Hi edagdwg God bless you thanks for sharing a lot of these fish people but all the time now I understand and enjoy them but learn what to put together a forever loving fan of your videos Linda j.peace
I had a tank with like 70% of these fish. This list is all facts. That said, many of species on this list could withstand eachother so it became a tank built around them. Sharks, barbs, danjos, plecos. Ones that were high energy, schooling, personality. Mollies, guppies, bettas and swordtails would get clapped quick in that enviorment. Gouramis could maintain. Tinfoils can handle them. A long tank to let your schools move and this is a great list still. Just no livebearers or species with flowing fins.
@@Fishman2114 I have an aqaurium with 80% of your list, they lived well together, but I should also point out that it is a very large aquarium and so they have enough space. I even had mollies in there that reproduced and most of the babies lived
I have two Otocinclus in my tank and boy do they cause a lot of trouble. From eating other fish to moving things around, this guys are work! Great video!
Chain petstores probably should stop selling the common pleco. The casual buyer has no idea what they are getting themselves into and those things end up in retention ponds all over here in Florida.
I absolutely ADORE common plecos. But I have the resources and tank space to keep them. Going to be setting up a 300 gallon indoor pond in a year or two when my current big boy outgrows my 100 gallon. But absolutely agree. They should NOT be so readily available
I had a tank with a betta, tiger barb, angelfish, 2 corys, and a pictus cat. Obv got the fish with zero research and was surprisingly fine for almost a month until the angelfish got an attitude problem and started picking on the beta, separated them, and then the barb started going after the beta. No idea how they held it together for a month
Great video. I consider myself fortunate regarding my experience keeping Rosie Barbs. My 6 don't bother the Geophagus whose fins are getting longer by the month.
This is a really good list for people who wanna keep these fish too, before buying and considering a good habitat for them. Gives good example of what their natural behaviors are so you can facilitate an environment that encourages them to be their bad little selves, but safely.
@@S.TalorKrupa Exactly any fish can work! But not all are a good community choice as they are difficult or even impossible to pull off living with certain other fish correctly.
Completely agree about the Chinese Algae eater, super aggressive as they age, when mine was small, it was really cool, then turned into a monster once he got bigger. I moved him from my 10 gallon to my 55 gallon but he did not seem to like the change. I have tiger barbs that do very well in my 55 gallon with others: however, you just explained why every time I put guppies in there, they disappear. Thanks for that because now I know not to put anymore in there
@@charlyngauthier388 Happy to help, but yeah those tigers where shred those guppies up unfortunately. And regarding the Chinese algae eater just avoid them…
@@muhammadfauzifrudiansyah9083 No problem I did make a whole top list for that so check that out for more details, but off the top of my head snails, ottocinclus catfish, bristlenose plecos, and hillstream loaches are all great algae eaters. Just note some work better for certain kinds of algae
@5:50 Pea Puffers, aka Murder Beans, can be kept together as a trio, 1 male to 2-3 females, providing there are tons of plants, plenty of hides, and a large enough tank. They tend to school a bit more than most puffers. Males are territorial. I recommend a minimum of 30 gallons per trio because they are surprisingly messy for their size. Species only for sure!
Tiger barbs I feel like ONLY work as a Barb only set up. I’ve had a great success mixing them with other barbs and a bristlenose without any real issues but they are one of those fish I couldn’t recommend to any other tank set up They are kinda like mini cichlids in that regard
@@ryaquaza3offical They definitely work best in that sort of environment. They need a really big school in order to be able to work with other fish which takes up a lot of space and creates large bio load. You also just have to straight up avoid any fish with longer fins as they will harass them. Point is it’s hard to do right…
Had a 55 gallon that was given to me when I was 10 and of course I wanted a pleco and a red-tailed shark. 5 years later the only thing that could ever survive with them(8" and 15" at the end of 5 years) were tiger barbs. I wouldn't recommend any of them to anyone, but if you had to, the red-tailed shark and tiger barbs can get along reasonably well.
Ive had a Glofish orange rainbow shark for about 3 years now, and he quite likes the taco I got for him 😂 but he is so used to being with the albino Cory’s that he legit doesn’t mind them anymore. It’s interesting when he’s out among the neon tetras too as it reminds me of a shark swimming among smaller fish in the ocean. Granted I do keep them in a 55 gallon tank, so he has plenty of room to swim. He was territorial at first but has calmed down over the years. It’s definitely something I would consider a rare occurrence as I’ve seen other people try it and not succeed. Great video as well!!
I've had rosy barbs a couple of times. In 90 gal community tanks. I have them because their favorite food is hair/string algae. They are a bit energetic for the other fish but have never nipped other fish. They seem only to be concerned with each other.
@@JimPaul0627 Yeah makes sense, you seem to be doing everything right then! 90 gallons is plenty of space for them so they shouldn’t be as territorial or nippy if let’s say they were in a 30 gallon.
I agree with everything you said about Chinese Algae Eater. NEVER add one of this kind to your tank. I had 2 of them. The pet shop sellers lied to me. They were extremely aggressive between them and with other fish. Even my gourami and angel fish were terrified.
@@inesrodriguezparada5433 Oh yeah, I had an Opaline gourami in with one of these guys and let’s just say he was not in charge of that tank… real nasty fish
lol I have tiger barbs with giant danios. It’s working out great for me. No fin nipping, all are out and about. Setups are very important to match a fishes attitude and personality. Great video for a beginner.
My group of Balas were younger. But they got to about 4-6 inches in size, and were amazing to every other fish I had. They even schooled with other fish and only occasionally would do their hierarchy rituals. They were great to chicles, angels, discuses, loaches, bettas, livebearers, silver dollars, ropefish etc. they were the tanks peaceful corps. They had a lot of different tank mates throughout my time with them, and they did fine with fish that it said they wouldn’t be good with
I've kept rainbow shark, bala shark, small goldfish, angelfish , gourami in a community tank. I never had any problem. But then i added tiger barb and few days later added 4 guppies and the barbs ate all my guppies instantly 😭 Now I've a separate guppy molly tank
I had two Bala Sharks in a community tank when I was in high school and college (long long ago). Very robust fish. They survived a lot. The thing they were bad about, the thing that finally did them both in was jumping out of the tank. (could have been my fault with water quality?) That didn't happen often though and they were my favorites by far. They both got to about nine inches long before they did themselves in. I had them for over 5 years and aside from exploring outside of the tank, I never had any problems with them. I would not have ranked them number one on the list. That's my experience. Thanks for the video. I thought it was well done and I learned some things.
Totally agree on the barbs - I've had experience with them. But some of the others you mention, like the rainbow shark, I was not aware of, so this has been very informative. Thank you!👍
(Large) Giant Danios work great with Mbunas because of this reason. I think that they will even chase smaller Mbunas. I have definitely seen it in a few tanks
I agree with you. I have 8 fantails and 1 Moor in my 150 gal pond. Plecos-I got 2 they were 3 inches Now 12 inches. I brought them in for the Winter. I have them I. A 55 gal for now. Stress this and they also will suck the slime off other fish if they are not fed enough. No problems right now. I just can't throw them in a river. Any suggestions. Thanks and Loved your video👍
I'd disagree with the #1 choice - we used to keep Bala Sharks in our community tanks back in the 80s and 90s... they were all pretty docile.. way more than the Angels... and we'd only keep 1 maybe 2 in a 29 gallon tank. They do get big but were always peaceful in our tanks. We did live in an era where Tiger Barbs were community fish if you kept them in groups of 6 or more to keep them calm - that rarely worked LOL. I do like them in species schooling tanks though.
