Type of aquarium fish and compatibility of different species (table)

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Getting into the pet store, a beginner is simply lost - there are so many fish, they all like it in their own way, I want to put as many beauties as possible in a brand new aquarium. But there are subtleties in choosing neighbors. Consider how aquarium fish are compatible with each other.

Species Compatibility

The species compatibility table clearly shows which animals are fully compatible with each other, not compatible or partially compatible, subject to certain conditions. Consider the principles by which the table is built.

1. Conditions should be well suited for all the inhabitants of the aquarium.
2. You can't put predator and prey together.
3. A species of aquarium fish with a calm and slow character should not coexist with fast and active fish. Quiet people will starve and get stressed.
4. The inhabitants of the aquarium should be proportionate. Even the most peaceful fish will eat anyone who fits into its mouth.
5. Some fish are aggressive and can attack both neighbors and members of their own species. It is necessary to take into account the peculiarity of behavior.
6. One species of aquarium fish cannot live without a flock of its own kind, another without a pair, and the third prefers loneliness. This should not be forgotten if you want to avoid fights or stress.

So, let's look at what types of aquarium fish are, some aspects of their maintenance and compatibility. It is impossible to describe all types of fish in one article, so we will focus on the most popular representatives and the general characteristics of the groups.

Cichlids

Dwarf Apistogram cichlids are popular aquarium fish species. Photos show that these small fish look like bright tropical butterflies. Apistogramma do not need a large volume of the aquarium, do not damage plants and are quite calm. They can be kept with other peaceful fish - swordtails, platies, guppies, mollies, neons, rasboras, tetras, small catfish, barbs. But small shrimps will be eaten with pleasure even by dwarf cichlids. Apistogram males in a small aquarium will be aggressive towards each other, so you can keep a couple or a harem.

Another popular type of aquarium fish is the angelfish. These fish are also thermophilic, do not destroy plants. But they will eat all the small neighbors (neons, parsing), and aggressive fish will cut off their beautiful long fins (thorns, denisons, many types of barbs). For these reasons, the list of neighbors is small - unhurried gourami, mollies, platies, cherry barbs, some catfish.

Kings of the freshwater aquarium -discus are very demanding fish in terms of conditions and nutrition. In addition, they prefer high temperatures - 28-31 ° C. Not all plants and animals can withstand such heat. Compatible with discus: catfish tarakatum, clown botia, Ramirezi's apistogram, red-nosed tetra, red neon. Discus are delicate fish prone to stress and various diseases, so it is better to refuse any neighbors.

As for other types of cichlids, such as parrot, handsome chromis, labidochromis yellow, black-banded cichlid, astronotus and others, it is difficult for them to find neighbors. These fish are territorial, aggressive and need shelter. They dig the soil, pull out all the plants. Two males in a small volume will constantly conflict, so they can be kept in pairs or harems, with other active fish that can fend for themselves. Compatible only with other cichlids, and due to intraspecific aggression, it is better to choose neighbors with a different color.

Viviparous

It is the viviparous that most often become the first pets for beginners. Swordtails, mollies, platies, guppies aquarium fish. All types of viviparous are unpretentious in content, not aggressive, easily get along with other types of peaceful fish. In addition, a huge number of varieties and colors of viviparous have been bred. More than 80 types of guppies, dozens of species of platies, mollies, swordtails differ not only in color, but also in the shape of the body and fins.

Of course, there are some subtleties in the maintenance of livebearers. Male swordtails can be aggressive becauseIt is not recommended to settle several males in one aquarium. And guppies can provoke with their bright long tails barbs, thorns, angelfish, some gourami.

Guppies are the smallest of the viviparous, but larger mollies, platies and swordtails can be settled with angelfish, gourami, barbs. Neons, rasboras, cardinals, tarakatums, speckled catfish, corridors will be good neighbors for everyone.

Maze

Suitable for beginners and maze aquarium fish. Species of these fish are remarkable in that they need atmospheric air for breathing. Some labyrinths are quite jumpy, so the aquarium should be covered with a lid, but with a mandatory gap. The aquarium should have plenty of plants and hiding places.

Male cockerels and macropods are very aggressive towards other males of their species, so these fish need to be kept in a harem. Conflicts between males will also be among gourami, lalius. They need a spacious aquarium and several females. Females of all types of labyrinths also need shelter in order to hide from pestering during spawning.

Despite intraspecific aggression, labyrinths get along well with other peaceful fish - swordtails, platies, mollies, neons, rasboras, zebrafish, cherry barbs, ancistrus, cardinals, speckled catfish. You can not settle with fish that love to cut off their fins - barbs and thorns.

Characins

It is not easy to even list all the types and names of aquariumfish of the characin family. They are quite different from each other - these are the well-known neons, tetras, and rare Hudget pike, predatory piranhas, flying wedge-bellies and huge black pacu.

