckload of Ramshorn Snails in my 20 gallon South American tank and a Siamese Algae Eater (named "Mop") plus some Nerite Snails in The Thailand Project aquarium for algae control. CAEs are entertaining, but I'll never keep them again unless it's in a single-species tank.
Thank you for the compliments on this video. Always great to get your feedback!
Lots of good advice. Thank you! I wouldn't presume to disagree with your list - the thing about this fascinating hobby is that nobody who's kept fish for a few years is ever really 'wrong' about them, because their experiences will be unique, valuable, and interesting for other enthusiasts. I think it's always good to compare notes and see how other aquarists are getting on.
So I'd like to add Zebra Danios to your list of angry fish!
Although I used to have many tanks and all sorts of tropical species years ago, I've gradually simplified things and now just keep one 6' long, quite shallow, unheated tank modelled on a small Amazon stream - lots of bogwood, Java fern, moss, and a partial carpet of catappa leaves over a sand substrate [swimming pool-filter grade]. It's been established over a decade, so everything's mature and nicely settled. I have a group of White Cloud Mountain minnows and a huge 'herd' of 24 bronze Corydoras catfish.
Yep, it's a 2 species-only community tank!
I used to have 14 Zebra Danios as well, but I found the females to be territorial and too aggressive. The poor minnows used to huddle together in a corner, barely feeding, their colours muted. After several weeks it was clear that the Danio 'mafia' wanted no neighbours, so they got evicted to a tank of their own. Immediately the minnows relaxed, regained their bright colours, and formed a peaceful, free-swimming group, breeding happily.
Cute bit: any new, small minnow youngsters will gather round my oldest catfish (I call her 'Grandma') and follow her at a polite distance, nibbling at any bits of detritus she kicks up; it's like watching eager kids asking too many questions. "Hey, Miss, what are you doing?" "What does the sand taste like?" "Can we have some, too?" "Why are you turning over leaves?" "How many whiskers have you got?"
Grandma takes no notice and obviously isn't at all concerned, but I could imagine W. C. Fields looking up and muttering, "Go away, boys, you bother me..."
Incidentally, I've found swimming-pool-filter grade sand - which is 'soft', smoothly rounded and heavy enough not to get drawn into my external canister filter's inlet - to be PERFECT for Cory catfish. My guys love to dig in it, chomp on it, and sift it out of their gills; they all have magnificent sets of whiskers. I only use a 1/2" depth of sand, which avoids pockets of sulphurous 'black sludge' building up.
I know it's contrary to the purpose of this video, but for any keepers looking for a perfect community fish, I recommend bronze Corydoras catfish. They're sweet natured and incredibly robust. I live in the north of England; my house has no heating, so my unheated tank's temperature drops to my living room's ambient temperature in winter, which is around 50° F. (I don't mind and my fish don't mind either.)
Cory catfish have spines on their fins. Being so well protected makes them fearless, confident and very relaxed fish to look after. In a large group they're wonderful subjects - always busy, never aggressive, and even quite tame at feeding time. I wanted a long tank so that they would exhibit natural behaviour, and they do - it's fun to watch them embark on a feeding 'mission', creeping en-mass upstream, followed by those curious minnows. They're not just bottom feeders, either - when I give the minnows a treat of well-soaked freeze-dried daphnia (which floats), the Corys rise to feed on the surface as well. Lovely fish. Very long-lived, too!
Happy fish keeping, peeps. :-)
Baby Red Snakeheads get sold in UK as pretty, little bright red things and they grow up to eat (or just kill) everything else in the tank.
Yes, Snakeheads are like that. I see them sold often in dedicated local fish stores here in the United States, but not often in large chain pet stores. That's why they weren't included on this list. I'm thankful, though, that you brought them up here in the comments because people need to know about them. Thanks!
@@Aquatasy When they are babies they look like they could mix with neon tetras etc. Some of the shopkeepers here used to just let people buy them. I think they are banned in US. Channa argus (northern snakehead) is banned in UK, it survived -35 C in tests.
Wow! It can survive being at -35 C? I did not know that.
@@Aquatasy I can't find the article now, I think they tested them in ice ponds in Siberia.
The fish is native in Siberia, but all the references I can find now say 0 degrees.
The eggs might not hatch at very low temperatures.
If you're talking about Channa micropeltes, yes, I've seen the juveniles offered for sale. Except that they're 36 inch fish as adults in the wild, and at that size, are capable of eating live rats. That cavernous toothy mouth isn't for show.
Snakeheads are also tough as old boots. They'll survive in the crappiest water you put them in, and will survive battle scars that will dispatch lesser fish to the great tank in the sky. If you have a big enough tank for the purpose, they'll breed as well, though what you're going to do with 1,000 or more baby Snakeheads, I leave to you to decide. :)
Though if you're looking for the silliest fish to be offered for sale here, try Hoplias lacerdae. it's not known as the Giant Amazonian Wolf Fish for nothing. Adults are capable of amputating your arm at the elbow.