Decent list although I disagree with the angel fish and tiger barbs. Angel fish just need to be kept with fish that can't fit in their mouth. Tiger barbs just need a big enough group and they'll keep their aggressive behaviour to themselves.
Love my dedicated 75G tank of Green, Common, and Albino Tiger Barbs. Still looking to add several Emerald Green Tiger Barbs. They never bothered my guppies when they were in the same tank.
I've had all these types of fish in the distant past. I regretted having them in my aquarium. How I wish this video was available way back then. The memories, haha.
Very helpful! Wish I had seen this before I purchased my little Chinese Algae eater! It is pleasant enough for now... but have seen it once on my golden gourami trying to latch on to no avail. However, when it grows larger.... Also, so fun to understand why my (Black/Orange) Rainbow immediately claimed the "Sea-loon" decoration for its own space! Thanks!
best fish I ever had was a red tailed shark, he got fairly big like you said, but he was never aggressive also had some clown loaches that worked out fine, could not keep an angelfish alive to save my skin, same with guppies. I generally rocked a set up of swordtails, platys, tetras and bristlenoses.
I remember when I was little we had a tank that had a common pleco and a bala shark as well as some kind of catfish that all grew to over a foot in length. Luckily there’s a local aquarium shop that caters specifically to ultra large fish tanks and koi ponds owned by businesses and rich people in the area (one of their display tanks was 500+ gallons and they had two koi ponds, one of which I think was 1000+ gallons) so we had someplace to give them to instead of just dumping or killing them. I definitely wouldn’t get any now if I were to get a fish tank nowadays
i set my current tank up in hs, its also technically still my first tank (ive only had one tank at a time, and all of these fish are from hs) my goldfish have never had issues with their tankmates, theyre comet goldfish not fancies so nothing bullies them and they dont really bully anything else. the rest of the tank is cleaner fish/algae eaters so the goldies are the only guys in the water column still not the best idea tho, had i known back then the risk of how mean they can be i wouldve skipped out on the tank mates but as of now theres been no issues with nipping, chasing, or stress
I absolutely adore my pea puffers and have successfully kept them in a community tank with otos, pygmy corys, neo shrimp, amano shrimp, and a bristlenose plec. But mine are all females and VERY well fed
i think u have to factor in when the fish were interduce to the tank and the community that's in there, oh and the size of the tank. I'm talking about the aggressive fish mostly, i had a few aggressive species and a few non a aggressive species in my 200 gallon and they all did just fine. i don't think its necessarily the species it self but how and when u interduce them to the community
I have 4 blood parrots, 1 oscar, 3 severums, n 1 common pleco in a 125 gallon. They seem to be doing well, except the green severum picks on the gold ones.
I have a rainbow shark in my community tank and as much as I love him I do regret getting him a little. he’s not super aggressive, but he will chase other fish away during mealtimes. the other fish for their part mostly ignore him so thankfully it’s not really a big issue
I'm really surprised you included the rosy barb. Whilst they can be fin nippers, I've found them to be fine as a pair, and other than some nibbling on plants, they are delightful foreground fish that love to zoom up and down the tank. I haven't observed any nipping or chasing of other fish. Edit: I now have 6 Rosy barbs, and they are delightful and getting along very well with guppies, neon tetras, calico BN plecos, Platys and a Honey Gourami. Really no complaints. I love the way the barbs go up and down zooming back and forth like little show ponies.
I had two rainbow sharks in my tank. One grew too big and almost killed the smaller one so I gave him back to the pet store. The other is possible stunted and so is the perfect size and not too aggressive. And pretty.
Enjoyed your video and I am glad you stated my personal experience, myy personnel experience with the rainbow shark is very good had one in my tank for 6 years with other bottom dwellers like yo yo loaches and overall he does chase fish around for fun but 85% of the time he is a good boy and it does depend on the character of that individual fish. 👍
Have a community tank that houses rainbow sharks, bala sharks & goldfish. They happily coexist with the 13 other species that i've got inside my community tank. Guess its luck of the draw really.
You showed some golden algae eaters. I always have one in my aquarium because they do eat a lot of algae. I don't know if the grey ones are the same species but I avoid them. They are aggressive but I have never had one harass a particular fish.
I've kept tiger barbs for years with no issues as long as you've enough of them they'll chase each other and obviously the right tank mates . Beautiful little fish
I currently have two of the fish on this list. I have a rainbow shark and a chinese algae eater. They are fine in my setup. But they do chase each other. They chase each other often. In a small tank that would be a serious problem. I would not recommend in a small tank where they don't have room. I love plecos. I would not suggest them for a 10 gallon tank. But if you have 55 gallons or larger, they should be fine. They get big but are very peaceful.
My 90g tank has 4 discus, 3 angels, 1 redfin shark, 1 leopard pleco, 1 Chinese algae eater and 2 rainbow bosemani. Have been in this tank for almost a yr. No issues.
I have 3 angelfish in a community tank, they only ever show aggression to each other, but ignore all my other fish. Though I think this is because they are males. If you have adult females they will spawn eggs even if unfertilised, and then show aggression to other fish. I’d say it’s a 50/50, personalities play a big role. Another example, I’ve kept a couple bettas over the years, the female I have currently lives in the same community tank, she’s super curious but won’t go after anything aggressively, even guppies. Yesterday I added a female molly, she followed her and flared for first 5 minutes but once the fish wasn’t scared she left her alone entirely.
I recently upgraded tank to 60L, i have 2 corys a red fin shark, 3 green tiger barbs and a slender danio, they dont seem to bother eachother much, do you think i could get more fish in there or if there will ever be issues?
The danio is quite old, about a year, it chases the barbs away, but they dont seem to nip eachother, and the shark is fine with the corys being in its area.
Cheers from my fish room channel in Chicago, where I just subscribed to yours! This list has no surprises on it for all the reasons you state. If i had to be contrary I'd say Pea Puffers are worth the risk and Angel fish.
Great list!, although ive had good experiences with chinese algae eaters with the caveat that i kept them in a semi aggressive aquarium.i have also found them very good eating algae, i may gotten a few rare exceptions of this fish. Overall fantastic list🙂👍🏻 and as a fellow fushtuber youve earned a subscription 🎉
never had pea puffer, so i dont know about them ... but my red eyed puffers do very well with a swarm of celestial pearl danio ... my guess is they are typical solo bullies who avoid going up against such agile swarms/groups. Maybe that is true for pea puffer as well. Funny enough my puffer also dont see neocaridina as food, while going after dwarf crayfish like addicts. I had given a few shrimp as life food, they got ignored and now the shrimp breed well enough in my puffertank to even sell some every now and then. that kinda surprised me tbh.
10. Goldfish is a big NO in ANY community tank except Goldfish tank 9. Instead of common pleco, get the brushmouth one. They stay small, calm, and looks goofy as heck 8. Rainbow sharkminnow is actually great in a community tank ONLY if they're alone. They actually become some kind of leader and keep the tank ‘civilized’. I like to call them the Tank Police 7. Manfish are omnivore, aka they're going to eat your nanofish and shrimps as snack. It's fine to put them in community tank as long as the other tenants are much bigger than Manfish's mouth 6. Haven't raised this one yet so no comment 5. Same with this one, but I heard puffer likes to snack on meat, soooo… 4. Rosy barbs are pretty chill if, once again, you have a big fish that acts as the ‘Tank Police’. I had sharkminnow along with rosy barbs and other tetras, and the Police always chased the rosy barbs once they went too far with their behavior. After few months they changed their behavior and nowadays, even after the sharkminnow has gone, my rosy barbs are pretty chill with my tetras, mollies, guppies, dwarf gourami, rainbow fish, and even bettas (I have a pair in my tank) 3. We all hate CAE. That sh¡t should NEVER enter any tank. I loathe them with my entire being 2. Tiger barbs are more aggresive than rosy barbs, so I kinda agree. Need much more precautions compared to other small barbs 1. …… why do you even put them in a community tank is beyond my comprehension That's all my opinion based on my personal experience.
