Sign in

Bottom dwelling fish

Bottom dwellers use the part of the tank mid-water schools leave empty. Soft sand protects the barbels of corydoras and loaches.

  1. Panda corydoras

    Corydoras panda

    Friendly armoured catfish that sift the sand in groups; need soft substrate and a group of six or more.

    1.6 in · 17+ gal · 72–77°F · pH 6–7.2

  2. Otocinclus

    Otocinclus vittatus

    Tiny algae grazers for mature planted tanks; keep six or more and supplement with vegetables.

    1.4 in · 17+ gal · 72–79°F · pH 6–7.2

  3. Cherry shrimp

    Neocaridina davidi

    Bright red dwarf shrimp that graze all day and breed in a planted tank; tiny bioload, but fry are snacks for most fish.

    1.6 in · 4+ gal · 72–75°F · pH 6.5–7.8

  4. Amano shrimp

    Caridina multidentata

    The best-known algae-eating shrimp, made famous by Takashi Amano; bigger than cherries and a good fit for planted community tanks.

    2 in · 7+ gal · 72–77°F · pH 6.5–7.5

  5. Blue dolphin cichlid

    Cyrtocara moorii

    A sky-blue Malawi cichlid with a fatty forehead hump; calm and sociable over open sand, but no match for boisterous mbuna.

    9.8 in · 80+ gal · 77–81°F · pH 8–8.5

  6. Bristlenose pleco

    Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus

    The go-to glass cleaner: a compact 5-inch pleco with bushy whiskers on the males that needs a cave and vegetables, not just algae.

    4.9 in · 17+ gal · 70–79°F · pH 5.5–7.5

  7. Bronze cory

    Corydoras aeneus

    The most widely kept cory: a tough bronze-green or albino catfish that shoals along the bottom and handles a broad range of water.

    3 in · 23+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 6–8

  8. Cherry barb

    Puntius titteya

    One of the most peaceful barbs: males glow cherry red and leave fins alone, making it great for planted community tanks.

    2 in · 17+ gal · 73–81°F · pH 6–8

  9. Chinese algae eater

    Gyrinocheilus aymonieri

    A popular sucker-mouth 'cleaner' that reaches 11 inches and turns aggressive with age, sometimes rasping the slime coat off other fish.

    11 in · 95+ gal · 72–79°F · pH 6–8

  10. Clown loach

    Chromobotia macracanthus

    A bold orange-and-black loach that lives 20 years and grows over a foot long, so a proper group needs a 6-foot tank.

    15.7 in · 202+ gal · 75–86°F · pH 5–7

  11. Common pleco

    Pterygoplichthys pardalis

    The classic store 'algae eater' that grows to nearly two feet, fouls the water and eats less algae with age; a fish for very large tanks only.

    22.8 in · 203+ gal · 77–82°F · pH 7–7.5

  12. Convict cichlid

    Amatitlania nigrofasciata

    A tough Central American cichlid that breeds almost anywhere, and is aggressive enough to attack fish several times its size.

    5.9 in · 34+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 7–8

  13. Demasoni

    Chindongo demasoni (syn. Pseudotropheus demasoni)

    A small blue-and-black striped mbuna with outsized aggression; it attacks much larger fish and is kept only in large, crowded groups.

    3 in · 64+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 8.2–8.5

  14. Fairy cichlid

    Neolamprologus brichardi

    A graceful Tanganyika cichlid with a lyre tail; one pair grows into a family colony that guards its rocks year-round.

    3.5 in · 34+ gal · 73–79°F · pH 8–9

  15. Firemouth cichlid

    Thorichthys meeki

    A Central American cichlid with a fiery red throat it flares when threatened; fairly calm for a cichlid but territorial when breeding.

    4.7 in · 34+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 6.5–8.5

  16. Golden mbuna

    Melanochromis auratus

    A striped gold mbuna and one of the most aggressive Malawi cichlids; it kills rival males, so plan a crowded harem tank of 55 gallons or more.

    4.3 in · 64+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 7.6–8.8

  17. Goldfish

    Carassius auratus

    The coldwater classic with hundreds of breeds; lives 10–15 years or more, makes lots of waste and needs a roomy, well-filtered tank.