My caribe piranha and harlequin rasboras have been getting along famously for 4 years now lol
How interesting! I imagine the rasboras act as dither fish for the piranhas which is why the piranhas don't eat them. That's pretty darned cool.
When the algae eater got number one I spat out my coffee laughing, its so true! I was convinced to put one with my golds to manage the algae, two weeks later the Lil spawn of Satan had doubled it's size, badly battered my favorite gold and nipped all the other fish. I tried giving it extra food, growing alge for it, buying alge discs nothing worked, had to give him away. My favorite gold died of stress last week. It is a pretty fish and this one was unusually aggressive, but still, ya'll, choose this Lil monster with caution.
Glad you enjoyed this video, but I hope I didn't induce any coffee stains on your clothing while you were watching it! LOL! As you can tell, I don't have much love for Chinese Algae Eaters, especially when there are so many better alternatives. Sorry to hear you lost one of your goldfish to these vile creatures. If you want a good algae eating option for a goldfish tank I highly recommend Rubberlip Plecos.
He didn't really want the algae did he.
It’s great you can find out so much about fish . You learn the do’s and don’t because keeping fish can be a disaster if you don’t know what your doing . Thanks for putting the info out there .
You're very welcome, Kim! I'm delighted to know that you enjoyed this video and found the information in it helpful. It has bothered me for years how certain fish species are sold or touted as being great fish for a general community aquarium even though they aren't. That's why I wanted to make this video. And even as a so-called fish "expert" (I hate that term, but will roll with it) I learn a tremendous amount by making these videos and researching the topics. Thanks for watching and commenting. More videos like this to come!
Awesome video. I'm actually planning a 5 foot setup with some barbs, bigger tetras, gourami, medium sized peaceful cichlids, loaches ( not skunk loaches), bristlenose, rainbow shark, big cories and a hoplo. Idk if that's too crowded so I may add less fish. Actually seen Chinese algae eaters at big box stores being sold to go with goldfish and minnows ( a big mistake ). It's sad that these fish are sold to inappropriate homes. Some more fish I would add are
Redtail sharks
Endlers ( little bullies )
Pacu
African cichlids
Tinfoil barbs
Common goldfish
Brackish puffers
Serpae tetras
Buenos Aires tetras
Crayfish
Love the presentation style. Btw have you heard of Rio claro convicts
I like your plan for the 5 foot tank. I hope you'll post some videos of it when you have it set up. I agree with most of your suggestions for fish that do not make good candidates for a community aquarium. Red-Tail Sharks are hit or miss. Some behave themselves nicely while others a pure bullies. It depends upon the individual fish. I've never had trouble with Serpae Tetras. You just have to keep them in a group of 5 or more so that they will chase each other and leave the rest of your fish alone. Buenos Aires Tetras made it onto a different Aquatasy Countdown list, "9 Fish Species Mistakenly Sold As Tropical".
You should make a antonym list for this one.
Like three spot gouramis? Go with Dwarf gouramis instead!
Chinese algae eater? More like Siamese algae eater (Crossocheilus oblongus) amirite?
Interesting idea, Jonathan. Sort of like the community aquarium fish equivalent of the book series "Eat This, Not That." I will definitely consider it. Thanks!
Bumblebee gobie, I learn this the hard way when I started the hobby.
Me too, Jose. I think a lot of us learned that lesson. Bumblebee Gobies are wonderful fish to keep, but you have to do it under the right circumstances and set-up.
Same here Jose
@@Aquatasy I actually had 3 in my golden wonder tank. They were happy, peaceful fishes that behaved perfectly well, they ate the snails that plagued the tank as well as whatever pellets I fed to the other fish. They died recently, one after the other after 5 years of life. They didn't even bother my kuhli loaches or anything.
That's good to hear that they were peacefully coexisting for you. Clearly you were providing for their needs and the Bumblebees didn't see the other fish as threats. Sorry to learn that your fish recently passed. Five years is about the average lifespan for Bumblebee Gobies if I remember correctly. Sounds like they were in good hands with you.
Skunk loaches man, they are the devil. And they can live through anything. I had one in a tank for six months with less than an inch of water and NEVER fed him. I didn't know he was in there. Found him when I went to set the tank back up. He was shockingly in good health. No food, no filtration, no heat, nothing... wasn't even skinny. Love them or hate them, gotta respect a fish like that.
How did you not know he was in there lol
@@Nickels4Tickles I tore the tank down and never saw him. I thought the tank was empty, as I hadn't seen him for a long time. It was the wildest thing. He scared the crap out of me when I found him. He was not happy about being disturbed.