I somehow wanted Glo Tetra (Widow Tetra) on the list, i think they are equally aggressive so much so that they are often paired with Tiger Barbs. They will again fin nip and harass others, one other terrible aspect i think is that they are very aggressive feeders that do not let any other fish eat literally starve them to death, if you are not a little extra careful.
I have a 75gal and luckily my Tiger Barbs seems to leave all the other fish alone (several different tetras, rasboras, cherry barbs) but occasionally for whatever reason they will pick on the cory cats, I have 4 in there - 2 smaller, 2 bigger - they mainly will pick on the bigger ones - fortunately the tank is heavily planted with deliberate areas for fish to hide, all in all it seems to be working fine.
Yeah dosen’t sound bad at all, especially since it’s such a large tank. The only thing I could think of is maybe getting a couple more cories in there. Cories like to have others but also it may give the tiger barbs less of a chance to harass the same Cory. But that’s just a minor thing
@@naturesdichotomy7098 definitely not too big for a beginner! I’d recommend getting it set up for a month (with live plants) and starting with easy aquarium fish! Mollies, cories, etc. PS I have a video on my top ten best beginner fish 👀
Not all CAE are bad fish. We have a 61/2" Golden Chinese Algae Eater named Goldspot and he is one of our favorite fish. He is in a 40 Breeder tank with 4 Silver Dollars, 2 Pearl Gourami, 4 Golden Wonder Killifish and a herd of about 20 Corydora of mixed species. The tank is planted and has 2 fairly big pieces of Driftwood in it. Goldspot has his 2 houses, the main one and a vacation retreat. Both are under a piece of wood. We have signs up saying "Goldspot lives here" and "No Trespassing". If the Cory's choose to ignore the signs Goldspot will chase them away. That is the sum total of his aggression. He also continues to eat algae on a daily basis. Mostly from the plant leaves. I believe the key to keeping a CAE is in feeding them. They are big eaters and like variety. We feed extreme flakes, Repashy, Bloodworms, Brine Shrimp, Tubifex worms, Cyclops, Beefheart, Extreme Bottomfeeder wafers, Hikari sinking wafers and occasionally live Blackworms. CAE are not for everyone but you have to know what tankmates to put with them. If you want to see Goldspot in his role as a fighter pilot go to the "Aquariums for Beginners app." I have been keeping fish for almost 60 years now so I am not a beginner but its nice to help out those that are.
Same, our ones get along great with each other, sometimes playing but nothing that would harm a single fish in our tank, they would just suck on the glass, nibble at the gravel and sit on the destroyed open part of the Helicopter and just take some time to themselves to relax
Any idea why my tiger barba are not aggressive? Not that I want them too bur they just dont behave like how people think they do. I have two angel fish and tiger barbs but they never fought/nipped/terrorized at each other
You probably have a large tank with a bunch of tiger barbs. The more you have the less they tend to nip at other fish and with more space there’s less chance for further attacking due to the angels being able to have plenty of territory
Definitely agree with your list but Ive been lucky with Angelfish. Of course I currently have one and he must be a dwarf. He's healthy but hasn't grown much, topping out at 1.5 inches.
The tiger barb I found out the hard way. I had them in with an 80 dollar green phantom pleco and when I went to check on the fish the next morning they had already went to town on all his fins, he was a goner. No more tiger barbs for me.
I tried keeping Tiger Barbs, but they kept killing each other until I now have only one left. It lives with my Giant Danios, which it leaves alone since the danios are larger, faster and stronger than it is. PS) I've kept Giant Danios with a variety of smaller community species with no fin nipping. The only fish they ever bullied were Corydoras, and then only at feeding time. However, I have noticed that some species can be a little intimidated by the size and speed of Giant Danios (even when the danios ignore them completely).
That’s great to hear with your danios! I think they’re horrible fish but I had mine with other danios and they shredded their fins… maybe it’s just when they are with other danios.
@@Fishman2114 Were the smaller Danios a longfin variety? I've kept Giant Danios with both Zebra Danios and White Cloud Minnows with no problems (although Zebra Danios can be hard on each other in my experience). I've also kept Giant Danios with a variety of Tetras (including Neons), a Blue Gourami, a Paradise Fish, Bristlenose Plecos, etc. The only aggression I've ever seen from my Giant Danios was bullying my Corydoras at feeding time. They didn't actually injure the Corydoras, but I ended up separating them anyway, since I was concerned that the Corydoras weren't getting enough to eat.
Very good list, kind of funny how fish can have a different temperament. I have my worst experience with the rainbow shark, as soon as I introduced him to my main community tank he started to claim and fight other fish for the castle where my catfish and other electric green shark always lived in peace. The rainbow and green shark started fighting, kind of a head butting game they put on. I had to separate them and the rainbow shark eventually didn't survive the hits. I also have Angel fish a total of 4 where 2 of them where always bullied by the black one in particular, and the white one who's biggest also didn't help to bring peace. so I have 2 community tanks. 1 for the main fish, and another tank for the not fitting in it. Also had to separate my tiger barbs, in 1 big group of 7 they were main to dominant and annoying for other fish, in groups of 3 and 4 they behaved better. The one missing maybe on the list or it's just my fish his attitude is the Golden Wonder Killifish, the male I have is so aggressive in particular to my sai algea eaters, they have enough space and movement and hiding places to rest. and also my white angel fish cuts him down sometimes hunting off my sai. I'd like to keep them in my tank as they are perfect for it's environment and diet of particular algae. maybe any tips are welcome.
yea, I've got three smaller bala sharks in my 150 gallon with lots of other fish; I've never seen them do anything aggressive. They just school together and be chill.
I’ve had a community with both angels and rainbow fishes. Both were perfectly fine in my personal experience. Those angels had some calm temperaments, they even would get intimidated by other fishes 1/6th of their size. The only fish I had issues with, I didn’t do research on admittedly, were golden wonder killifishes. I knew of other killifishes that were fine for communities, so I mistakenly assumed they’d be fine. Woke up to a few missing tetras and some fat killifishes despite them only being slightly larger than the tetras lol.
In my 15 gallon tank, I had two mid-sized angelfish, and-bc “experts” had always told me not to get angelfish bc of their tendency to “bully” other, smaller fish (such as my neon tetras)-I expected them to bring discord to my tank…Well, they brought “discord,” but not in the way I expected. They immediately hid behind some of the plants in the aquarium, and every time *any* of the other small fish in the aquarium came anywhere near them, they became PETRIFIED, and raced to hide behind other plants. They *never* stopped doing this, never “relaxed” into the awuarium community and swam around freely. They were PERPETUALLY either hiding behind plants, or, bc a tiny neon had strayed somewhere in the general vicinity of the plants they were hiding behind, they would be racing to hide somewhere else…Very, very, *very* COWARDLY fish. I of course agree absolutely with you about tiger barbs, cherry barbs, Chinese algae eaters and plecostemus fish, rainbow sharks, and goldfish, as I too had bad experiences with all of them. I might *add* one fish to your list: the quite popular black molly. Though they are generally gentle, sociable fish, I found that *regardless of how much I regulated the aquarium’s temperature; regardless of my constantly monitoring and treating the pH levels in the water--black mollies *invariably* developed ich on their scales, and spread the illness to other fish in my aquarium. Sure: they *are* pretty fish, but in my opinion, just aren’t worth the trouble they cause.
