Best mid dwelling community fish

[beastie]

Since there are many keepers here with much experience - what in your opinion is the best mid dwelling fish for a community.

I am doing some research, as my ember tetras are dying out, my rummynose were obviously purchased as adults (some of them) as they are very large and there may come a time next year where I will have to either boost the rummynose numbers and create a large school or buy another mid level fish.

 

To be completely honest, I do not like the ember tetras, they are boring, prone to overeating, so static all the time (especially compared to the rummynose) so it is most likely safe to say I will not like any similar ones (black, lemon, ..) and I vowed when I began fishkeeping to never ever keep neons (cardinals, blue, whichever) as they are in every beginner tank, every badly made setup and they are such a boring fish. I also have and have had many other fish you are likely to recommend, doesnt mean they are not good choices though.

 

Looking for your recommendations. Thank you

[Shrimptanks]

I really like the look of CPDs, but I find them a bit skittish and they don't really school.  My chili rasboras are cool but they're nano so that might not work out.

I've always loved guppies and they're absolutely brazen pigs when it comes to feed and won't hide but they reproduce and take over most tanks I put them in.

[MattyM]

Danios and red/blood fin tetras - not boring fish, added a lot of action to my tank and tend to stick around the mid to upper zone. 

I also love golden white cloud minnows - another action fish that sticks to the upper third of the tank most of the time. 

[beastie]

On 12/21/2023 at 4:17 PM, MattyM said:

also love golden white cloud minnows - another action fish that sticks to the upper third of the tank most of the time

Totally, I have like fourty of them in another tank as the only shoaler and they are amazing 

[GoofyGarra]

my friend has red-eye tetras which are super cool.

But they get bigger and nippy and are aggressive eaters so not necessarily for every community tank.

I love platies they are a very nice midlevel fish, however you get babies or fighting among males so they are not perfect either.

Ive never kept them but ive had my eye on lemon tetras for a while, its a full bodied yellow tetra with red eyes, i imagine those would be mid level swimmer.

Edited December 21, 2023 by GoofyGarra

[Sora]

On 12/21/2023 at 11:08 AM, GoofyGarra said:

I love platies they are a very nice midlevel fish

Platys are a very nice mid level fish, they are big and bright and entertaining. would recommend 👍. but also do keep in mind that if you get males too, you will end up with a lot of fry.

[Lonkley]

I haven't had them, but I kind of would like to keep Congo Tetras.  They don't look quite like typical tetras and they are super colorful.

I think there are some varieties of silver dollars that are in the 3 to 4 inch range. Not sure how big your tank is.

[Ninjoma]

I think rummynose tetra are the best for smallish schooling fish. 

Otherwise, I really like American cichlids. Electric blue acaras are probably my favorite, but all the ones I've kept have been fun. 

[Tlindsey]

On 12/21/2023 at 12:01 PM, Ninjoma said:

I think rummynose tetra are the best for smallish schooling fish. 

Otherwise, I really like American cichlids. Electric blue acaras are probably my favorite, but all the ones I've kept have been fun. 

@beastie like stated depends on the aquarium size. Have you ever considered the Boesemani Rainbowfish. 

[Seisage]

Man, the neons and cardinals are always so undervalued, just because they're seen as boring beginner fish 😞 They're so beautiful! Have you seen how absolutely bright and mesmerizing they can be in nice lighting? Wonderful little active fish. There's a good reason they're as popular as they are and I wish people wouldn't discredit them on the basis that they're only for boring beginner fishkeepers. Genuine question: is the reason you don't want to keep them because you don't want to be seen as a newbie? If you're just not interested in them as animals, that's one thing, but I think people in general shouldn't be so caught up in appearances and perceptions of others within the hobby. Many veteran, seasoned aquarists still love neons.

That said, if you're dead set against neons and cardinals, I've heard some of the smaller barbs can be fun. Gold/chinese barbs or african banded barbs are both neat. I don't know anything about your tank or water parameters though.

[beastie]

On 12/21/2023 at 5:55 PM, Lonkley said:

I haven't had them, but I kind of would like to keep Congo Tetras.  They don't look quite like typical tetras and they are super colorful.

I had the same idea but did a little research yesterday and they are not for every community, and definitely not for mine 😞 

[beastie]

On 12/22/2023 at 4:57 AM, Tlindsey said:

like stated depends on the aquarium size. Have you ever considered the Boesemani Rainbowfish. 

I have a 360 liters but only 120 cm in length. even years back I wanted rainbowfish cause the color and the activity, but lately every picture of especially the boesemani ones look like the salmons after they spawned. what is with the body deformity and the weird shape? 

 

On 12/22/2023 at 7:31 AM, Seisage said:

Man, the neons and cardinals are always so undervalued, just because they're seen as boring beginner fish

I agree but it does not change my preference. I have seen tanks with 200 green neons, they are stunning, I have seen tanks with hundreds normal neons, also lovely. I have seen blackwater tanks for cardinals or emperor tetras and in the right setup they are breathtaking. But that is not my setup and behavior wise, they will be as boring as embers I assume. Also they are in EVERY damn tank here and they have one of the weakest genetic stocks. My tank is barely planted and overly bright, they would look so whitewashed in there

 

But noted, they dont deserve my hate, but years of seeing three neons in a 50 liter soup just made me never want to have them 🙂

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/21/2023 at 4:51 AM, beastie said:

prone to overeating,

This was the biggest issue I've had with this type of fish.  They tended to really just pig out and whether it was my food habit with feeding them "enough" or just the food I was using, it was tough to really get them healthy and happy.  I had them for a long time, but I just always had 1 or 2 that always seemed crazy bloated.  When they would get that way they would get a lot less active and lay around a lot more on plants and hardscape.  Fast forward a few years, those might've just been females. I can't guarantee it because of never breeding them out,, but yeah.... that was a learning experience for me and that jump from beginner to trying to know what on earth to look for when reviewing the fish in the tank.

That being said, I will toss in all torpedo shaped barbs, rasbora, or danio into the mix.  Odessa barbs are really awesome and fun.  Pair that with a rummynose rasbora and maybe a few more species fit that bill.
 

 

 

I don't think I'll ever get sick of keeping barbs.

[beastie]

On 12/22/2023 at 10:11 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

I don't think I'll ever get sick of keeping barbs.

I have never had barbs but I always wanted them. When I was planning my asian tank I initially thought about odessa, for the temp, but the tank was on the bit too small side. I will definitely check your videos though and will keep thinking barbs 🙂 I used to have zebra danios back in the day, fun fish, but I would want something different ( I try not to cycle back to fish I had before)

[beastie]

Anyone would say any of the nannostomus are a good option? I have mixed research on them

[Guppysnail]

@beastie you said you could be interested in barbs. Have you thought about Puntius titteya?

My LFS put them in their shop show tank last year.  The week they did they jumped out at me.  I’ve been totally enthralled with them since.  I don’t have a tank that can support them at the moment.  
 

This sounds horrible that I already have a planned home for them but when my luminatus pass they are going in that tank since the luminatus eggs are to small for me to see. 
 

The internet photos do not do them justice.  The males are more stunning fire engine red and less orange than the net photos.  The females are such a gorgeous gold.  
 

These are the 2 photos that come closest to what they look like in person. The female still don’t show the metallic gold they do in person. 
 

Also very peaceful. Can hold their own in any mostly peaceful tank but also do well in timid tanks. They do not bother anyone.