Best Community Fish

[Sharky13]

Hey guys, I hope all your fishy friends and plants are doing well! I'm setting up my 55 gallon aquarium and I can't decide on the fish I want. It's in our family room under the TV so it'll be the focal point of the whole room. I love the look of a big school of cory catfish and 2-3 species of schooling fish. I think I'm leaning towards having a few angel fish as my centerpiece fish. Should I get a huge school of neon tetras or rummy nose tetras as the only schooling species? There's so many ideas in my mind  I can't make a decision. I would love to hear your guys' top 10 list for community tanks. I appreciate any input, thanks!

[RovingGinger]

Guppies. Platies. Mollies. But I’m biased. It’s basically endless fish if you get a herd of any of the above and let them go in reasonable shelter. They don’t school but I find the individual behavior and interactions fascinating. I also just like a lot of fish that look very different and that may or may not be your thing in a community (it’s only in one of my communities currently). 

[Sharky13]

32 minutes ago, RovingGinger said:

Guppies. Platies. Mollies. But I’m biased. It’s basically endless fish if you get a herd of any of the above and let them go in reasonable shelter. They don’t school but I find the individual behavior and interactions fascinating. I also just like a lot of fish that look very different and that may or may not be your thing in a community (it’s only in one of my communities currently). 

I loooove platies, I actually have a 29g full of orange sunburst platys. Thanks for the input!

[Paul]

You can’t go wrong with Rummy nose and Cardinals/Neons. Rainbows will give you lots of movement and color. 

[Alec2cool]

My favorite community fish isn't always regarded as community-friendly. The Dwarf Gourami

While they can be terrors to deal with in smaller tanks, as long as you have plenty of space for each, they can be incredibly interesting to watch. I have four of them myself and 3 of them are in a 55g. They'll carve out territories and defend them from one another. It's exciting to watch them do their "combat ritual" were they line up, fins fully flared and circle the other while descending. Once they reach the substrate, one of them will strike and the one who strikes first isn't always the winner. These battles are actually quite harmless with enough space and can be very intense, strategic and sometimes even hilarious.

Each Dwarf Gourami has a unique personality, very similar to the betta but quite a bit more active while also being more accepting of other tankmates as long as there is enough space of course! For a small fish, they want much more space than you'd expect. In fact, I think they should only have tankmates in a 20g long or larger, otherwise they are quite aggressive, especially during feeding time. They are interactive with their owners and even learn certain words/phrases. In fact, my 3 "stooges" will get very excited if they hear me say "You boys hungry?"

When I show a friend my tanks, they are quickly enamored with my Angelfish but it doesn't take long for a spat to happen between two of the Dwarf Gouramis and suddenly, my friend cannot take their eyes away. Usually, one of my Gourami's ends up being their favorite fish in my fish room.

My four are Pastrami, Salami, Tsunami and Tommy the Dwarf Gouramis. Pastrami is the striped one leading the pack, Salami is the Flame Red in the back, Tsunami is the Powder Blue below Pastrami and Tommy is the striped one at the top. (The pic below is from June of 2020)

1) Pastrami is the tank boss and very cautious as well as strategic. He's very aware of what the rest of the tankmates are doing and will involve himself in other conflicts, even between the Angels. He is very selective of where he will initiate a battle and often immediately flees if the location isn't suitable for him. He is usually shy from new faces and new fish but isn't afraid to assert his dominance if he feels he needs to. He has a notorious reputation of ripping up plants he doesn't like, especially dwarf hairgrass. He is also the smallest of the 4 and I believe he may be the second oldest. (He is also my first fish since getting back into the hobby in Jan 2020)

2) Salami is the one that wishes to have the "Tank Boss" slot. He picks battles with Pastrami several times a day and usually loses. He will also sneak over to Pastrami's claimed territory and steal his water spangles, getting a big clump in his mouth and quickly swimming over to his side of the tank to enlarge his "nest" of water spangles. This infuriates Pastrami and Pastrami usually steals them back. Salami also hates it when I change the tank in any way, whether it's adding/removing a plant or decorations or really anything you can think of that will make the tank seem different. When this happens, he will pout in the corner facing where I sit at my desk and just stare at me for several hours, if I approach him, he will turn away, showing me his back. Salami is the 2nd largest and I believe him to be the oldest. Salami is also very responsive when hearing human language. If anyone in the room speaks, he will turn to face them and watch them intently.

3) Tsunami is quite possibly the dumbest fish I have ever owned. He constantly finds himself in trouble and I actually suffer from quite a bit of stress worrying about him. He is incredibly fearless while also having insatiable curiousity and those two traits are dangerous together. He's gotten stuck behind heaters, he's tried jumping up into my HOB filter from the flow outake and I have to press my water siphon almost directly on the glass to make sure he doesn't shove his head in there and he's done that several times. I check the uplift tube of the sponge filter multiple times a day to ensure he's not gotten himself stuck in it. He has an unreasonable obsession with rocks, specifically biting them. It is a daily routine of Tsunami pecking every single square centimeter of every rock in the tank, he oddly ignores plants, driftwood or other hardscapes. He also has no interest in territory or conflict and will usually flee if another Gourami tries to engage with him. This proves opposite right after feeding time. When I close the lid after feeding, Tsunami will immediately pick fights with the other two as if they are at fault for the food no longer being replenished. He is extremely quick and I haven't seen him lose a fight, if he chooses to engage in one that is. In fact, for the past few months, the other two do not even engage in any combat ritual with him, preferring to just flee instead. It's only a few minutes later that he's back to his jolly self and pecking at rocks, playing in the bubbles or sticking his head in the sponge uplift tube. He is the largest of the 4 and the 3rd oldest. He also eats bladder snails small enough to fit in his mouth, shell and all. He is also the common favorite among those who have met him.

