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Peaceful community fish

These species leave their neighbours alone. Most still need a group of their own kind to feel safe.

  1. Neon tetra

    Paracheirodon innesi

    The classic community fish: a tight school of electric-blue stripes that suits planted tanks of 15 gallons and up.

    1.2 in · 17+ gal · 70–77°F · pH 5–7

  2. Harlequin rasbora

    Trigonostigma heteromorpha

    Copper-orange schooling fish with a black wedge; hardy, calm and a good first school for a 15–20 gallon tank.

    1.4 in · 17+ gal · 73–81°F · pH 6–7

  3. Fancy guppy

    Poecilia reticulata

    Colourful livebearers with flowing tails; prefer harder water and breed readily, so plan for fry.

    1.4 in · 13+ gal · 75–81°F · pH 7–8

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. Black neon tetra

    Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi

    A peaceful tetra with a bright white-over-black stripe; hardier than the neon tetra and an easy fit in any calm community tank.

    1.4 in · 23+ gal · 73–81°F · pH 5.5–7.5

  9. Black widow tetra

    Gymnocorymbus ternetzi

    A hardy, deep-bodied tetra with black 'skirt' fins; easy for beginners, but a small group nips the fins of its tank mates.

    2.4 in · 22+ gal · 68–79°F · pH 6–7

  10. Cardinal tetra

    Paracheirodon axelrodi

    The neon's close cousin, with red running the full length of the belly; a soft, acidic-water schooling fish that likes it warmer than neons.

    1.4 in · 17+ gal · 73–81°F · pH 4–6

  11. 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

  12. Glowlight tetra

    Hemigrammus erythrozonus

    A small, translucent tetra with a glowing orange stripe along its body; peaceful, hardy and at its best in a densely planted tank.

    1.6 in · 22+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 6–7.5

  13. Honey gourami

    Trichogaster chuna

    A small, very gentle honey-coloured gourami for calm tanks of 15 gallons with peaceful tank mates.

    2.2 in · 17+ gal · 72–81°F · pH 6–7.5

  14. Platy

    Xiphophorus maculatus

    One of the easiest livebearers for beginners: peaceful, colourful and undemanding, happiest in moderately hard water with plants.

    2.4 in · 17+ gal · 68–79°F · pH 7–8.2

  15. 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

  16. Rummy-nose tetra

    Hemigrammus bleheri

    A tight-schooling tetra with a bright red nose and striped tail whose colour fades when water quality slips, making it a living warning light.

    2 in · 26+ gal · 73–79°F · pH 5.5–6

  17. White Cloud Mountain minnow

    Tanichthys albonubes

    A small, hardy minnow with red fins that needs no heater; ideal for an unheated tank kept at room temperature.

    1.6 in · 17+ gal · 64–72°F · pH 6–8

  18. Zebra danio

    Danio rerio

    A fast, striped danio and one of the hardiest beginner fish; schools near the surface and is happy at room temperature.

    1.5 in · 26+ gal · 64–75°F · pH 6–8

  19. 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

  20. 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

  21. 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

  22. 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

  23. 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

  24. 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

  25. Black phantom tetra

    Hyphessobrycon megalopterus

    A calm, deep-bodied tetra with a black shoulder patch; males with tall dorsal fins put on harmless sparring displays.

    1.4 in · 23+ gal · 72–82°F · pH 6–7

  26. Celestial pearl danio

    Danio margaritatus

    A tiny, pearl-spotted danio with orange fins, the star of planted nano tanks; shy, with males sparring constantly.

    0.8 in · 13+ gal · 72–75°F · pH 6.5–7.5

  27. Crystal red shrimp

    Caridina logemanni

    The red-and-white bee shrimp, benchmark of the shrimp hobby; it needs soft, acidic, very stable water, usually on aquasoil and RO water.

    1.2 in · 6+ gal · 68–77°F · pH 5.5–7

  28. Dwarf chain loach

    Ambastaia sidthimunki

    A 2.5-inch loach with a chain-link pattern that shoals near the bottom and in midwater; fits smaller tanks but eats snails and baby shrimp.

    2.4 in · 23+ gal · 68–86°F · pH 5.5–7.5

  29. Ember tetra

    Hyphessobrycon amandae

    A tiny fiery-orange tetra for nano and planted tanks; very peaceful and schools in the middle and upper water.

    0.8 in · 13+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 5–7

  30. Endler's livebearer

    Poecilia wingei

    A tiny, brilliantly coloured cousin of the guppy that suits nano tanks of 10 gallons, but crossbreeds readily with ordinary guppies.