6:28 actually pea puffers don’t have teeth that need to be grinded down, they suck the snail out of its shell instead of crunching down on the whole thing like other puffers
Balas can eat smaller fish so I wouldn’t keep anything that can fit into their mouths (that’s just the general rule of thumb with any fish). And to answer your second question they grow about 1-4 inches every month
I have a 40 gallon that has 2 angels 3 danios a garoumi 2 pictus catfish and a pleco, the only one I’m worried about in the tank is the pleco since they just get massive
I will say 40 gallons is pretty big but that guy is probably going to need a to be rehomed at some point in the future… I’d recommend doing that and getting bristlenoses instead
I have a 40 gal community tank. I have a 5 in Rainbow Shark that doesn’t bother with my Cory’s, Otocinclus or Hillstream Loaches but he will chase my Algae Eater when he gets close although it’s pretty harmless. No shredded fins or anything!!! Also he chews up some of my plants
My tiger barbs were very sad when they watched this video. They are in a group of 11 so they don’t bother the other fish. But tank or more of a semi aggressive ca cichlid tank.
Balas are gentle giants, literally the most peaceful fish in our 140 gallon, but they do get bullied by our albino rainbow every now and then, but as long as the rainbow shark has its own territory it mostly leaves other fish alone, it even lets the kuhlis and bristlenose chill in its cave along side it
Pea puffers actually don’t need their teeth grinded down because the growth rate is impossibly slow - which is good! Because they don’t eat their food w the shell anyways! This is why they angle themselves to eat the portions that are outside of the shell.
Not a bad list. But their are semi-aggressive community setups that can be done. Usually, in my experience, a lot of the aggression gets directed among the members of the same species if you get them in groups. I have Colombian Tetras with some Angelfish, a Blue Acara, some False Siamese Algae Eaters, and some Sailfin Dalmation Mollies. The Mollies are the most aggressive ones in the tank.
Ye yesterday I was at the pet store for some live food for my fishes and when I passed by a aquarium and saw a pleco that was atleast a ft long and was nearly 10 cm wide😅
I have a dozen tiger barbs and they live in peace with platies and corydoras. I haven't seen aggression for almost a year and think their aggressive reputation is exaggerated.
@@lin6oo What helps your case is that you have some many individuals which is great! A lot of problems happen when people don’t have a large enough group and they start getting nasty. Still don’t personally care for these fish though 🤷♂️
i dont know if it was mayebe because they have been together in the tank since very small tho they seem to leave eachother alone and the tiger and rosey barbs school together
The issue here is how one defines a "community aquarium". Basically, ANY aquarium containing a multiplicity of species that live compatibly together is a community aquarium. Of course, the typical vision of a community aquarium is, for example, a modest sized aquarium with Otocinclus, small Corydoras, and some peaceful Tetras or Rasboras, etc. But if you can afford it, and have the dedication to keep it running, a 300 gallon aquarium with Bala Sharks, Tinfoil Barbs and chunky Doradid catfish is also a community aquarium - just an unusual one. Likewise, a 300 gallon aquarium with big Cichlids, if those Cichlids are coexisting without internecine warfare, is a community aquarium, just an unusual one again. That said, some of the fish featured here are abominable choices for almost any setup. Chinese Algae Eaters are utterly atrocious. Want a PROPER algae eater for a small aquarium? Otocinclus. They stay small, are pacifists by nature, and will actually eat algae. Oh, and if anyone is looking for a Cichlid that fits well into a "standard" community setup, try Anomalochromis thomasi. Possibly THE leading candidate for the title of "pacifist Cichlid". Doesn't grow too large either, and is magnificent in breeding colours. Also, avoid anything that NEEDS live food, unless you're prepared to supply said live food on a constant basis, or anything with extremely specialised water requirements. This rules out the likes of Chocolate Gouramis and Discus, which are best left to the properly experienced and dedicated.
A part 2 to this list is out now! Check it out if you are in any way interested!
Link: ua-cam.com/video/avyhx5jbGBg/v-deo.htmlsi=8oQFdf_qb4ZzKTYn
Perfect list of aggressive and non community fish. They are not bad fish but they are not good to be kept in a community set up.
I totally agree!
Hi edagdwg God bless you thanks for sharing a lot of these fish people but all the time now I understand and enjoy them but learn what to put together a forever loving fan of your videos Linda j.peace
@@LindaJackson-e3udid bro say edging god ☠️
I had six tiger barbs and two 8 inch Oscars. Those 6 used to terrorize those oscars. Never saw oscars so terrified in my life.
That’s actually crazy!
What to say" power in numbers"
Not the case with me lol. My Oscar ate 9 of them
When i was younger i had a fish tank with almost all the fish on this list
@@AmieWisdom and how did that go?
I had a tank with like 70% of these fish. This list is all facts. That said, many of species on this list could withstand eachother so it became a tank built around them. Sharks, barbs, danjos, plecos. Ones that were high energy, schooling, personality. Mollies, guppies, bettas and swordtails would get clapped quick in that enviorment. Gouramis could maintain. Tinfoils can handle them. A long tank to let your schools move and this is a great list still. Just no livebearers or species with flowing fins.
@@Fishman2114 I have an aqaurium with 80% of your list, they lived well together, but I should also point out that it is a very large aquarium and so they have enough space. I even had mollies in there that reproduced and most of the babies lived
Best list I've seen for 10 worst community fish! The information is so helpful to us and - ultimately - to the fish we keep. THANK YOU! 🙂
Glad it was helpful! There will be more lists in the future! Including one this week…
I have two Otocinclus in my tank and boy do they cause a lot of trouble. From eating other fish to moving things around, this guys are work! Great video!
Chain petstores probably should stop selling the common pleco. The casual buyer has no idea what they are getting themselves into and those things end up in retention ponds all over here in Florida.
Yeah… I’m honestly surprised they are allowed to sell an invasive species at pet stores in Florida.
just another reason Florida sucks
there should be a petition to do this.
@@GrimFilth I’d sign it
I absolutely ADORE common plecos. But I have the resources and tank space to keep them. Going to be setting up a 300 gallon indoor pond in a year or two when my current big boy outgrows my 100 gallon. But absolutely agree. They should NOT be so readily available
I had a tank with a betta, tiger barb, angelfish, 2 corys, and a pictus cat. Obv got the fish with zero research and was surprisingly fine for almost a month until the angelfish got an attitude problem and started picking on the beta, separated them, and then the barb started going after the beta. No idea how they held it together for a month
Sorry to hear that, how large was the tank?
@@Fishman2114 10 gallons
Ten gallons is too small. I would recommend to not keep these fish together
@@danielmartin9057 😮
@danielmartin9057 wow, so much aggression in a 10 gallon, truly a miracle it held up for an entire month with no one killing the others
Great video. I consider myself fortunate regarding my experience keeping Rosie Barbs. My 6 don't bother the Geophagus whose fins are getting longer by the month.
This is a really good list for people who wanna keep these fish too, before buying and considering a good habitat for them. Gives good example of what their natural behaviors are so you can facilitate an environment that encourages them to be their bad little selves, but safely.
@@S.TalorKrupa Exactly any fish can work! But not all are a good community choice as they are difficult or even impossible to pull off living with certain other fish correctly.
