Favorite Community Fish

[cavdad45]

I'm not new to the hobby, but a lot of members are.  For a new fishkeeper, what are your 3 favorite community fish?

 

For me, it would start with a gang of Corys, a trio or two of livebearers (I prefer Platys, Endlers, and Guppies), and a school of some sort of rasbora.

[Colu]

I would have to say catfish so many different types something for every one from mid water schooling glass catfish L number plecos and corydoras 

[Tazalanche]

I can only pick 3? That's too hard. 😁

For standard sized schooling fish, I guess I'd pick sterbai corydoras, cardinal tetras & congo tetras . (If cardinals are not available for some reason, I'd pick rummynose tetras) 

For nano fish, I'd pick chili rasboras, pygmy corydoras & celestial pearl danios.

For larger fish, I'd pick bristlenose plecs, kubotai loaches & raphael catfish.

Disclaimer: I currently have all of those, except for the rummies.

[Cinnebuns]

On 5/17/2022 at 6:49 PM, cavdad45 said:

I'm not new to the hobby, but a lot of members are.  For a new fishkeeper, what are your 3 favorite community fish?

 

For me, it would start with a gang of Corys, a trio or two of livebearers (I prefer Platys, Endlers, and Guppies), and a school of some sort of rasbora.

That is exactly how I started. I'm new to the hobby as of November so it's still what I'm keeping but I don't regret it at all. I went with panda cories and red/blue dragon guppies. I would say when it comes to live bearers, beginners really need to know what they are getting into with reproduction. I mod some guppy Facebook groups and it's far too common for people to get overwhelmed. Unfortunately often it even starts with someone saying "I didn't want babies so I got only females" not understanding if they have ever been with a male they no longer need a male to have babies. 

In terms of the 3rd fish I went with a honey gourami. I ended up trying to get her some friends and got "red honey gouramis" which ends up isn't honey gouramis at all. (See the honey gourmi thread.) Adding a 3rd fish greatly depends on tank size and room left for live bearer breeding. 

[Guppysnail]

1. Panda corydora 

2. Lemon blue eyed bristlenose pleco

3. GUPPIES 😍

[Djsa]

I love kuhli loaches and bristlenoses

[Patrick_G]

It’s such a hard question!

-Right at this moment I’m really enjoying my Marigold Swordtails. I have a community tank with some adults and about 25 juvenile fry.  They’re so stinkin’ cute!

-For a while I’ve plotting a way to keep some German blue rams. I love the way they look and their breeding behavior. I hope they don’t disappoint when I finally figure out a way to keep them. (Temperature and tank size requirements are holding me back but I’ll solve those problems eventually) 

 

[Jeff]

Discus, Rummynose Tetra, Chili Rasbora

[Flumpweesel]

A good mum should never have favourites but if I was starting again I would struggle not to get.

Pygmy corys they are always up to something can't have up many of those

Long tailed cherry barbs again super active.

Garra ruffa I love how they interact with each other. 

[Scapexghost]

I think platies are the fish that can go into the most communities. I guess it might be mollies since they can go into salt water communities too. Platies are one of the few fish that can go with both aggressive and docile fish. I have some with my tiger barbs are some with my betta and I've never had issue with either. I really like the short body ones, mostly for aesthetic reasons but also because they can go into smaller tanks. For a third ill go bn pleco. I have one in all my tanks.

[SpacedCadette]

Panda cories are on the list for sure. They’re just so cute and their size worked out perfectly for me since I really wanted a little gang of them. I have 10 in my 40g right now.

I really enjoy my harlequin Rasboras because they’re so rowdy. Great middle tank fish. I think they’re rather neat looking and the perfect size for a shoaling fish in a 40g. 

I’m becoming a fast fan of my Panda Garra. He’s really outgoing and active. Love watching him shuffle around on the bottom with my cories. He’s just big and clumsy with the perfect “o___o” face. It’s not a fish that I see often in other folks tanks either and it’s always kind of fun having something that feels a little less like the norm.

