3,895 answers about fish & aquatics
A healthy aquarium is a balanced one — water chemistry, filtration, stocking and feeding all work together, and most fish problems start with the water. This page gathers the fish and aquatics library of KinsLe Answers in one place, organized by topic for freshwater and saltwater keepers alike. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
649 answers in Home & Lifestyle — page 13 of 28
Boeseman's rainbowfish suit unusually warm, alkaline water for a community fish, typically 80 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit with a pH from about 7.0 to 8.0. Males show their split blue and orange colour most strongly at the warmer end, in a group with more females than males. Cooler or acidic water will not kill them…
Blue gouramis suit water from about 72 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, with a forgiving pH range of roughly 6.0 to 8.0, and most home tanks sit happily near 76 to 78 degrees and a neutral pH. Their hardiness comes with one condition: as labyrinth fish they breathe surface air, so keep the surface accessible and the air…
Bamboo shrimp suit water around 75 to 81 degrees Fahrenheit with a pH from about 6.5 to 7.8, paired with a steady current that carries food to their fans. They are filter feeders, so the right numbers only help if the shrimp can sit in flow on a rock or wood and open its fans into moving water. A mature tank with fine…
Most apistogrammas suit warm, soft, acidic water, typically 75 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit with a pH between about 5.5 and 7.0, and many species colour and breed best below 6.5. Tank-bred fish tolerate the upper end of that pH span, while wild-caught species usually need the softer, more acidic side. Test your tap water…
Amano shrimp suit water between about 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with a pH from roughly 6.0 to 7.6, and they stay most active near the middle of that span. Stability matters more than chasing an exact number, because a sudden swing after a large water change stresses shrimp far more than a steady value slightly off…
Active, robust community fish suit yoyo loaches, while slow long-finned fish and small snails do not. Good companions include larger tetras, rasboras, danios, peaceful barbs, rainbowfish, and a calm gourami, kept in a tank with sand, caves, and room on the bottom. Keep yoyos in a group of five or more so their chasing…
Peaceful, fast-moving tank mates that enjoy the same warm, slightly acidic to neutral water suit scissortail rasboras best. Good companions include harlequin rasboras, neon and cardinal tetras, zebra danios, cherry barbs, corydoras, and a calm dwarf gourami, all kept away from fin-nippers and pushy cichlids. Keep the…
Peppered corydoras suit a wide range of peaceful community fish, because this hardy, speckled catfish minds its own business on the bottom and tolerates cooler water than most tropical species. Other peppered corydoras in a group, tetras, rasboras, danios, livebearers, and dwarf gouramis all mix comfortably in a calm…
Peacock cichlids suit other Lake Malawi cichlids of similar size and temperament, because these colourful males need hard, alkaline water and company that understands cichlid signalling. Other peacocks and the more open-water Malawi predators kept in spacious rockwork tanks are the standard companions, often as an…
Panda corydoras suit small, peaceful community fish that ignore the bottom and never compete roughly for food, because this masked little catfish is gentle, social, and easily outcompeted. Their best companions are other panda corydoras in a proper group, plus small tetras, rasboras, honey gouramis, and shrimp in a…
Nerite snails suit almost any peaceful tank mate, because this hard-shelled algae grazer ignores fish, shrimp, and other snails while it works. Community tetras, rasboras, gouramis, corydoras, and shrimp all live comfortably alongside nerites in a tank with enough algae and biofilm to feed them. The exceptions are…
Kribensis suit active schooling fish that live in the middle and upper water, because this colourful West African dwarf cichlid claims the bottom and defends a cave fiercely once a pair breeds. Peaceful tetras and barbs large enough to stay off the menu, rasboras, and other surface swimmers generally thrive while the…
Honey gouramis suit gentle, small tank mates that respect their shy nature and leave their long feelers alone. Small tetras and rasboras, peaceful corydoras, and other calm surface fish mix well, especially in a planted tank with floating cover. Avoid fin-nippers such as tiger barbs, boisterous fish that monopolise…
A hillstream loach suits tank mates that share its unusual home: cool, fast-flowing, oxygen-rich water over smooth rocks. Fish from similar mountain streams, such as white cloud mountain minnows and other small river species, are the natural fit, alongside other hillstream loaches. Avoid warm-water tropical fish that…
Ghost shrimp suit only small, peaceful tank mates that cannot fit a shrimp in their mouths, because these nearly transparent scavengers are food to most fish. Tiny tetras and rasboras, snails, and other freshwater shrimp are the safest companions, and dense plants or moss give moulting shrimp somewhere to hide. Avoid…
A firemouth cichlid suits tank mates that are sturdy and confident without being bullies, because this red-throated cichlid bluffs with flared gills yet backs down from truly aggressive fish. Similar-sized robust community fish, larger livebearers, and peaceful armoured bottom dwellers can share a roomy tank,…
Dwarf rainbowfish suit lively but peaceful community fish that enjoy the same open swimming space and will not nip their fins or overwhelm them at feeding. Other rainbowfish, friendly tetras and rasboras, peaceful danios, and gentle bottom dwellers such as corydoras all mix well with this small blue-and-red schooler.…
Discus suit calm, warm-water tank mates that will not outcompete them at feeding time or unsettle them with constant darting. Small peaceful schooling fish that tolerate the discus's warm, soft water, gentle corydoras that thrive in that warmth, and other discus are the classic companions. Avoid fin-nippers,…
A convict cichlid suits very few tank mates, because this small striped cichlid defends territory fiercely, digs constantly, and becomes far more aggressive when a pair breeds. In a roomy tank, sturdy cichlids of similar size and temperament are the safest companions, while small tetras, long-finned fish, shrimp, and…
Clown plecos suit almost any peaceful community fish: small to medium tetras, rasboras, corydoras, gouramis of gentle species, and other calm mid-water fish all live alongside this shy bottom dweller without conflict. Give it driftwood to graze and a cave of its own, and avoid aggressive cichlids or housing it with…
Chili rasboras suit only small, gentle tank mates that cannot eat or outcompete them: pygmy corydoras, other tiny rasboras and nano tetras, otocinclus, dwarf shrimp, and small snails all fit a nano community. Anything larger than about two inches, fast-feeding, or boisterous will swallow, chase, or starve these fish,…
Blue gouramis suit sturdy, peaceful fish of similar size: medium tetras, rainbowfish, peaceful barbs, corydoras, and modest loaches can all share their tank without being bullied or eaten. Avoid tiny fish a five-inch gourami can swallow, fin-nippers that will shred its long pelvic fins, and other male gouramis it will…
Bamboo shrimp suit calm community fish that are too small or too peaceful to pick at them: small tetras and rasboras, corydoras, otocinclus, snails, and other shrimp all make safe neighbours. Avoid cichlids, large gouramis, loaches, and any fish that investigates the shrimp's delicate feeding fans, and give the shrimp…
A group of yoyo loaches needs at least a forty-gallon breeder-style tank, and fifty-five gallons or more is better, because these playful bottom dwellers grow to four or five inches and should live in a group of five or six. The wide floor gives each loach room to forage and claim a resting cave without friction.…
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