Tetras, phantoms, congos, thorns are very active peaceful fish of medium and small size. They live in flocks, so you should not buy less than 7-10 individuals. Neighbors for them can be black neons, tarakatums, laliuses, speckled catfish, zebrafish, cardinals, viviparous. Some tetras like to cut off the fins of other fish, so they need to be carefully kept with veiltails.

Black, red and blue neons are peaceful little fish. You need to settle them in a flock of 15 individuals. Due to their small size, large fish are dangerous for neons, it is better to give preference to smaller and non-predatory neighbors - rasboras, small haracins, apistograms, cuneiformes, viviparous, cardinals, iris, barbs.

Boots

Clown bots, tiger and marble bots are large and very active fish. They prefer to live in a flock of 5 individuals. They get along well with other peaceful fish of medium and large sizes. Can break veil fins. They eat plants and snails.

Botsii stay mainly at the bottom, occasionally rising into the middle layers of the water. Therefore, it is better to supplement their company with fish that live in the upper layers. Barbs, angelfish, zebrafish, gourami, viviparous, rasboras, iris, Labeo, tetras can become good neighbors for bots.

Barbs

The cherry barb is the most peaceful species of aquarium fish among its relatives. He can easily get along with small fish, but large and predatory neighbors can easily offend him. They keep a barb in a flock of 5 individuals, in the company of neon, parsing, cardinals, danios, corridors.

As for other types of barbs - Sumatran, fire, mutants, they are known as hooligans and bullies. Active fish that will not let themselves be offended will suit them as neighbors - zebrafish, thorns, congo, tetras, tarakatums, speckled catfish, cardinals. Fish with long fins that will irritate barbs are not suitable - bettas, gourami, lalius.

Danio

Danios are active small aquarium fish. Species compatibility - the table shows that, due to its size and peaceful nature, the zebrafish gets along well with many fish. They need to be kept in packs of at least 5 individuals.

The list of good neighbors for zebrafish is really extensive - viviparous, bettas, angelfish, gourami, botsia, iris, parsing, labeo, tetras. Suitable for all peaceful small to medium sized fish that will not offend zebrafish.

Labeo

Labeo bicolor is often recommended as a calm fish for the general aquarium. But it's not. A young labeo will be shy and shy, but an adult will begin to guard its territory and attack fish that resemble relatives. A few labeos will invariably clash. Can get along with himfast fish living in the upper layers of the water - zebrafish, thorns, barbs. The Green Labeo can also moderate its aggressiveness if it has its own territory and shelter to defend.

Found in our zoos and black labeo. This fish does not tolerate its relatives, is aggressive and territorial. It grows up to 80 cm in length and needs a large aquarium. Can live with large fish, such as red-tailed catfish. But conflicts are not ruled out.

Goldfish

Another pet for beginners is goldfish. Aquarium species of these fish are very common. If you look at the compatibility chart, the line for goldfish will be completely filled with red, with a few yellow areas, just like many cichlids. But if cichlids are aggressive, then goldfish often become victims themselves. Goldfish are large, and they will gradually eat small things like parsing and neon. And other inhabitants of the aquarium themselves can offend the slow and gentle goldfish with long fins.

Goldfish are best settled with their own kind, there are quite interesting varieties of this breed. At the same time, do not forget that if you want to get offspring, then you cannot keep different species together. Who can get along with goldfish? Aquarium species of calm catfish - tarakatums, clown bots, corridors, peaceful tetras - congos, thorns and calm zebrafish are quite suitable. There are also examples of successful cohabitation of gold with neon, scalar, viviparous, butyou need to remember that any neighborhood of goldfish with other species can end in conflicts and the death of the inhabitants of the aquarium.

Cats

The bottom is occupied by aquarium fish - catfish. Types of catfish are very diverse, they differ both in size and in behavior. Consider the most common.

Shy platydoras will definitely eat all the fish that fit into his mouth. Therefore, it can only be kept with large fish, such as cichlids.

Most often, Ancistrus live in aquariums. A few ancistrus can only be kept in a large aquarium, these fish are territorial. But they are not aggressive towards other species, and few people do not touch them either.

Corridors are another popular type of catfish. They are kept in a group of at least 3 individuals, if space allows - 10-15. The fish are peaceful, but their large fish can eat. Ideal neighbors for corridors are tetras, rasboras, zebrafish, livebearers, dwarf cichlids. They do not like water with temperatures above 25 degrees, so they are not suitable for keeping with heat-loving species.

Tarakatum has a peaceful nature and can coexist with peaceful fish and even other catfish.

Red-tailed catfish can often be seen in pet stores, but this fish is not suitable for the general aquarium, as it grows very large - up to a meter, and simply eats all the inhabitants. It can live with commensurate fish, but the aquarium for a group of such large fish should be very large - from 1000 liters.

Glass catfish goodsuitable for a general aquarium, can live with proportional and small fish - neon, rasbor, small gourami, Ramirezi apistogram, catfish-shifter. Large fish are dangerous for this peaceful catfish.

Pterygoplichts grow large, so the neighbors should be a match - large cichlids, giant gourami, knifefish, polypteruses.