    1 in · 13+ gal · 75–86°F · pH 7–8.5

  31. Ghost shrimp

    Palaemonetes paludosus

    A cheap, see-through North American shrimp whose insides are visible; easy to keep, but short-lived and often hard on fry and shrimplets.

    1.9 in · 7+ gal · 64–82°F · pH 7–8

  32. Head-and-tail-light tetra

    Hemigrammus ocellifer

    An easygoing tetra with golden 'headlights' by the eye and at the tail base; a classic, undemanding community fish.

    1.8 in · 22+ gal · 75–79°F · pH 6–7.5

  33. Marbled hatchetfish

    Carnegiella strigata

    A tiny, deep-chested hatchetfish that lives right under the surface; shy and an expert jumper, so a tight lid is a must.

    1.4 in · 22+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 5–7

  34. Medaka

    Oryzias latipes

    The Japanese rice fish: hardy, peaceful and ideal for an unheated tank or a summer pond, with hundreds of ornamental strains.

    1.4 in · 13+ gal · 64–72°F · pH 6.5–8.5

  35. Neon dwarf rainbowfish

    Melanotaenia praecox

    A small rainbowfish with shimmering blue scales and red fins on the males; shy, schooling and in need of open swimming space.

    2 in · 17+ gal · 73–82°F · pH 6.8–7.5

  36. Penguin tetra

    Thayeria boehlkei

    A schooling tetra with a black 'hockey stick' stripe and a tail-down swimming pose; hardy, peaceful and good in dim, planted tanks.

    1.4 in · 22+ gal · 72–82°F · pH 6–8

  37. Pygmy cory

    Corydoras pygmaeus

    The smallest cory at about an inch, schooling in open water as much as on the bottom; a natural fit for nano tanks with shrimp.

    1.2 in · 13+ gal · 72–79°F · pH 6.4–7.4

  38. Three-lined cory

    Corydoras trilineatus

    The spotted, striped cory usually sold as the julii cory; peaceful, easygoing and happy in a group of six over sand.

    2.2 in · 13+ gal · 72–79°F · pH 5.8–7.2

  39. Colombian ramshorn

    Marisa cornuarietis

    A large striped ramshorn from South America that grows to about 2 inches and eats almost every plant, plus other snails' eggs.

    1.8 in · 13+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 7–8

  40. Great pond snail

    Lymnaea stagnalis

    A large coldwater pond snail that breathes air at the surface and eats soft plants and other snails' eggs; for coldwater tanks, not tropical planted ones.

    2 in · 7+ gal · 50–77°F · pH 7–8.5

  41. Thai micro crab

    Limnopilos naiyanetri

    The smallest freshwater crab, with a shell under half an inch; fully aquatic and peaceful, it lives in floating plant roots alongside shrimp.

    0.4 in · 6+ gal · 79–82°F · pH 6.5–7

  42. Badis

    Badis badis

    A small chameleon fish that changes colour with its mood; a calm bottom-dwelling hunter that needs caves and live or frozen food.

    2.4 in · 23+ gal · 59–77°F · pH 6–7.5

  43. Chili rasbora

    Boraras brigittae

    One of the smallest aquarium fish at under an inch: bright red with a dark stripe, made for planted nano tanks with shrimp.

    0.8 in · 13+ gal · 77–82°F · pH 6.5–7

  44. Forktail blue-eye

    Pseudomugil furcatus

    A small blue-eyed fish with yellow, forked fins; a peaceful top-water school for planted tanks with hard water.

    2 in · 17+ gal · 75–79°F · pH 7–8

  45. Lambchop rasbora

    Trigonostigma espei

    A slimmer, more orange cousin of the harlequin rasbora with a 'lambchop' patch; a peaceful school for warm planted tanks.

    1.2 in · 17+ gal · 73–82°F · pH 6–6.5

  46. Lyretail killifish

    Aphyosemion australe

    One of the best-loved non-annual killifish, with a lyre-shaped tail; peaceful, timid, fond of soft water and an excellent jumper.

    2.4 in · 9+ gal · 70–75°F · pH 5.5–7

  47. Salt and pepper cory

    Corydoras habrosus

    A dwarf cory of about 1.5 inches that stays on the bottom and needs a wide stretch of fine sand rather than a tiny nano tank.

    1.4 in · 17+ gal · 68–79°F · pH 5.5–7.5

  48. Scarlet badis

    Dario dario

    A tiny, under-an-inch scarlet fish for nano tanks; it eats mostly live and frozen foods, and males split the tank into territories.

    0.8 in · 13+ gal · 64–79°F · pH 6.5–8.5

And 1 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

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