    5.9 in · 24+ gal · 50–75°F · pH 6.5–8

  18. Jewel cichlid

    Rubricatochromis bimaculatus (syn. Hemichromis bimaculatus)

    A blazing red West African cichlid that holds its territory year-round and turns extremely aggressive when spawning; best kept as a pair on its own.

    5.9 in · 34+ gal · 72–82°F · pH 6–7.8

  19. Kribensis

    Pelvicachromis pulcher

    A small West African cichlid whose female has a bright belly; a cave-spawning pair digs pits and guards fry along the bottom.

    3.9 in · 23+ gal · 75–81°F · pH 6.5–7

  20. Kuhli loach

    Pangio semicincta

    A banded, eel-like loach of about 4 inches that burrows by day and explores the bottom as a group in the evening; needs soft sand.

    3.9 in · 17+ gal · 70–79°F · pH 3.5–7

  21. Leopard sailfin pleco

    Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps

    A tall-finned pleco with a brocade pattern that is sold at 2 inches and grows to about 20, needing a very large tank and heavy filtration.

    19.7 in · 187+ gal · 77–86°F · pH 5–7

  22. Multies

    Neolamprologus multifasciatus

    The smallest Tanganyika cichlid, about 2 inches, living in empty snail shells; a colony carves the sand into tiny fiercely guarded plots.

    1.8 in · 13+ gal · 77–80°F · pH 8–8.5

  23. Oscar

    Astronotus ocellatus

    A big, intelligent Amazon cichlid that learns its owner and begs for food; it swallows any fish that fits and rearranges the tank.

    13.8 in · 168+ gal · 72–77°F · pH 6–7.5

  24. Peacock cichlid

    Aulonocara jacobfreibergi

    The peacocks of Lake Malawi: brilliant males, grey females, calmer than mbuna and gentle with plants, but they need fine sand to feed.

    6.7 in · 135+ gal · 77–84°F · pH 7.5–9

  25. Peppered cory

    Corydoras paleatus

    One of the hardiest corys: a mottled catfish that sifts sand in a group of six and prefers slightly cooler water.

    2.8 in · 22+ gal · 72–79°F · pH 6–7

  26. Rainbow shark

    Epalzeorhynchos frenatum

    An olive 'shark' with red fins, most often sold in its albino form; territorial toward lookalike bottom fish and best kept alone.

    5.9 in · 76+ gal · 75–79°F · pH 6.5–8

  27. Ram cichlid

    Mikrogeophagus ramirezi

    A brilliantly coloured dwarf cichlid from the Orinoco llanos that needs warm, very clean water and calm tank mates.

    1.6 in · 17+ gal · 81–86°F · pH 4–7

  28. Red-tailed black shark

    Epalzeorhynchos bicolor

    A velvet-black 'shark' with a red tail; beautiful but territorial, chasing lookalike bottom fish and its own kind as it ages.

    4.9 in · 76+ gal · 72–79°F · pH 6.5–7.5

  29. Rosy barb

    Pethia conchonius

    A large, hardy barb whose males turn bright pink-red when breeding; suits cooler tanks that run without a heater.

    3.9 in · 28+ gal · 64–72°F · pH 6–8

  30. Siamese algae eater

    Crossocheilus oblongus

    A slim silver fish with a black stripe and one of the few that eats black beard algae; grows to about 6 inches and loves to jump.

    5.9 in · 95+ gal · 75–79°F · pH 6.5–8

  31. Yellow lab

    Labidochromis caeruleus

    A lemon-yellow mbuna that is one of the calmest cichlids in Lake Malawi and the usual first choice for a Malawi tank.

    3.2 in · 64+ gal · 73–79°F · pH 7.8–8.5

  32. Zebra mbuna

    Maylandia zebra

    The classic blue-and-black rock cichlid of Lake Malawi; one of the more aggressive mbuna, it needs hard alkaline water, rocks and a crowded mbuna-only tank.

    6 in · 64+ gal · 77–80°F · pH 8–8.5

  33. African clawed frog

    Xenopus laevis

    A fully aquatic frog, most often sold as an albino; easy and long-lived, but a predator that eats any fish it can fit in its mouth.