I have been keeping pea puffers for years in a 100 gal community tank. My secret is how I set up the tank. The substrate is about 4 inches deep. I introduced trumpet snails and let them breed like mad. So many that you can see the substrate moving all the time. Then I introduced the pea puffers. They don't bother any of the other fish and their bellies are always full. They don't even go after the cherry shrimp.
Todd, you are a genius. That is the perfect way to keep Pea Puffers in a community: a whopping huge tank with plenty of space for everyone and a well-established, virtually never-ending food supply for the puffers. Brilliant!
very well rounded list and an excellent truthful introduction for those that haven't kept these fish!
+Dwain Kitchel That's exactly what I was aiming for with this video. They are all good fish. They just don't play well with others. ;-)
I love my catfish. We did rehome the Cherry Barbs because he was eating them but most of my fish are goldfish and loaches and he doesn’t bother them
So you have a Pictus catfish? They are definitely a fun fish. Predatory, but fun.
Aquatasy yes I love him he’s pretty cool! and yeah he’s the smallest fish in the tank so we don’t have any more problems
Wish I would have seen this when picking out my first fish. I had a pictus catfish kill one of my mollies two days in. Got it cause I thought it was a scavenger. We all learn though.
Sorry you had that happen to you, Tanner. You're right, we all live and learn. Don't blame yourself though. The myth that all catfish are scavengers has been perpetuated for years and years by decent, well-meaning people. Pictus Catfish are constantly sold as harmless scavengers so I'll bet you were told the same thing. On the plus side, given the right setting they are really cool fish to keep. Happy to know this video was informative for you (even if it came too late to save your mollie.
Tanner Vodicka I kept Pictus, unlike a lot of Catfish they don't hide away & are very active.
To be honest you should have done your research before buying the Pictus or any fish/live animal.
I love Pictus catfishes but I do understand ur point
I love them too! They are amazing to watch and, I think, incredibly attractive looking for a catfish. Just a really handsome species. They made this list primarily because most stores that sell them don't inform their customers of Pictus Cats being predators. If you know that going into it, then you can plan accordingly and put together a tailor-made community setting for them that reduces the risk of trouble.
I have pictus catfish in 2 tanks with other 2 other species of catfish and have never had an issue
@@Aquatasy I have a "chuckoo" catfish (synodontis multipunctatus) and it looks similar to the Pictus its just a lot calmer in nature. I keep it with Angels and Congo Tetra's and they are doing great together.
About seven years ago I had a pair of convicts in a tank with two Ocars, A parrot fish, Two Common Plecos, an un-identified fish and a upside down catfish. When the convicts were breeding everyone was pushed to the other end of the tank in fear. this was a 120 gallon long btw. I ended up with some amazing babies but they were jerks to all other fish.
That doesn't surprise me, Marissa. You picked the right word to describe Convict Cichlids: jerks. I can just picture all the other fish in your big tank huddled over at the far end trying not to envoke the wrath of the Convicts. So do you still have that tank? What did you eventually do about the "jerks"?
God, you truly KNOW YOUR FISH. I just watched this one and BRAVO!!!!. YOU made me almost laugh because i have had nearly every single one of these you mentioned. Accept the ciclids and convicts. Tried Africans twice, BIG MISTAKE. I had 4 in a 20 gallon. One killed every other one. I said UNLESS I have a huge tank never again. You ROCK.
What can I say, Sam? I've been in this hobby for 35+ years since I was a kid. It's the hobby that keeps me sane amidst all the other crazy stuff I do (actor, visual effects artist, animator, voice-over performer, writer, editor, comedian, and genuine Dark Lord of the Sith). The entertainment industry is a stressful business. I chill out by having fish tanks. I've been fascinated with fish and aquascaping all my life.
Over the years I've managed to pick up a lot of information and have garnered a ton of experience. That's why I make these videos. When I started out in this hobby as a child there was nowhere to go to get good information about aquarium fish. My grandfather and I had to rely on a few books, a handful of other hobbyists we knew, and the questionable advice of the pet stores. I wanted Aquatasy to be a resource for new fishkeepers as well as seasoned aquarists. So I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this video. I've kept 7 out of the ten species on this list myself. I hear yah about the Africans. Definitely need a big tank for most of them and lots of safe zone hiding places!
Iridescent sharks should be on the list. They get huge, and every one I’ve had has little freak outs swimming back and forth at full speed while knocking over rocks and hitting other fish
You are absolutely right! That is exactly how they behave. Iridescent Sharks will inexplicably suffer panic attacks and dash about the tank full tilt crashing into everything. They certainly could qualify for this list, but the reason I didn't include them...is because they are going to be part of a different list for an upcoming installment of the Aquatasy Countdown. Stay tuned!
Throw Serpae Tetra in at #11. Fin Nip champions!