I know it’s a fourth! But honey gourami also have great little personalities. I can’t get over their little feeler fins and how they can’t help but touch everything and everyone with them. 

Edited May 18, 2022 by SpacedCadette

[mbwells]

I'm a first time fish keeper.  Only been doing it for 4 months or so.  I have ~45 white clouds in a 40 gallon breeder.  I can say without question that any of the 3 white cloud species, the white cloud mountain minnow (Tanichthys albonubes), the Vietnamese white cloud (Tanichthys micagemmae), or the yellow white cloud (Tanichthys kuehnei) are an absolute joy to keep.

The only water parameter they are picky over is temperature (I'd say upper 60s to mid 70s is ideal, and anything close to 80 downright dangerous), they spawn easily even when fed freeze dried foods and spirulina flakes, and they surprisingly intelligent and active.  Gold white cloud mountain minnows are as colorful as any tropical fish, are dirt cheap, and are easy to find.  But I'd say the somewhat less common Vietnamese white cloud is the most stunning, as males develop gorgeous long finnage.  They also have a beautiful fluorescent neon band that is a fascinating mixture of pink and cyan.  The yellow white cloud, which is actually exceedingly hard to come by (couldn't believe I was lucky enough to get some!!), isn't as impressive visually as either gold or Vietnamese white clouds and I wouldn't recommend the expense and trouble of tracking them down for a beginner. 

I'm thinking about getting a smaller 20 gallon aquarium as well.  I'm currently trying to decide whether I'd want to get a bunch of orange hatchet danios or rocket killifish in there.  If anyone has experience with either species let me know!! 

Edited May 18, 2022 by mbwells
Clarifying the temperature requirements better

[Torrey]

I like livebearers for new hobbyists, and I don't like them to get overwhelmed, so I actually promote a mix of livebearers (whatever they like the look of) along with a decent sized school of danios or mid size tetras (to keep fry under control), and snails (to help with cleaning).

These don't tend to overwhelm biofilters, livebearers will eat eggs, and egglayers will eat livebearer fry they can catch, and snails eat waste and leftover food, keeping the tank clean.

 

[Baphijmm]

Corys are definitely up there. Easy to keep, super-cute, lots of personality if you can get them to come out of their shell. I'm gonna be the odd one out and say neon tetras are up there, too; also relatively easy, quite pretty, and you can get a lot for very little and have a great-looking outcome. Danios same thing, for the same reason.

Another oddball choice: Gouramis. Bigger ones, like the trichopterus, any of its color forms. Not great to keep more than two, but they're wonderful additions to most communities even given their occasional aggressiveness, just because they hang out at the top. Also surprisingly easy to keep.

[binkysmom]

too many! Current favorites:

pygmy cories

nano gouramis (sparkling/croaking and licorice).

red neon rainbows

clown killi fish

chilli rasboras

green neon tetras

[cavdad45]

...and cherry barbs

[Bev C]

Wow,   only 3 how can you pick, I would 

1:Cories I love the Juli and Panda 

2: Pelco  make sure you get the bristolnose for (40-55 gallon tanks or higher) I thought I would not fall so hard for a Algae eater 

3:  Mystery snails if you do not breed them, I take the out egg clutch 

 

I started with 1  gold fish  ... then a community tank...

now in my 55 gallon  I have a  total 12 very old fish & snails  of  1 Black Shirt & 4 Pristella tetras 1 Redeye Tetra, that did not grow big   & 5  cories  & 1  bristolnose pelco &  10 netrite and mystery snails

 In The  past I had Platys,  Redeye Tetra,  & Scissortail Rasbora Tetras  The Scissortail  very hardly &  forgiving  and can go through allot from beginner's mistakes & they also  are friendly  I could not keep  a Platy alive I tried 3 times to keep them with no luck   

I am holding off buying a lot of new fish   except for cories and snails or another  small catfish 

 My top and medium dwellers, I want   to change  to Tiger Barbs (I think)  After  my Baackshirt & Pristella are gone  

Edited May 19, 2022 by Bev C