4) Tommy was a badly battered Gourami that I saved from a Meijer's fish tank. He was alone in a tank full of female bettas and they beat him up. He quickly recovered and the other 3 were initially very accepting of his presence, I assume it was because he was a very young juvenile and they didn't see him as a threat to their territories. However, when he grew into an adult, his aggression went above that of the other 3 but he was actually a terrible fighter. He refuses to retreat and as a result, will sustain damage during a battle with one of the other Gouramis. After some time, I decided it'd be best if he wasn't with other Gouramis. He hasn't been with another Gourami in the past 4 months but his problems didn't end. He has suffered from Popeye twice and his last infection rendered his left eye blind. Unlike the other 3, Tommy does not know when to stop eating and I have to be careful of how much food I put in the tank, he will leave nothing for the snails and this results in some serious bloat at times. He has a fascination with Swordtails and will often shoal with them. Tommy is a very sickly fish and I don't have high hopes for him but I love him anyway. Currently, he is suffering from a lesion on his forehead and is in a 29g tank by himself (Aside from a dwarf mexican crayfish that he has no interaction with) He is the youngest and the 3rd largest.

If you made it this far, I appreciate you reading my deep passion for Dwarf Gouramis. They are truly a fascinating fish and I have been hooked since I owned one 10 years ago. Dwarf Gouramis do indeed have a reputation for being aggressive but I think people hit that alarm button way too quickly as these guys seem to settle their disputes with no harm done as long as they have the space to claim territories that don't border others. When interacting with their owners, they shed this aggression completely and will shoal together. They are an amazing fish and I hope you consider them, thank you!
 

[Maggie]

I am partial to harlequin rasboras. They are fascinating to watch and never stop moving except for sleeping, where they hover in a tight group, as individuals occasionally take turns scouting for danger. They zip back and forth across the tank either as one school (I only have 8 so far), solo or in any combo of groups. Then they split up and casually swim solo all around the upper 2/3 of the tank (45-gal aqueon). They have fun repeatedly swimming under/around the HOB waterfall and the heater. They eat with extreme gusto and took exactly one day to learn which side is the feeding side. Males chase each other and females. Their silver and orange colors change in intensity as light hits their bodies from different angles as they swim. When they raise their dorsal fins, the orange color pops up (really deeply colored in the males), then disappears when lowered for fast swimming. I can't wait for my next purchase of 8 more!!

[Brandy]

I think in a 55 you could have a sizable school of both rummy and cardinal tetras. If you get rummys, I would get a few otocinclus, who will keep your tank plants and glass clean and actually jump into the rummy school now and then. It is funny to watch them sneak in, like an imposter rummy. 

If it weren't for the angels, I might go with some long fin golden danios tho--they are busy! But they want cooler water I think, and they don't really school, like a guppy they are just everywhere.

[tolstoy21]

I think the Angels are less likely to snack on the rummynose than they are neons. 

I'm also partial to rummynose. 

Edited November 17, 2020 by tolstoy21

[DaveSamsell]

17 hours ago, Sharky13 said:

Hey guys, I hope all your fishy friends and plants are doing well! I'm setting up my 55 gallon aquarium and I can't decide on the fish I want. It's in our family room under the TV so it'll be the focal point of the whole room. I love the look of a big school of cory catfish and 2-3 species of schooling fish. I think I'm leaning towards having a few angel fish as my centerpiece fish. Should I get a huge school of neon tetras or rummy nose tetras as the only schooling species? There's so many ideas in my mind  I can't make a decision. I would love to hear your guys' top 10 list for community tanks. I appreciate any input, thanks!

 

Here is an interesting video for you to consider:

 

 

[FrozenFins]

22 hours ago, Sharky13 said:

Hey guys, I hope all your fishy friends and plants are doing well! I'm setting up my 55 gallon aquarium and I can't decide on the fish I want. It's in our family room under the TV so it'll be the focal point of the whole room. I love the look of a big school of cory catfish and 2-3 species of schooling fish. I think I'm leaning towards having a few angel fish as my centerpiece fish. Should I get a huge school of neon tetras or rummy nose tetras as the only schooling species? There's so many ideas in my mind  I can't make a decision. I would love to hear your guys' top 10 list for community tanks. I appreciate any input, thanks!

You can't do neon tetras and angelfish because the angelfish will eat the neons tetras. but you could do cardinal tetras. And defentley do angelfish they are pretty, have a good temperment, and GREAT persanlity

[Patrick M. Bodega Aquatics]

Quote

You can’t go wrong with Rummy nose and Cardinals/Neons. Rainbows will give you lots of movement and color.

I'd have to agree with Paul. Easy to care for in a small package.

[StaceyTNBCkicker]

I love my little dwarf neon rainbowfish. I also have a school of the cheap glowlight tetra. Really nice red/silverish against a planted background. And I too have a school of sterabi corydora. 

[SilveRx]

So far my favorite is the long fin panda corys in my community tank, gotta add some Cory's for bottom fish for sure.

[Andy's Fish Den]

If you are choosing between rummynose and neons, I would go with the rummynose for the schooling action, and they are a little larger and less chance of the angelfish snacking on them. If you're considering other fish, the neon dwarf rainbow, aka praecox rainbow, would look good in a group of 8-12 in there. they will school and swim together, and add a splash of color.

[Ken Dyer]

Or if you want a slightly larger bodied tetra don't forget the kerri tetra, little stunners when they have their breeding colors on, though I am a tad biased as I love mine 🙂