Yes oh my god!! I hate those little shits. They stressed my swordtails to the max until I rehomed them!
Man I must be lucky! I had someone gift me a Serpae as I was buying like 5-6 other fish from them. They asked if I wanted it for free. I asked them ”aren't they suppose to be in a community?” They told me yeah, but this one was OK. I told em if it got out of hand, I was bringing it back. 2mos later, that Serpae is docile and gentle and interacts with Giant Danios, Golden Barbs, Rainbows and Odessa Barbs Just fine.
I got lucky I suppose.
How about tiger barbs the fin nip too
I have 2 in my tank and so far so good. If I start noticing them nipping off they go lol
I kept looking for Serpae Tetras in the top 10. I bought 4, along with 15 neons. They were all in the same tank so I thought, oh they must get along right!' oh and they cleverly called them Rosy Tetras. I put them in their tank and they started killing the neons before my eyes. So, I separated them by putting them in an empty 29 gal. I was told to get more so they wouldnt feel threatened. I bought 4 more. I am scared to put anything else in there. They are so mean to each other. There are 3 that keep the others in hiding at all times. Now I hear all kinds of bad stories.
Tiger oacars mine trears up any plant I put in and will eat anything I touch. Tried to put some rootabs in today and he nicked em right out of my hand
You're right, Thomas, and I would have included them on this list except I'm saving them for a different upcoming Aquatasy Countdown video. Stay Tuned!
Awww! Lol! I love my Oscars but they are notorious I’ve been told for being professional movers! Lol! Can be temperamental but are fun to watch! Mine swims upside when he wants to coherence me to give him more food! It’s truly hilarious!
I just wanted to say thank you, my other half and I were looking into putting some Chinese algae eaters into our community tank with our tetra, betta, loaches and cory cats and thanks to your video we were able to protect our fish and not put these jerks in our tank, so again, thank u😊
You're welcome, Nikole! I'm thrilled to know that this video helped you out. If you are looking for an alternative to Chinese Algae Eaters (one that will actually eat algae and not pester the rest of your fish) I would suggest looking into Bristle-Nose Plecos or Siamese Algae Eaters. Nerite Snails are also terrific at keeping your aquarium virtually algae-free.
@@Aquatasy thank you, I will definitely look into them! 😊
The plecos will do a better job of eating algae, but may need supplemental food (algae wafers, blanched zucchini, etc.) once the algae is gone. Siamese Algae Eaters aren't quite as good at polishing off algae, however they will be fine eating regular fish food if there is not much algae left in the tank. Both species are quite peaceful.
@@Aquatasy thank you so much! 😊
I subscribed, thanks for sharing useful information :D
You're welcome, Richard! And thank you so much for subscribing. I will do my best to make it worth your while. If you liked this video be sure to check out the follow-up, "9 Fish Species Mistakenly Sold As Tropical". By the way, the next installment of the Aquatasy Countdown is in the works now. Stay tuned!
Loved this video!
+DWSDARIUS FISH TANKS Hey, thank you! You know I've been watching your videos for ages, so I really appreciate your compliments.
no one would think of exodon as community fish
Yea I was gonna say...
Honestly, you'd be surprised. I've come across far too many people who got Bucktooth Tetras without knowing enough about them and tried to combine them with other species (to disastrous results of course). That's why I included them on the list.
I saw them in my local chain pet stores at one point. And then never again lol. I bet a real hard lesson was learned as I'm sure some people took those monsters home to put into their community tanks...
LOL! Yeah, I'm sure someone found out the hard way about the Bucktooth Tetra's true nature. Yikes!
You're seriously underestimating how ignorant people can be. Im willing to bet theres plenty of uneducated people that saw "bucktooth tetra" and assumed they were just like neons without doing any research
I had bb gobies, 3 spot gpuramies, and a Chinese algae eater on separate occasions in community aquariums with zero problems. But then, for reasons unknown to me, I've been a successful fish keeper from the day I started keeping fish.
Three things I've always consistently provided fish with: complex environments, heavily planted aquariums, and am a voracious reader about fish, their natural habitats and their needs.
I'm generally not a gifted or talented person in any particular field, but for some reason, I've always done well with fish.
That's wonderful to hear about your success at keeping those three species in a community setting. Trust me, everyone without exception has talent in some shape or form. Clearly one of your talents is keeping fish. I think the key to your being able to put those three species into community tanks without incident is right there in your comment. Having a complex environment for the fish to explore with various places to retreat to (or the other fish to retreat to) goes a long way towards curbing the bad tendencies of fish like Three-Spot Gouramis and Bumblebee Gobies. The fact that your tanks are heavily planted means there are plenty of broken lines of sight. So well done, good job! As for the Chinese Algae Eater, I'm just going to say you are blessed and fortunate. LOL! Thank you so much for leaving a comment. This is exactly the kind of dialogue I always hope to see happen with each Aquatasy video. Keep up the great work with your fishkeeping and please continue comment on my videos. Blessings to you!