Completely agree about the Chinese Algae eater, super aggressive as they age, when mine was small, it was really cool, then turned into a monster once he got bigger. I moved him from my 10 gallon to my 55 gallon but he did not seem to like the change. I have tiger barbs that do very well in my 55 gallon with others: however, you just explained why every time I put guppies in there, they disappear. Thanks for that because now I know not to put anymore in there
@@charlyngauthier388 Happy to help, but yeah those tigers where shred those guppies up unfortunately. And regarding the Chinese algae eater just avoid them…
@@Fishman2114can you suggest me for what can i put to my tank for algae problem?
@@muhammadfauzifrudiansyah9083 No problem I did make a whole top list for that so check that out for more details, but off the top of my head snails, ottocinclus catfish, bristlenose plecos, and hillstream loaches are all great algae eaters. Just note some work better for certain kinds of algae
@5:50
Pea Puffers, aka Murder Beans, can be kept together as a trio, 1 male to 2-3 females, providing there are tons of plants, plenty of hides, and a large enough tank. They tend to school a bit more than most puffers. Males are territorial. I recommend a minimum of 30 gallons per trio because they are surprisingly messy for their size.
Species only for sure!
Tiger barbs I feel like ONLY work as a Barb only set up. I’ve had a great success mixing them with other barbs and a bristlenose without any real issues but they are one of those fish I couldn’t recommend to any other tank set up
They are kinda like mini cichlids in that regard
@@ryaquaza3offical They definitely work best in that sort of environment. They need a really big school in order to be able to work with other fish which takes up a lot of space and creates large bio load. You also just have to straight up avoid any fish with longer fins as they will harass them. Point is it’s hard to do right…
Had a 55 gallon that was given to me when I was 10 and of course I wanted a pleco and a red-tailed shark. 5 years later the only thing that could ever survive with them(8" and 15" at the end of 5 years) were tiger barbs. I wouldn't recommend any of them to anyone, but if you had to, the red-tailed shark and tiger barbs can get along reasonably well.
That’s an amazing gift for a 10 year old 😂, either way you live and learn in this hobby
Ive had a Glofish orange rainbow shark for about 3 years now, and he quite likes the taco I got for him 😂 but he is so used to being with the albino Cory’s that he legit doesn’t mind them anymore. It’s interesting when he’s out among the neon tetras too as it reminds me of a shark swimming among smaller fish in the ocean. Granted I do keep them in a 55 gallon tank, so he has plenty of room to swim. He was territorial at first but has calmed down over the years. It’s definitely something I would consider a rare occurrence as I’ve seen other people try it and not succeed. Great video as well!!
Glad you enjoyed it, it’s also good to hear a rainbow shark success story.
This was very informative. Thank you 🫶🏽
@@GSAlchemy Glad you enjoyed it and that it was beneficial!
I've had rosy barbs a couple of times. In 90 gal community tanks. I have them because their favorite food is hair/string algae. They are a bit energetic for the other fish but have never nipped other fish. They seem only to be concerned with each other.
@@JimPaul0627 Yeah makes sense, you seem to be doing everything right then! 90 gallons is plenty of space for them so they shouldn’t be as territorial or nippy if let’s say they were in a 30 gallon.
I agree with everything you said about Chinese Algae Eater. NEVER add one of this kind to your tank. I had 2 of them. The pet shop sellers lied to me. They were extremely aggressive between them and with other fish. Even my gourami and angel fish were terrified.
@@inesrodriguezparada5433 Oh yeah, I had an Opaline gourami in with one of these guys and let’s just say he was not in charge of that tank… real nasty fish
lol I have tiger barbs with giant danios. It’s working out great for me. No fin nipping, all are out and about. Setups are very important to match a fishes attitude and personality. Great video for a beginner.
list is spot on, great video
Glad you think so!
My group of Balas were younger. But they got to about 4-6 inches in size, and were amazing to every other fish I had. They even schooled with other fish and only occasionally would do their hierarchy rituals. They were great to chicles, angels, discuses, loaches, bettas, livebearers, silver dollars, ropefish etc. they were the tanks peaceful corps. They had a lot of different tank mates throughout my time with them, and they did fine with fish that it said they wouldn’t be good with
I've kept rainbow shark, bala shark, small goldfish, angelfish , gourami in a community tank. I never had any problem. But then i added tiger barb and few days later added 4 guppies and the barbs ate all my guppies instantly 😭 Now I've a separate guppy molly tank
You had angels with small goldfish ? How u do it
How big is your tank?
@@CrabLadius 150litre and I got 2 goldies one fantail one RANCHU
What kind of gourami?
@@Avatar_Tonowari_3 my angels were like actual angels😆 i had 2 both of them were pretty calm never attacked any other fishes
This is a great list. A lot of people get these fish not realizing they aren't the best community fish.
@@RoccosVideos Most definitely
I had two Bala Sharks in a community tank when I was in high school and college (long long ago). Very robust fish. They survived a lot. The thing they were bad about, the thing that finally did them both in was jumping out of the tank. (could have been my fault with water quality?) That didn't happen often though and they were my favorites by far. They both got to about nine inches long before they did themselves in. I had them for over 5 years and aside from exploring outside of the tank, I never had any problems with them. I would not have ranked them number one on the list. That's my experience. Thanks for the video. I thought it was well done and I learned some things.
I've seen a few good community tanks with Peapuffer and Angelfish. But i totally get you, and you aint wrong.
I vividly remember that after getting a new fish, others started to disappear. 😂
Totally agree on the barbs - I've had experience with them. But some of the others you mention, like the rainbow shark, I was not aware of, so this has been very informative. Thank you!👍
Glad you found value from it.
(Large) Giant Danios work great with Mbunas because of this reason. I think that they will even chase smaller Mbunas. I have definitely seen it in a few tanks
@@tr3x43 I would believe it, they both have similar energies!
I agree with you. I have 8 fantails and 1 Moor in my 150 gal pond.
Plecos-I got 2 they were 3 inches
Now 12 inches. I brought them in for the Winter. I have them I. A 55 gal for now. Stress this and they also will suck the slime off other fish if they are not fed enough. No problems right now. I just can't throw them in a river. Any suggestions.
Thanks and Loved your video👍
I'd disagree with the #1 choice - we used to keep Bala Sharks in our community tanks back in the 80s and 90s... they were all pretty docile.. way more than the Angels... and we'd only keep 1 maybe 2 in a 29 gallon tank. They do get big but were always peaceful in our tanks. We did live in an era where Tiger Barbs were community fish if you kept them in groups of 6 or more to keep them calm - that rarely worked LOL. I do like them in species schooling tanks though.
Decent list although I disagree with the angel fish and tiger barbs. Angel fish just need to be kept with fish that can't fit in their mouth. Tiger barbs just need a big enough group and they'll keep their aggressive behaviour to themselves.
I keep angelfish with dither fish as small as ember tetras.
The trick is to raise them together, keep them well fed.
Love my dedicated 75G tank of Green, Common, and Albino Tiger Barbs. Still looking to add several Emerald Green Tiger Barbs. They never bothered my guppies when they were in the same tank.
I've had all these types of fish in the distant past. I regretted having them in my aquarium. How I wish this video was available way back then. The memories, haha.
I had a planted 54gal corner with 20-30 tiger barbs only. It was a nice set up. Just couldn't have anything else.
Very helpful! Wish I had seen this before I purchased my little Chinese Algae eater! It is pleasant enough for now... but have seen it once on my golden gourami trying to latch on to no avail. However, when it grows larger.... Also, so fun to understand why my (Black/Orange) Rainbow immediately claimed the "Sea-loon" decoration for its own space! Thanks!
I brought four of them for their cuteness, and now they have shown why I shouldn't have brought them
best fish I ever had was a red tailed shark, he got fairly big like you said, but he was never aggressive also had some clown loaches that worked out fine, could not keep an angelfish alive to save my skin, same with guppies. I generally rocked a set up of swordtails, platys, tetras and bristlenoses.