    5.9 in · 13+ gal · 63–75°F · pH 6.8–7.8

  34. African dwarf frog

    Hymenochirus boettgeri

    A small, fully aquatic frog of up to 2 inches that can share a tank with peaceful fish, as long as it is target-fed.

    2 in · 7+ gal · 75–77°F · pH 6.6–7.8

  35. Assassin snail

    Anentome helena

    A yellow-and-brown striped predatory snail kept to control bladder, ramshorn and trumpet snails; it breeds slowly and never becomes a pest.

    1 in · 3+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 7.2–8

  36. Bladder snail

    Physella acuta

    A small left-coiled snail that usually hitchhikes in on plants; a self-fertilising hermaphrodite, so a single one starts a colony.

    0.6 in · 1+ gal · 63–84°F · pH 7–8

  37. Dwarf orange crayfish

    Cambarellus patzcuarensis

    A bright orange crayfish of about 1.5 inches and the only popular crayfish that fits a planted tank with peaceful fish.

    1.6 in · 10+ gal · 64–79°F · pH 6.8–8

  38. Malaysian trumpet snail

    Melanoides tuberculata

    A cone-shelled snail that lives in the substrate and stirs it; it breeds without a mate and gives birth to live young, so it fills a tank fast.

    1 in · 2+ gal · 64–77°F · pH 7–8.5

  39. Marbled crayfish

    Procambarus virginalis

    The only known clonal crayfish: every one is female and breeds without males, so a single animal can found a colony of hundreds.

    3.9 in · 19+ gal · 64–77°F · pH 7–8

  40. Mystery snail

    Pomacea diffusa

    The most popular large aquarium snail; it leaves healthy plants alone and lays its eggs above the waterline, so numbers are easy to control.

    2.2 in · 7+ gal · 68–82°F · pH 7–8

  41. Ramshorn snail

    Planorbarius corneus

    The classic flat-coiled snail every fishkeeper knows; it cleans up film and leftovers, breeds easily, and the red form is especially popular.

    1.4 in · 4+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 7–8

  42. Red swamp crayfish

    Procambarus clarkii

    A hardy but aggressive American crayfish that digs burrows, wrecks plants and eats snails and fish; invasive in many countries and banned in the EU.

    3.9 in · 25+ gal · 68–79°F · pH 7–8.5

  43. Redclaw crayfish

    Cherax quadricarinatus

    A large blue-green crayfish with red patches on the claws, up to 8 inches; a predator and plant shredder best kept alone under a tight lid.

    7.9 in · 47+ gal · 64–82°F · pH 7.2–8.2

  44. Axolotl

    Ambystoma mexicanum

    A Mexican salamander that keeps its feathery gills for life; it needs cool water below 68°F, so it never shares a tropical tank.

    9.8 in · 13+ gal · 57–68°F · pH 6.5–8

  45. Agassiz's dwarf cichlid

    Apistogramma agassizii

    An Amazon dwarf cichlid whose males carry a lyre-shaped tail; prefers soft, acidic water and breeds in caves.

    3 in · 17+ gal · 72–84°F · pH 5–6.5

  46. Bamboo shrimp

    Atyopsis moluccensis

    A large, fully peaceful shrimp that catches floating food with fans on its front legs; it needs strong flow and a mature tank or it starves.

    3.1 in · 17+ gal · 73–82°F · pH 6.5–7.5

  47. Black ghost knifefish

    Apteronotus albifrons

    A nocturnal electric fish that glides by rippling a single long fin; it grows to nearly 20 inches and eventually eats small tank mates.

    19.7 in · 202+ gal · 73–82°F · pH 6–8

  48. Blue acara

    Andinoacara pulcher

    The classic acara with a blue sheen: calm for a 6-inch cichlid, but a keen digger that will swallow any fish that fits in its mouth.

    5.9 in · 34+ gal · 72–82°F · pH 6.5–8

And 48 more in the species catalog.

Every tank is different. Set yours up once (size, water, who already lives there) and each species is checked against it.

Plan my tank

Related guides