I keep crayfish with some other fast swimming tetras. Now my pair of crays are about 4 inch long adults now and totally capable of taking down fish a few inches long. A while back I bought a few of these Chinese algae eaters to deal with algae problem. They grew up and started to get territorial, and were nasty enough to beat the bloody crayfish to submission. Now they get the best spot and chase my crayfish out of their nest. I've never seen another species of fish capable of standing up to crayfish of similar size. Bloody brutal fish. Should definitely be given enough respect.
fish you haven't named that came to mind are Gouramis or fishes in the gourami family like paradise fish and batas. Angels, goldfish, and I once overhead someone buying a discus for a community tank.I was in a chainstore, I was there to buy goldfish for a pond. And I tried to help but the family said no. I talked to the employee afterwards, he only educate when asked, the main job was to sell them.
You are right on the money with that, Lori. Goldfish are not the best fish for a community aquarium, even a cold water community, because their needs are so much more specialized and they can be little eating & pooping machines. I didn't include them on this list because I'll be talking about goldfish in an upcoming Aquatasy Countdown video.
Paradise Fish, Betas, and Angelfish are a very similar situation to the Three-Spot Gourami in that it often comes down to the temperament and personality of the individual fish. Some are pushovers and some are little snots. That's why I left them off the list. Plus, I covered Paradise Fish in the follow-up Aquatasy Countdown to this one, "9 Fish Species Mistakenly Sold As Tropical".
I know what you're talking about regarding pet store interventions. Been there more times than I can count.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Great suggestions!
I would put Tiger Barbs on the list as well.
Early on when planning this video I thought about including Tiger Barbs, but ultimately left them off the list in favor of other species. But don't worry, I will be talking about the Tiger Barb in a upcoming Aquatasy Countdown video on a different topic. What's that video going to be? Stay tuned to find out!
+1 on Tiger Barbs. They will tear the fins off of every other fish in the tank.
Was thinking same.
Tiger barbs are awesome you have to keep 5 or more I have 6 with black skirt tetras a bloodfin foil barbs tigers are grate community fish I've never had a problem
The panda Cory catfish is cuter than pea puffer
I won't argue with you about that. I love me some Panda Cories!
Bumblebee goby are cute to
They are indeed. Feisty little creatures, but awfully cute.
As an owner of a chinese algea eater I can definitely agree with this video😂😂😂
Little troublemakers, aren't they?
Without a doubt!
Oscars should be on this list. They get big and eat anything they can fit in their mouths. They also terrorize other tank mates by chasing them and tearing up their fins
You are absolutely right. Oscars are wonderful pets with tons of charm & personality, but they do not make great community tank inhabitants unless kept in a very large aquarium with fish their own size or larger. The reason I did not put Oscars on this list is because I plan to include them in a different list for an upcoming Aquatasy Countdown video. Be sure to come back for that!
This video is on point, I have been misled into keeping several of these fish early in my hobby and all of them are complete jerks in a small community set up. I have since set up a large 125 community tank and have been able to successfully keep them. This might be a loophole for certain species, but the bottom line is always do your research before hand.
Well said, Nick. It's not that you can't ever keep these species (with the exception of the Bucktooth Tetra) in a community aquarium, it's as you've discovered an issue of settings up an environment that addresses the issues that often make these species poor community candidates.
A 125 gallon tank, huh? I'm thoroughly jealous! Thanks for watching and commenting. I truly appreciate it. More videos like this coming soon!
But I wanted an electric eel!! Haha
LOL!
I go found out bout convicks...lol. After 100 fry and. Two pairs one pair has to go
They are very prolific breeders, aren't they?
Convicts can literally breed anywhere anytime took my convicts out to clean my aquarium boom " wtf ur not even in the water".
Wow! LOL! And they say rabbits are prolific breeders! That is amazing. Like a couple of newlyweds on their honeymoon who can't wait to get to the hotel room. Hilarious!
@@Aquatasy yeap rabbit's breed but convicts are just more faster.
Tiger Barbs is one of the most troubled residents, as well. They want to choice their tank mates. And fins of any size is magnet for Tiger barbs, I don't know any other fish, that is so addicted to fin biting and not scared of bigger sized fish, so they have long fins. Anything half size of Tiger barbs equals food, fins equals food, plants equal food, Snails equals food, I had Tiger barbs that tried to eat gravel.
Great fish, with interesting behaviour, but would only go with bigger tetras, and more peaceful barbs, catfish and loaches.
They are really easy to stress out and shy fish, but they are also pretty active fish, I found their best tank mates in Kuhli Loaches, as they are pretty calm and shy fish, but the Tigerbarbs playing chase, lure the loaches out of their hide.
