Socialization of ornamental fish: Which fish go well together in a community aquarium?

Again and again everyone, beginners, is faced with the problem of socialization of their ornamental fish. Keeping aquarium fish in groups and socializing with others is not easy as there must be some things like water requirements and the values, social behavior, origin and also the territorial behavior are observed. In our guide we explain what you have to pay attention to when socializing. In further articles there are then stocking examples Aquariums of 54, 60, 100, 200, 240 and 300 liters volume.

 

 

Which fish go with which?

This question is not only asked by beginners, but also by experienced aquarists who are striving for a new stock. Those who switch from shrimp or crabs to ornamental fish or vice versa are also looking for this question. Here we want to explain the basic requirements of ornamental fish and their society.

Beginners usually look for fish in pet shops or online based purely on their appearance. Crucial mistakes are made in the process.

Ornamental fish are usually offered by dealers as young fish. If you don't find out about the exact requirements, you can quickly make crucial mistakes, because they reach completely different sizes when fully grown.

Factors determining socialization

But before one can make an exact choice, one must first look at the factors that influence it. Not only the size is decisive, but a lot more. You can find out what these factors are below.

The size and shape of the fish

Aquarium fish can range from very tiny to very large. Usually you don't necessarily see this when you buy them, because when they are young they are all still quite small. Even the specialist salespeople do not really point this out, partly due to a lack of competence. That's why you have to inform yourself in advance. ornamental fish like scalars or discus become several cm long (20 cm and more) and therefore also need a corresponding size from an aquarium.

Not only the size is decisive, but also the shape of the fish. It depends on whether the fish are rather high-finned or tall, or rather narrow and elongated forms. Depending on this, the aquarium must also have a corresponding shape.

Let's give a few examples to make this clear.

Aquariums with a height of 60 cm or more require a discus or scalar tank platy, guppy, swordtails or the tetra species does not matter how high this is. Models from 40cm were already possible here. Even with perch species (cichlids), it is not necessary to have particularly high tanks.

 

Aquarium size depends on the size and shape of the fish

As already mentioned above, it depends on which fish you can socialize with, whether they are the same size or shape and therefore the aquarium fits accordingly.

Of course, one could now say that this has nothing to do with the socialization, but rather with the aquarium, but we experience again and again that species are socialized in a community aquarium that would go well with each other, but the aquarium simply does not suit them .

In addition to the height of the aquarium, the edge length also plays a crucial role. Each fish needs a different aquarium because of its size. Usually you can derive this from the size in cm. The decisive factor here is the number of liters in the tank.

Let's do an example: Fish with a size of up to 5 cm need about 2 liters per body length (10 liters), fish with a body length of 10 cm need about 3 liters per body length (30 liters).

 

 

Example

 

• up to 3 cm 1 liter
• 3 to 5 cm 1,5 liters
• 6 to 9 cm 2 liters
• 10 to 12 cm 3 liters
• 13 to 20 cm 4 liters
• over 20 cm from 5 liters

 

However, we do not want to go into detail here about stocking numbers and more about socialization. Therefore there is more information about Trimming strength under the following article.

 

How many fish fit in my aquarium?

 

 

 

The swimming behavior of the fish

The swimming behavior of the ornamental fish that are to be socialized is much more important when it comes to socialization. Although this also has something to do with the size requirements of the aquarium, it is about socialization.

The individual types of ornamental fish usually also have different swimming behavior. Fast swimmers, slow swimmers, frantic swimmers and almost no swimmers at all. Everything can be found and is not necessarily compatible with each other. Be it slow ground catfish or fast catfish species. Free swimmers in large groups or individual fish. The profiles of the ornamental fish should be observed here.

Another criterion can also play a role in swimming behavior. The swimming area. Here it depends on whether the fish live more on the surface or on the bottom. There are also so-called intermediate swimmers and fish that claim all areas for themselves. This can already be seen from the shape of the mouth in which area they take food.

 

 

Selection based on origin

The origin is also decisive for the company. As with humans, there are also different social behaviors between animals and ornamental fish. The origin also plays a major role when it comes to water parameters. So you will never be able to fill a Malawi tank with discus.

 

Selection according to the water values ​​and requirements?

Every ornamental fish, or rather every species, has different requirements when it comes to water conditions. The following values ​​are usually to be observed:

 

• water temperature
• PH value
• total hardness GH
• carbonate hardness KH

 

Let's start with the water temperature. Let's say you want to keep cold water fish such as goldfish and socialize them with tetras or even worse discus which love to be kept around 30 degrees. Can this go well? Certainly not. Fish are cold-blooded animals and therefore adapt their body temperature to the water. These fish would quickly find their certain death in the cold water.