Great video how bout doing a top 10 best community fish
@@KL4life Already did that 😉
I remember when I was little we had a tank that had a common pleco and a bala shark as well as some kind of catfish that all grew to over a foot in length. Luckily there’s a local aquarium shop that caters specifically to ultra large fish tanks and koi ponds owned by businesses and rich people in the area (one of their display tanks was 500+ gallons and they had two koi ponds, one of which I think was 1000+ gallons) so we had someplace to give them to instead of just dumping or killing them. I definitely wouldn’t get any now if I were to get a fish tank nowadays
i set my current tank up in hs, its also technically still my first tank (ive only had one tank at a time, and all of these fish are from hs)
my goldfish have never had issues with their tankmates, theyre comet goldfish not fancies so nothing bullies them and they dont really bully anything else. the rest of the tank is cleaner fish/algae eaters so the goldies are the only guys in the water column
still not the best idea tho, had i known back then the risk of how mean they can be i wouldve skipped out on the tank mates but as of now theres been no issues with nipping, chasing, or stress
Very glad you added the Chicom algaes. My personal #1 worst fish
I had a 75 gallon Barb tank. Tons of tigers. It was mesmerizing!
I absolutely adore my pea puffers and have successfully kept them in a community tank with otos, pygmy corys, neo shrimp, amano shrimp, and a bristlenose plec. But mine are all females and VERY well fed
Never put goldfish in a community aquarium. If you want goldfish, have a goldfish-only tank.
Agreed. Some people recommend hardy cold water fish as tankmates but I wouldn't recommend it personally.
Don’t tell me how to live my life
Yeah goldfish get pretty gross
It's also best not to mix fancy with common.
i think u have to factor in when the fish were interduce to the tank and the community that's in there, oh and the size of the tank. I'm talking about the aggressive fish mostly, i had a few aggressive species and a few non a aggressive species in my 200 gallon and they all did just fine. i don't think its necessarily the species it self but how and when u interduce them to the community
Despite the B-roll footage looking like it’s from 2009, this is a surprisingly accurate list. I too despise the Chinese Algae Eater.
Glad you think so! With the footage I am working on getting better quality stuff! It just can be tough finding footage for each specific fish
you would look at your own tank instead of begging for footage of it wasn’t so shit colored
Great list, appreciate your time putting this list to help all fish keepers 👍🏼‼️
I have 4 blood parrots, 1 oscar, 3 severums, n 1 common pleco in a 125 gallon. They seem to be doing well, except the green severum picks on the gold ones.
What can I put with my cichlids like haps? Mine are 3 inches.
I've been through so many of these fish! Why does the LFS sell them without asking the right questions!
I have a rainbow shark in my community tank and as much as I love him I do regret getting him a little. he’s not super aggressive, but he will chase other fish away during mealtimes. the other fish for their part mostly ignore him so thankfully it’s not really a big issue
Yeah that’s definitely not too bad thankfully
I'm really surprised you included the rosy barb. Whilst they can be fin nippers, I've found them to be fine as a pair, and other than some nibbling on plants, they are delightful foreground fish that love to zoom up and down the tank. I haven't observed any nipping or chasing of other fish.
Edit: I now have 6 Rosy barbs, and they are delightful and getting along very well with guppies, neon tetras, calico BN plecos, Platys and a Honey Gourami. Really no complaints. I love the way the barbs go up and down zooming back and forth like little show ponies.
I fully agree as a person who used to be a fish keeper
I had two rainbow sharks in my tank. One grew too big and almost killed the smaller one so I gave him back to the pet store. The other is possible stunted and so is the perfect size and not too aggressive. And pretty.
Enjoyed your video and I am glad you stated my personal experience, myy personnel experience with the rainbow shark is very good had one in my tank for 6 years with other bottom dwellers like yo yo loaches and overall he does chase fish around for fun but 85% of the time he is a good boy and it does depend on the character of that individual fish. 👍
Definitely true every animal has its own personality even if it’s different from the “norm”. Glad you had success with them
Same story of my three rainbow sharks.they are good boys but sometimes naughtily playful
Have a community tank that houses rainbow sharks, bala sharks & goldfish. They happily coexist with the 13 other species that i've got inside my community tank. Guess its luck of the draw really.
Sometimes it’s just like that; individual fish have individual personalities
Great list. I had tiger barbs and angel fish at different times as a kid. They sure did terrorized the long finned fish in the tank.
You showed some golden algae eaters. I always have one in my aquarium because they do eat a lot of algae. I don't know if the grey ones are the same species but I avoid them. They are aggressive but I have never had one harass a particular fish.
I've kept tiger barbs for years with no issues as long as you've enough of them they'll chase each other and obviously the right tank mates . Beautiful little fish
I currently have two of the fish on this list. I have a rainbow shark and a chinese algae eater. They are fine in my setup. But they do chase each other. They chase each other often. In a small tank that would be a serious problem. I would not recommend in a small tank where they don't have room. I love plecos. I would not suggest them for a 10 gallon tank. But if you have 55 gallons or larger, they should be fine. They get big but are very peaceful.
My 90g tank has 4 discus, 3 angels, 1 redfin shark, 1 leopard pleco, 1 Chinese algae eater and 2 rainbow bosemani. Have been in this tank for almost a yr. No issues.
I have 3 angelfish in a community tank, they only ever show aggression to each other, but ignore all my other fish. Though I think this is because they are males. If you have adult females they will spawn eggs even if unfertilised, and then show aggression to other fish. I’d say it’s a 50/50, personalities play a big role.
Another example, I’ve kept a couple bettas over the years, the female I have currently lives in the same community tank, she’s super curious but won’t go after anything aggressively, even guppies. Yesterday I added a female molly, she followed her and flared for first 5 minutes but once the fish wasn’t scared she left her alone entirely.
@@MetzilVenus Definitely agree with the 50/50 personality point you made. It’s a gamble for sure…
I once got spear tratas we had to sperate them from my other fish from niping fins
@@johntran7021 What did you have with the spear tetras? Also how many gallons was it?
@@Fishman2114 40 gallons
I recently upgraded tank to 60L, i have 2 corys a red fin shark, 3 green tiger barbs and a slender danio, they dont seem to bother eachother much, do you think i could get more fish in there or if there will ever be issues?
The danio is quite old, about a year, it chases the barbs away, but they dont seem to nip eachother, and the shark is fine with the corys being in its area.
Cheers from my fish room channel in Chicago, where I just subscribed to yours! This list has no surprises on it for all the reasons you state. If i had to be contrary I'd say Pea Puffers are worth the risk and Angel fish.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! I’ll definitely being checking out your channel later today 👍
Great list!, although ive had good experiences with chinese algae eaters with the caveat that i kept them in a semi aggressive aquarium.i have also found them very good eating algae, i may gotten a few rare exceptions of this fish. Overall fantastic list🙂👍🏻 and as a fellow fushtuber youve earned a subscription 🎉
One of my all-time favorite tanks was my 80 gallon stocked with 30 tiger barbs, 30 serpae tetras, 30 Odessa barbs and 1 black tail shark. No issues.
yeh but 30 tiger barbs tend to be enough to keep the agression in shoal its when pet smart sells someone 2 or 3 its a major problem
I did tiger barbs and rainbows with no issues.
I have 10 rosy barbs with my angelfish and they're getting along fine so maybe I just got a nice batch of them.
Probably the case :)
never had pea puffer, so i dont know about them ... but my red eyed puffers do very well with a swarm of celestial pearl danio ... my guess is they are typical solo bullies who avoid going up against such agile swarms/groups. Maybe that is true for pea puffer as well.
