Getting into the pet shop, the newcomer is simply lost - there are so many fish, they all like them in their own way, I want to put as many handsome men in the new aquarium as possible. But the choice of neighbors has its own subtleties. Consider how aquarium fish are compatible with each other.
View compatibility
The species compatibility table clearly shows which animals are fully compatible, incompatible or limited compatible under certain conditions. Consider the principles by which the table is built.
- Containment conditions should be well suited for all aquarium inhabitants.
- You cannot settle a predator and prey together.
- The species of aquarium fish with a calm and slow nature should not be adjacent to fast and active fish. Tikhoni will starve and get stressed.
- The inhabitants of the aquarium should be proportionate. Even the most peaceful fish will eat everyone who fits into her mouth.
- Some fish are aggressive and can attack both neighbors and representatives of their species. It is necessary to consider the peculiarity of behavior.
- One species of aquarium fish will not be able to live without a flock of their own kind, the other without a pair, and the third prefers loneliness. This must not be forgotten if you want to avoid fights or stress.
So, we will consider what types of aquarium fish are, some aspects of their content and compatibility. It is impossible to describe all types of fish in one article, so we will dwell on the most popular representatives and the general characteristics of groups.
Cichlids
Dwarf cichlids apistograms are popular types of aquarium fish. Photos show that these little fish look like bright tropical butterflies. Apistograms do not need a large volume of the aquarium, they do not damage plants and are quite calm. They can be kept with other peaceful fish - swordsmen, pecilli, guppies, mollies, neons, parses, tetras, small catfishes, barbs. But small shrimp will gladly eat even dwarf cichlids. Male apistograms 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 angelfish. These fish are also thermophilic, do not destroy plants. But here they will eat all the small neighbors (neon, analysis), and aggressive fish will tear off their beautiful long fins (thorns, denisoni, many types of barbs). For these reasons, the list of neighbors is small - unhurried gourami, mollies, pecilia, cherry barbs, some catfish.
The kings of a freshwater aquarium - discus - are very demanding on the conditions and nutrition of the fish. In addition, they prefer high temperature - 28-31 ° C. Not all plants and animals can withstand such heat. Compatible with discus: catfish taracatum, botsiya clown, apistogram Ramirezi, red-nosed tetra, red neons. Discus is a delicate fish, prone to stress and various diseases, so it is better to abandon any neighbors.
As for other types of cichlids, such as a parrot, handsome chromis, labidochromeis yellow, black-striped cichlazoma, astronotus and others, it’s difficult for them to pick up neighbors. These fish are territorial, aggressive, they need shelters. They dig the soil, tear out all the plants. Two males in a small volume will constantly conflict, so you can keep them 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 who most often become the first pets of beginners. Swordsmen, Mollinesia, Pecilia, Guppy aquarium fish. All species of viviparous are unpretentious in content, not aggressive, easily get along with other species of peaceful fish. In addition, a huge number of varieties and colors of viviparous were bred. More than 80 types of guppies, dozens of species of pecilia, mollies, swordsmen differ not only in coloring, but also in the shape of their bodies and fins.
Of course, there are some subtleties in the content of viviparous. The males of the swordsmen can be aggressive, therefore they do not recommend lodging several males in the same aquarium. And guppies can provoke with their bright long tails barbs, thorns, scalars, some gurus.
Guppies are the smallest of viviparous, but larger malls, pecilli and swordsmen can be settled with scalars, gouras, and barbs. For all, neons, rassbori, cardinals, cockroaches, speckled catfish, corridors will be good neighbors.
Labyrinth
Suitable for beginners and labyrinth aquarium fish. The species of these fish are notable for the fact that they need atmospheric air for breathing. Some labyrinths are quite jumping, so the aquarium should be covered, but with a mandatory gap. The aquarium should have a lot of plants and shelters.
Male males and macropods are very aggressive towards other males of their own species, therefore, these fish need to be kept in a harem. Conflicts between males will be among the gouras, laliuses. They need a spacious aquarium and several females. Females of all types of labyrinths also need shelters in order to hide from harassment during spawning.
Despite the intraspecific aggression, the labyrinth coexists well with other peaceful fish - swordsmen, pecilli, mollies, neon, rassibo, zebrafish, cherry barbs, ancistruses, cardinals, speckled catfish. You can not settle with fish that like to break off the fins - barbs and thorns.
Characine
It is not easy to even list all the types and names of aquarium fish of the haracin family. They are quite different from each other - these are the well-known neons, tetras, and rare hujet pikes, carnivorous piranhas, flying wedges and huge black pacu.