 

The PH value, which tells you whether the water is neutral (around 7 PH), acidic (below 7 PH) or basic/alkaline (over 7 PH), is also decisive in the selection. Usually this also has to do with the origin and the distribution area.

 

When it comes to the overall hardness of the water, which is usually also closely related to the carbonate hardness, ornamental fish also have very different requirements. Fish from very hard water, such as cichlids, are only mixed to a limited extent with fish from very soft water, such as gouramis or tetras (weeping cloak tetras, Peru Tetra) to be socialized. Each species here tends to be hard and alkaline or soft and acidic. The hardness of the water is usually also related to the PH value.

 

 

Selection based on social behavior?

When it comes to the social behavior of fish, it depends on how they are kept. So there are four basic groups how to distinguish the ornamental fish:

 

• Swarm fishes
• group fish
• pair fish
• single fish

 

As the names already say, it depends on which quantities or groups you should keep them in. So it makes no sense here either for example one Red-headed Tetra or to keep a slanting swimmer, as well as a neon tetra or copper tetra individually or only in small groups. Here you should keep at least 10 better 20 fish or more in a school

The boundary between a swarm and a group of fish is usually fluid and cannot necessarily be determined by the number. Nevertheless, a group fish feels very comfortable with 4-6 fish of its species and genus. It doesn't have to be 20 fish or more here, which is also quite difficult with some species, especially those that are growing large. For example, one could name the discus or scalars. They feel very comfortable in small groups. The latter can also cause problems.

 

 

If there are a few ornamental fish or ornamental fish to be kept in pairs, there is also the option of keeping them in groups. For example, they are like that gourami, be it the dwarf gourami or marbled gourami or other labyrinth fish. They feel particularly comfortable as a couple and should not be kept in threes. If so, you have to bet on two pairs, which could trigger corresponding rival behavior.

There are fewer fish to be kept individually and they make no sense in such a small habitat as the biotope of our aquarium. This may be different in the wild.

When it comes to social behavior, not only does the division into groups or sizes play a role, but general behavior can also play a role here. Ranging from an eating behavior to a rather shy animal or a lively and alert animal. Many ornamental fish have their very special characteristics here.

You should also be careful when breeding, because there are other requirements here, especially when the offspring are there. It is not for nothing that certain species can hardly or not at all be bred in a community tank.

 

Selection based on territory formation or territory behavior?

Another criterion that can be used to select the right fish, which above all are compatible with each other, is the so-called territory behavior or territory formation.

Here it is also important to inform yourself in advance in the individual profiles of the fish. There are extremely territorial fish, which can then become very aggressive. Of course, you have to offer them the appropriate space.

Cichlids in particular like to form territories and then do not let any other fish invade them. But also angelfish or various catfish species can form territories to protect themselves from other fish.

But you have to distinguish between permanent districts or districts that are only formed at certain times. This can happen when fish spawn or give birth to young. Usually they also form territories to protect their offspring. Or even when it comes to mating. Then males can already demarcate certain areas for themselves, which are usually only of short duration.

The whole thing becomes more critical when there are territory-forming fish in the tank and they are constantly marking out their territory. This living space is therefore not available for the remaining residents.

 

The most important points for the company of ornamental fish - summary

Finally, we would like to summarize the most important points again, what you should definitely do before you make your way to the specialist dealer or the online shop to buy ornamental fish for your aquarium.

 

You must consider this before selecting the ornamental fish

 

 

If you take a closer look at these points, you can quickly determine whether the fish fit or not. This gives you a certain level of security when socializing and does not make a typical beginner's mistake.

Selection based on appearance and price?

However, there is one thing you shouldn't do. Choose fish purely based on appearance. Unfortunately, this happens very often and you read examples like a fire tail in a 54 liter aquarium, although it never belongs there.

Appearance is of course crucial, but it must never be the only criterion for socialization. Ornamental fish usually only develop properly when they are kept in a large school, for example. Just take the large group of tetras here. 5 neon tetras don't necessarily make a nice picture, but a group of 50 animals does.

It is better not to focus so much on the optics and much more on the habitat and the needs of the fish.

 

Of course, this also includes the price. This shouldn’t influence the selection of the fish too much either, of course you have to pay attention to this, but then we recommend using fish step by step and sticking to your budget.