Funny enough my puffer also dont see neocaridina as food, while going after dwarf crayfish like addicts. I had given a few shrimp as life food, they got ignored and now the shrimp breed well enough in my puffertank to even sell some every now and then. that kinda surprised me tbh.
10. Goldfish is a big NO in ANY community tank except Goldfish tank
9. Instead of common pleco, get the brushmouth one. They stay small, calm, and looks goofy as heck
8. Rainbow sharkminnow is actually great in a community tank ONLY if they're alone. They actually become some kind of leader and keep the tank ‘civilized’. I like to call them the Tank Police
7. Manfish are omnivore, aka they're going to eat your nanofish and shrimps as snack. It's fine to put them in community tank as long as the other tenants are much bigger than Manfish's mouth
6. Haven't raised this one yet so no comment
5. Same with this one, but I heard puffer likes to snack on meat, soooo…
4. Rosy barbs are pretty chill if, once again, you have a big fish that acts as the ‘Tank Police’. I had sharkminnow along with rosy barbs and other tetras, and the Police always chased the rosy barbs once they went too far with their behavior. After few months they changed their behavior and nowadays, even after the sharkminnow has gone, my rosy barbs are pretty chill with my tetras, mollies, guppies, dwarf gourami, rainbow fish, and even bettas (I have a pair in my tank)
3. We all hate CAE. That sh¡t should NEVER enter any tank. I loathe them with my entire being
2. Tiger barbs are more aggresive than rosy barbs, so I kinda agree. Need much more precautions compared to other small barbs
1. …… why do you even put them in a community tank is beyond my comprehension
That's all my opinion based on my personal experience.
I somehow wanted Glo Tetra (Widow Tetra) on the list, i think they are equally aggressive so much so that they are often paired with Tiger Barbs. They will again fin nip and harass others, one other terrible aspect i think is that they are very aggressive feeders that do not let any other fish eat literally starve them to death, if you are not a little extra careful.
@@harshvardhan7370 check out part 2 *wink wink*
I have a 75gal and luckily my Tiger Barbs seems to leave all the other fish alone (several different tetras, rasboras, cherry barbs) but occasionally for whatever reason they will pick on the cory cats, I have 4 in there - 2 smaller, 2 bigger - they mainly will pick on the bigger ones - fortunately the tank is heavily planted with deliberate areas for fish to hide, all in all it seems to be working fine.
Yeah dosen’t sound bad at all, especially since it’s such a large tank. The only thing I could think of is maybe getting a couple more cories in there. Cories like to have others but also it may give the tiger barbs less of a chance to harass the same Cory. But that’s just a minor thing
Hiiii my bf’s family happens to have a 60-75 gallon so I’m starting with that one, do you think it’s too big for a beginner? Or any recommendations
@@naturesdichotomy7098 definitely not too big for a beginner! I’d recommend getting it set up for a month (with live plants) and starting with easy aquarium fish! Mollies, cories, etc. PS I have a video on my top ten best beginner fish 👀
Not all CAE are bad fish. We have a 61/2" Golden Chinese Algae Eater named Goldspot and he is one of our favorite fish. He is in a 40 Breeder tank with 4 Silver Dollars, 2 Pearl Gourami, 4 Golden Wonder Killifish and a herd of about 20 Corydora of mixed species. The tank is planted and has 2 fairly big pieces of Driftwood in it. Goldspot has his 2 houses, the main one and a vacation retreat. Both are under a piece of wood. We have signs up saying "Goldspot lives here" and "No Trespassing". If the Cory's choose to ignore the signs Goldspot will chase them away. That is the sum total of his aggression. He also continues to eat algae on a daily basis. Mostly from the plant leaves. I believe the key to keeping a CAE is in feeding them. They are big eaters and like variety. We feed extreme flakes, Repashy, Bloodworms, Brine Shrimp, Tubifex worms, Cyclops, Beefheart, Extreme Bottomfeeder wafers, Hikari sinking wafers and occasionally live Blackworms. CAE are not for everyone but you have to know what tankmates to put with them. If you want to see Goldspot in his role as a fighter pilot go to the "Aquariums for Beginners app." I have been keeping fish for almost 60 years now so I am not a beginner but its nice to help out those that are.
Same, our ones get along great with each other, sometimes playing but nothing that would harm a single fish in our tank, they would just suck on the glass, nibble at the gravel and sit on the destroyed open part of the Helicopter and just take some time to themselves to relax
The worst fishs I ever owned where a Blind Cave Fish (a Tetra) and way back, a Pumpkin Seed kept with Goldfish, it was an absolute bully.
Any idea why my tiger barba are not aggressive? Not that I want them too bur they just dont behave like how people think they do. I have two angel fish and tiger barbs but they never fought/nipped/terrorized at each other
You probably have a large tank with a bunch of tiger barbs. The more you have the less they tend to nip at other fish and with more space there’s less chance for further attacking due to the angels being able to have plenty of territory
@@Fishman2114 I see thanks! I have a 50gallon tank and it’s been like a year now since I had them but experienced no aggressive behaviors so far
Definitely agree with your list but Ive been lucky with Angelfish. Of course I currently have one and he must be a dwarf. He's healthy but hasn't grown much, topping out at 1.5 inches.
Yeah sometimes fish just stay smaller like anything else.
The tiger barb I found out the hard way. I had them in with an 80 dollar green phantom pleco and when I went to check on the fish the next morning they had already went to town on all his fins, he was a goner. No more tiger barbs for me.
Wow sorry to hear that… I know those guys are for one really expensive but also really cool.
I tried keeping Tiger Barbs, but they kept killing each other until I now have only one left. It lives with my Giant Danios, which it leaves alone since the danios are larger, faster and stronger than it is.
PS) I've kept Giant Danios with a variety of smaller community species with no fin nipping. The only fish they ever bullied were Corydoras, and then only at feeding time. However, I have noticed that some species can be a little intimidated by the size and speed of Giant Danios (even when the danios ignore them completely).
That’s great to hear with your danios! I think they’re horrible fish but I had mine with other danios and they shredded their fins… maybe it’s just when they are with other danios.
You probably hadn't enough tiger barbs.
@@Fishman2114 Were the smaller Danios a longfin variety? I've kept Giant Danios with both Zebra Danios and White Cloud Minnows with no problems (although Zebra Danios can be hard on each other in my experience). I've also kept Giant Danios with a variety of Tetras (including Neons), a Blue Gourami, a Paradise Fish, Bristlenose Plecos, etc. The only aggression I've ever seen from my Giant Danios was bullying my Corydoras at feeding time. They didn't actually injure the Corydoras, but I ended up separating them anyway, since I was concerned that the Corydoras weren't getting enough to eat.
Very good list, kind of funny how fish can have a different temperament. I have my worst experience with the rainbow shark, as soon as I introduced him to my main community tank he started to claim and fight other fish for the castle where my catfish and other electric green shark always lived in peace. The rainbow and green shark started fighting, kind of a head butting game they put on. I had to separate them and the rainbow shark eventually didn't survive the hits.
I also have Angel fish a total of 4 where 2 of them where always bullied by the black one in particular, and the white one who's biggest also didn't help to bring peace. so I have 2 community tanks. 1 for the main fish, and another tank for the not fitting in it.
Also had to separate my tiger barbs, in 1 big group of 7 they were main to dominant and annoying for other fish, in groups of 3 and 4 they behaved better.