Great comment! Yes, Tiger Barbs can be trouble. I left them off this list, though, because I plan to include them as part of a different Aquatasy Countdown video. What will that topic be? Keep watching to find out!
Just saw this video..Great Knowledge Being Passed On..Means AlOt To Me..Thanks & Great Job
You're welcome! Thank you for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed this video.
What? I have a pictus had him for months nothing like what you just described 😕
Like he said, Pictus catfish are in fact carnivorous. Mine spent most of his time sharing his castle with a lace catfish, but my cardinal tetras disappeared overnight after adding him. He was fine with all the larger fish, but I wasn’t aware of his predatory nature until my school of tetras was eaten. Can’t blame the fish for that though, should’ve done more research first
What do you keep them with?
@@1xoACEox1 guppys Molly's and a common pleco
@@rossgooch1275 mollies should be fine too big to be a snack. Plecos are armoured and barbed so theyre fine. Guppies not sure when he gets bigger some might go missing. If hes well fed you might be fine even when hes bigger but they are notoriously ravenous and never full. Also they are a shoaling cat so a group is preferred. They arent really guppy tank bottom feeder. How bigs your tank? Hoplo , upside down and featherfin are much safer in my experience but they get big so....
Where would you even get an electric eel
Kacie, where there's a will there's a way. I've seen online sellers offer up electric eels. (Yeah, I was as surprised as you.) Of course, I mentioned them mostly in jest as a fish that obviously would be a bad choice for a community fish tank to hopefully solicit a chuckle from everyone watching. Hope you enjoyed the video.
@@Aquatasy quite easy i seen 1 2 days ago 6 foot long for sale 1200 dollars
I'm guessing it wasn't at Petco or Petsmart. (I bet it was pretty cool to see that though.)
Lol algae eater my behind had one eat 2 fish before I realized he was the culprit
Sneaky, nasty little so-and-so's arent they?
Definitely agree about the black convict cichlids. They essentially killed all our yellow labs. However, they are very low maintenance & hardy fish. They're also really cooperative when I do a water change. The whole group will literally go to the other half of the tank while I do the other half.
That's pretty cool that your Convicts all move out of the way for you during a water change. I have one tank where my female Betta and my Black Kuhli Loach just *have* to be right where I'm trying to clean like, "Hey, what are you doing? Can we help??" LOL!
Thanks for watching and leaving a comment, Daisy!
Well done Sir, the best fish video producer I have run across on this Site. Agreed 100% on your top 10, was surprised about Chinese algae eater, but when I did have those in my tank, would catch them trying to suck on the other fish so no more. Ohhhhhhhhhhh, how those fish stores will lie to you on compatibility, as this 1 store cost me hundreds $$$$$$$$$$$$, but more importantly watching these fish die in my tank.
Are bala sharks also known as silver sharks.....? If so I’m dumb
Cus like a year ago I had about 3 silver sharks
Yes, Bala Sharks are also known as Silver Sharks. And no, you're not dumb. This hobby is a constant learning process. I've been keeping fish since I was 12 and I'm still learning new things every day.
Juul Cichlid
Lmao
Yeah petco told
Me the jewel
Cichlids would do well
In my tank so I brought it home
And it started eating my
Other fish.... so I brought it back and of course the employees denied recommending it.....
Oh no! I'm sorry you had to go through that. Did they eventually take the return or were you stuck with the Jewel Cichlid?
Jewel fish.....are straight predators...!
Don’t go to petco for fish.. I went to petco a few months ago and they recommended that I put 12-15 tiger bards with my one angel fish... tiger bards in my opinion are the worse fish to have. They have zero personality and look basic and all they do is nip on your other fish fins. Only plus side on tiger bards have is they are hard to kill and they school together well. Besides that they are not the best community fish. Also after I adding them to the fish tank, my whole entire tank Got ick as well and all the petco offered me was a refund if I turn the fish and 10% off my medication! Lol! You already got all my fish sick in the entire tank so why wouldn’t I just keep the fish and cure all the fish at once? I didn’t even bother with the discount or return because I was overly pissed off that they wanted me to refund sick fish and get a 10% discount on medication after they were the ones who messed my whole tank up. I didn’t want the tiger bards anyway at the end but it’s crazy how I was only offered 10% off a $9-12 bottle of medication. I would only go to petco for decoration, food, filters. Not fish.
Every individual fish is different. We have a Golden Chinese Algae Eater in our 40 breeder tank and he is one of our favorite fish. His name is "Goldspot", he is about 7" long and between 2 and 3 years old. he continuously eats algae from the glass, plants wood etc. His sum total of aggression is to chase the Cory's away from his "house". The secret to keeping him in check is to feed him correctly (and often). He gets all manner of frozen food, Extreme bottom feeder pellets, Repashy. live blackworms and even flakes. I guess we were just lucky to get such a good fish.