Tetra, phantoms, Congo, thorns, are very active peaceful fish of medium and small size. They live in flocks, so you should not purchase less than 7-10 individuals. Neons for them can be black neons, cockroaches, laliuses, speckled catfish, zebrafish, cardinals, viviparous. Some tetras like to cut fins to other fish, so they must be carefully kept with veil-tail.
Black, red and blue neons are peaceful little fish. You need to lodge them with a flock of 15 individuals. Due to the small size, large fish are dangerous for neons, it is better to give preference to smaller and non-predatory neighbors - parses, small characins, apistograms, wedge-trunks, livestock, cardinals, iris, barbs.
Botsi
Botsiya the clown, tiger and marble botsiya - large and very active fish. Prefer to live in a flock of 5 individuals. Get along well with other peaceful fish of medium and large sizes. Can break off veil fins. They eat plants and snails.
Botsia stay mainly at the bottom, occasionally rising into the middle layers of water. Therefore, it is better to supplement their company with fish that live in the upper layers. Barbuses, angelfish, zebrafish, gourami, viviparous, rassbory, iris, labeo, tetra can be good neighbors for bots.
Barbs
Cherry barbus is the most peaceful species of aquarium fish among its relatives. He easily gets along with small fish, but large and predatory neighbors can easily offend him. Contain barbs in a pack of 5 individuals, in the company of neon, analysis, cardinals, zebrafish, corridors.
As for other types of barbs - Sumatran, fiery, mutants, they are known as hooligans and badass. Neighboring are active fish that will not be offended - zebrafish, thorns, Congo, tetra, taracatum, speckled catfish, cardinals. Fish that have long fins that will irritate barbs - males, gourami, laliuses will not work.
Danio
Danios are active small aquarium fish. Species compatibility - the table shows that due to its size and peaceful nature, zebrafish get 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, males, angelfish, gourami, bots, irises, rassbory, labeos, tetras. All peaceful small and medium sized fish that will not offend zebrafish are suitable.
Labeo
Labeo bicolor is often recommended as a calm fish for a common aquarium. But this is not so. The young labeau will be shy and shy, but the adult will begin to guard its territory and attack fish that resemble relatives. Several labeos will invariably conflict. They can get along with fast fish living in the upper layers of the water - zebrafish, thorns, barbs. The green labeau will also be able to moderate its aggressiveness if it has its own territory and shelter, which it will protect.
Found in our pet stores and black labe. This fish does not tolerate its relatives, aggressive and territorial. It grows up to 80 cm in length and needs a large aquarium. Can live with large fish, for example, with red-tailed catfish. But conflicts are not excluded.
Goldfish
Another pet for beginners is goldfish. Aquarium species of these fish are very common. If you look at the compatibility table, the line dedicated to the goldfish will be completely filled with red, with several yellow sections, just like many cichlids. But if cichlids are aggressive, then goldfish often become victims themselves. Goldfish are large, and a trifle like analysis and neon they will gradually eat. And other inhabitants of the aquarium themselves can offend slow and tender scrofus 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 can not keep different species together. Who can goldfish get along with anyway? Aquarium species of calm catfishes - cockroaches, bots-clowns, corridors, peaceful tetras - Congo, thorns and calm zebrafish are quite suitable. There are examples of successful cohabitation of gold with neons, scalars, viviparous, but we must remember that any proximity of goldfish to other species can result in conflicts and death of the inhabitants of the aquarium.
Catfish
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.
The shy platidoras will definitely eat all the fish that fit into his mouth. Therefore, it can be kept only with large fish, for example, cichlids.
Most often, ancistruses live in aquariums. Several antiscistruses can be kept only under the condition of a large aquarium, these fish are territorial. But they are not aggressive towards other species, and few of them touch them either.
Corridoras are another popular catfish species. They are kept by a group of at least 3 individuals, while eating allows space - 10-15. The fish are peaceful, but their large fish can eat. Ideal neighbors for corridors - tetra, parsing, zebrafish, livestock, dwarf cichlids. They do not like water with a temperature above 25 degrees, therefore it is not suitable for keeping with thermophilic species.
The taracatum has a peace-loving character and can be adjacent to peaceful fish and even other catfishes.
Red-tailed catfish can often be seen in pet stores, but this fish is not suitable for a general aquarium, as it grows very large - up to a meter, and simply eats all the inhabitants. It can live with proportionate fish, but the aquarium for a group of such large fish should be very large - from 1000 liters.
Glass catfish is well suited for a general aquarium, can live with commensurate and small fish - neon, parsing, small gourami, Ramirezi apistogram, catfish-changeling. Large fish are dangerous for this peaceful catfish.
Pterygoplychitis grow large, so the neighbors should be close - large cichlids, giant gourami, fish knives, polypteruses.