The one missing maybe on the list or it's just my fish his attitude is the Golden Wonder Killifish, the male I have is so aggressive in particular to my sai algea eaters, they have enough space and movement and hiding places to rest. and also my white angel fish cuts him down sometimes hunting off my sai. I'd like to keep them in my tank as they are perfect for it's environment and diet of particular algae. maybe any tips are welcome.
Wow sounds like you’ve had some bad experiences with a lot of these fish 😂
4:02 My dad has a golden angelfish in his 75 gallon community tank and he’s had it for years, he’s pretty chill!
I’ve experienced Bala sharks to be very nice with other fish and keep to themselves but yes they do get massive but I would disagree on the aggression
I’ve heard that a lot with Bala sharks… maybe I just had a ‘bad batch’ of them 🤷♂️
yea, I've got three smaller bala sharks in my 150 gallon with lots of other fish; I've never seen them do anything aggressive. They just school together and be chill.
How did you pronounce Giant Danio? With a g sound instead of a j?
I say it with a G
I’ve had a community with both angels and rainbow fishes. Both were perfectly fine in my personal experience. Those angels had some calm temperaments, they even would get intimidated by other fishes 1/6th of their size.
The only fish I had issues with, I didn’t do research on admittedly, were golden wonder killifishes. I knew of other killifishes that were fine for communities, so I mistakenly assumed they’d be fine. Woke up to a few missing tetras and some fat killifishes despite them only being slightly larger than the tetras lol.
Yeah that’s definitely a bad combination there 😬
@@Fishman2114 hahaha yeah, lesson learned. They went straight back to the fish store after their feast 😂
Cool fish though, just very voracious.
I have barbs with cichlids and some rainbow. They all get along well. The cichlids did eat one of the barbs. He tried him and lost.
In my 15 gallon tank, I had two mid-sized angelfish, and-bc “experts” had always told me not to get angelfish bc of their tendency to “bully” other, smaller fish (such as my neon tetras)-I expected them to bring discord to my tank…Well, they brought “discord,” but not in the way I expected. They immediately hid behind some of the plants in the aquarium, and every time *any* of the other small fish in the aquarium came anywhere near them, they became PETRIFIED, and raced to hide behind other plants. They *never* stopped doing this, never “relaxed” into the awuarium community and swam around freely. They were PERPETUALLY either hiding behind plants, or, bc a tiny neon had strayed somewhere in the general vicinity of the plants they were hiding behind, they would be racing to hide somewhere else…Very, very, *very* COWARDLY fish.
I of course agree absolutely with you about tiger barbs, cherry barbs, Chinese algae eaters and plecostemus fish, rainbow sharks, and goldfish, as I too had bad experiences with all of them.
I might *add* one fish to your list: the quite popular black molly. Though they are generally gentle, sociable fish, I found that *regardless of how much I regulated the aquarium’s temperature; regardless of my constantly monitoring and treating the pH levels in the water--black mollies *invariably* developed ich on their scales, and spread the illness to other fish in my aquarium. Sure: they *are* pretty fish, but in my opinion, just aren’t worth the trouble they cause.
6:28 actually pea puffers don’t have teeth that need to be grinded down, they suck the snail out of its shell instead of crunching down on the whole thing like other puffers
I've had nothing but great experiences with bala sharks, they're sweet fish that I've never seen others
Some of my favorites #8 #7 and #1 on the list
Do Bala eats smaller Bala fish and how fast it takes for them to grow
Balas can eat smaller fish so I wouldn’t keep anything that can fit into their mouths (that’s just the general rule of thumb with any fish). And to answer your second question they grow about 1-4 inches every month
I have a 40 gallon that has 2 angels 3 danios a garoumi 2 pictus catfish and a pleco, the only one I’m worried about in the tank is the pleco since they just get massive
I will say 40 gallons is pretty big but that guy is probably going to need a to be rehomed at some point in the future… I’d recommend doing that and getting bristlenoses instead
I had angles in a community tank for years. No problems at all. That being said I also had kribensis which turned into a nightmare when they bred.
Yeah seems angels are hit or miss…
I have a 40 gal community tank. I have a 5 in Rainbow Shark that doesn’t bother with my Cory’s, Otocinclus or Hillstream Loaches but he will chase my Algae Eater when he gets close although it’s pretty harmless. No shredded fins or anything!!!
Also he chews up some of my plants
It’s sounds like they have plenty of space to settle their differences 😂… the chewing up the plants kinda sucks though
thanks for the info fish man. much love from australia
My tiger barbs were very sad when they watched this video. They are in a group of 11 so they don’t bother the other fish. But tank or more of a semi aggressive ca cichlid tank.
Balas are gentle giants, literally the most peaceful fish in our 140 gallon, but they do get bullied by our albino rainbow every now and then, but as long as the rainbow shark has its own territory it mostly leaves other fish alone, it even lets the kuhlis and bristlenose chill in its cave along side it
Pea puffers actually don’t need their teeth grinded down because the growth rate is impossibly slow - which is good! Because they don’t eat their food w the shell anyways! This is why they angle themselves to eat the portions that are outside of the shell.
Really I’ve always heard/known that they did… either way they love to eat snails 😂
@@Fishman2114 True 😂
Not a bad list. But their are semi-aggressive community setups that can be done. Usually, in my experience, a lot of the aggression gets directed among the members of the same species if you get them in groups. I have Colombian Tetras with some Angelfish, a Blue Acara, some False Siamese Algae Eaters, and some Sailfin Dalmation Mollies. The Mollies are the most aggressive ones in the tank.
Ye yesterday I was at the pet store for some live food for my fishes and when I passed by a aquarium and saw a pleco that was atleast a ft long and was nearly 10 cm wide😅
I have a dozen tiger barbs and they live in peace with platies and corydoras. I haven't seen aggression for almost a year and think their aggressive reputation is exaggerated.
@@lin6oo What helps your case is that you have some many individuals which is great! A lot of problems happen when people don’t have a large enough group and they start getting nasty. Still don’t personally care for these fish though 🤷♂️
@@Fishman2114 Yes, I totally agree with you, they have to be in large groups.
very true bro i have 3 of those in the list and have a very tough time.
ive had the same tigerbarbs roseybarbs and angelfish in the same tank for 6 years with no problems in a 140l tank
i dont know if it was mayebe because they have been together in the tank since very small tho they seem to leave eachother alone and the tiger and rosey barbs school together
The issue here is how one defines a "community aquarium".
Basically, ANY aquarium containing a multiplicity of species that live compatibly together is a community aquarium. Of course, the typical vision of a community aquarium is, for example, a modest sized aquarium with Otocinclus, small Corydoras, and some peaceful Tetras or Rasboras, etc. But if you can afford it, and have the dedication to keep it running, a 300 gallon aquarium with Bala Sharks, Tinfoil Barbs and chunky Doradid catfish is also a community aquarium - just an unusual one. Likewise, a 300 gallon aquarium with big Cichlids, if those Cichlids are coexisting without internecine warfare, is a community aquarium, just an unusual one again.
That said, some of the fish featured here are abominable choices for almost any setup. Chinese Algae Eaters are utterly atrocious. Want a PROPER algae eater for a small aquarium? Otocinclus. They stay small, are pacifists by nature, and will actually eat algae.
Oh, and if anyone is looking for a Cichlid that fits well into a "standard" community setup, try Anomalochromis thomasi. Possibly THE leading candidate for the title of "pacifist Cichlid". Doesn't grow too large either, and is magnificent in breeding colours.
Also, avoid anything that NEEDS live food, unless you're prepared to supply said live food on a constant basis, or anything with extremely specialised water requirements. This rules out the likes of Chocolate Gouramis and Discus, which are best left to the properly experienced and dedicated.