That is exactly what you need to do, address their dietary changes as they age. Goldspot sounds like a cool fish. Do you have any videos posted of him?
This is good....most all loaches and Botias can be bullies but like you said keeping em in big groups keeps them preoccupied....we’ve even had em attack our turtles and had to move them....👍
Thank you for the compliment! I love loaches and botias, but I gotta tell it like it is. They can be cantankerous sometimes, and many people don't know about keeping them in groups to curb their bad behavior. Interesting to hear that you had some go after your turtles. I would not have expected that. Just goes to show you how bold those fish can get. Thanks for sharing that!
My pea puffer ate my arowanna
LOL! I'm trying to picture that...um, I mean..I'm so sorry for your loss.
Aquatasy it’s fine
😱holy crap, im sorry for your loss and im sorry agian but my first thought was damn what a bad*ss fish
How often should you feed a pea puffer a snail?
@@gwendolynamy7462 I found that they were pretty happy with 1-3 of the little tadpole snails (those little brown-shelled guys, _Physella acuta_ I think) a day, but you can supplement their diet with ghost shrimp and bloodworm. They'll happily eat cherry shrimp, too, but you don't want them to because of how expensive they are. Get the runtier ghosties, not the big full-sized adults.
There's been more than one month where all puffers had was some bloodworm every couple of days until my snail populations in my other tanks bounced back. They were fine with that.
Breeding up tadpole snails is actually crazy-easy. Because they'll live in practically any conditions (compared to fish, anyways) and eat just about anything organic, I've had success with setups as simple as a fish bowl that I threw some flakes in to as complex as a normal fish tank. Remember to feed them a rich, balanced diet, though, so that your puffers get as much nutrition out of them as you can provide. I find I prefer breeding up my own snails, as that reduces the chances of getting some parasites that could hurt the little puffers.
Instructions unclear I lost all my fish
more fish that don't belong in community,
11. midas cichlid
12 Jaguar cichlid
13 Dovii
14 goliath tiger
15 jardini arowana
16 umbee
17 etc
All excellent candidates for this list.
Aquatasy thanks!
Good list but I think the video was more about the cheap ones found at any Petco or Petsmart, and sold by employees that don't know anything about them.
The fish on your list are not common in most places. Unless you have a really good LFS.
Victor Fox my local pet smart has Red Devils and my lfs sometimes has silver arowanas, my lfs also has dovii and jaguar cichlid, but that’s my lfs
Yes, I was going for common, readily available specices, but not necessarily cheap.
Years ago when I first started fish keeping a rotten owner of a fish store sold me a baby Jack Dempsey as a peaceful lovey doves fish. Jack grew fast. And ate everyone else in the tank. He was awesome, tho, I generally fed around 5:30. If I ran late fix ur people dinner he would spit water at me..,smart fish!
My condolences to all the other tasty fish that were in that tank, but as you discovered Jack Dempseys can be terrific wet pets with tons of personality. Unless they have actually kept them as pets, I don't think most people understand just how smart cichlids can be, especially South & Central American cichlids. They can recognize different people, know what time of day it is, etc. That's a hilarious story about your JD spitting water at you to remind you it was feeding time. Thank you, Sharon, for sharing that. I hope you'll keep watching and commenting.
He was a character and a half. I had to give to a good person fir him because I was a single mom and didn’t have money 5o hat him a really big tank! He had a very happy life.
I've got a golden algae eater about 3.5 inches that I've had almost two years. He's never bothered my other fish that I've seen, but that may be because the only other fish in that tank are small and fast. But it's also by far the most voracious eater of algae I've ever had, regardless of species. Dude is a machine. Chucked him and a smaller one into a pretty heavily planted and VERY algae covered tank and he had that glass spotless in two days. Don't know if he's just a weirdo or what but I love that little gold bar.
this one had me wondering if i have been doing something wrong in the past... but i remembered after reflecting hard, I never really have a community aquarium, it has always been species only. Nice share. Some of the fish eg algae eater eats small fish in their space.... I hate those buggers
I’ve had some bumblebee gobies in a 29 gallon fresh water micro tank and they have been thriving for the past 6 months, I didn’t know they were supposed to be brackish fish until a few months in the mom and pop shop I bought them from marketed them as fresh water. I’ve have great success with them eating frozen foods.
I loved the video, it was great!
It may very well be that the Bumblebee Gobies you own have been acclimated to freshwater for several generations if the store's supplier has been breeding them towards that goal. So don't think you immediately need to switch yours to brackish water. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I am thrilled to hear you are having so much success with your Bumblebee Gobies. They are a fun species. And thank you for the compliment on this video. This is a continuing series. You can find the second installment, "9 Fish Species Mistakenly Sold As Tropical", on my channel as well as many other informative (hopefully) and humorous (definitely) videos. Thanks for dropping a comment. I appreciate it!
I’ve had dozens of 3 spotted gouramis and I can tell you they are the most chill fish and get along with every other type of fish lol. Never even seen one act aggressive in the least
I'm glad to hear that! Like I said in the video, I love Three-Spot Gouramis and I hated putting them on this list. I've owned some that were absolute pushovers and I've had others that were ruthless killers. As you read through the comments on this video you'll see a lot of stories from people who, like yourself, have had peaceful Three-Spots and others who went through hell with theirs. That's why I wanted to put them on this list, so that people are aware of the potential for certain Three-Spot Gouramis to display aggresive behavior. Thanks for posting your comment, because I want viewers to hear about everyone's experiences with these species.
As they get bigger, male 3 spots become very aggressive, especially with fish that can't defend themselves like angel fish.
You are so right. Three-Spot males can be far more aggressive as they age. Mature females tend to be more docile than males. Good point! Thank you for watching and leaving a comment.
I work at a pet store and thankfully dont tell my customers any of the misnomers you mentioned... Always more to learn about these lovely creatures though to help others learn too :)
Bless you, Brittanie, for being a good resource for the people who come into your pet store. Pet shops need more people like you. Is the store you work at a chain pet store or an individually owned shop?
Thanks! Petsmart
It's great that your particular Petsmart has an actual fish person like you working for them. Many of the stores have folks whose expertise is in other areas covering the fish section and they don't know much more than how to net & bag.
@@Aquatasy Thank you, I try my best. I never want to give advice that could harm an animal. Like another person said in the comments, it may hurt sales figures at times, but I never want to sell a pet that I know won't be properly cared for.
That Chinese algae eater bit had me rolling lol 😂
Oops! Did I accidentally show my disdain for those horrible little monsters? LOL! In all fairness, Chinese Algae Eaters are fun to watch on their own. They just don't belong in a community tank. Happy you got a good laugh out of this video. I always try to blend humor with teaching.
Aquatasy I’m glad I watching it I was considering the algae eaters for an upgrade tank I just got so I’m glad I watched this
There are many other algae eating creatures you can choose instead. Bristlenose Plecos, Siamese Algae Eaters, Otocinclus Catfish, and (my personal favorite) Nerite snails.
I was surprised to see Pictus Catfish on this list. I have a fully grown Pictus cat in my community tank with other smaller catfish, tetras, gouramis and tiger Barb's. He's never harmed or even chased any of my other fish. I guess having a large tank with lots of hiding places helps, but I've never had the Pictus hurt any other fish.
Well, that right there is the key to successfully keeping a Pictus Catfish in a general community aquarium: a large tank with lots of hiding places. And obviously you must be providing for your Pictus Cat's needs including keeping it well fed so that it doesn't look at its tank mates as between meal snacks. I'm also guessing most of the fish is your aquarium are not quite bite-sized anyway, right? What kind of tetras do you have in that tank? One thing that can also help make it easier to keep a Pictus Catfish in a community aquarium is to establish all the other species first and then add a juvenile Pictus later so that it grows up being accustomed to having all those other fish around. So glad it's working out for you!
The editing was on point 🙌
Thank you! I appreciate the compliment. If you liked this video I hope you'll check out some of the other videos on this channel.
I respect your opinion on these kinds of fish.
Thank you, Edward, I appreciate that.
Im actually glad i watched this video i have 2 Chinese algae eaters and a Pictus catfish, i have a community tank its deff a mixture, and going threw the phase of seeing what i can house together within my own experience because well you hear so many different things. and well i have my beauty tire track eel, tiger barbs, rosy barbs, killifish, kuhli loaches, and cichlids small ones that wont get bigger than about 4inches. Also some applehead snails. this bunch that i have seem to do really well and haven't had issues with, i did not get them all at the same time as i switched from a full Cichlids tank. but i have had some fish pass or disappear during this process of trying to see what would work and getting rid of what i thought was my most territorial and bully fishes. i have had neons pass, danios, zebra loaches.. all either vanished, had chunks taken out of them or just passed of stress. right now i have one danio left body and fins are messed up 2 disappeared. the other fish i had in the tank with pretty much everything now but also plasma eel, starry night eel, gourami. and some other cichlids that i have gotten rid of thinking these fish were the culprits, which i know could have been also but this video explains a little bit more why i'm having an issue and will be getting those guys out also.
Sounds like you've got a great mix of fish species in your community tank, Kadijah. Once you get those trouble makers out of there you should be fine. I'm jealous of you having that tire track eel. I've always wanted one of those. Happy to know this video was useful in helping you identify what was going on in your aquarium. Hopefully everything will be harmonious going forward. I really appreciate your comment. Thanks for watching!