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 15 of 28
Honey gouramis can be kept as a pair or in a small group of four to six, and they are social enough that a group often shows more natural behaviour than a lone fish. Keep at least as many females as males, because males colour up and spar gently over planted corners. A single honey gourami can live with peaceful…
Keep hillstream loaches in a group of at least three or four, with five or six grazing more confidently in a tank set up for them. Singles survive but stay hidden under rocks, while grouped fish come out onto the glass and stones to feed in the open. Males squabble lightly over favourite perches, so spread smooth…
Ghost shrimp can be kept in a group of five or more, and there is no strict upper social limit, because they are peaceful scavengers rather than territorial tankmates. Five to ten suits a modest community tank, giving you constant grazing activity without overloading the water at feeding time. What caps the group is…
Firemouth cichlids are not schooling fish, so the right number for most tanks is one or a bonded pair. A single firemouth settles calmly as a centrepiece, while a compatible pair shows the full throat-flaring display and may breed. Groups only work as a temporary grow-out of six or more juveniles in a large tank, with…
Keep espei rasboras in a school of at least eight, with ten to fifteen showing the tight, confident grouping this species is prized for. In small numbers these copper-coloured rasboras turn pale, hover near cover, and feed timidly. They are peaceful enough to build the school gradually, but buy in batches of at least…
Keep Endler's livebearers in a group of at least six, and expect that number to climb on its own because mixed-sex groups breed readily. Start with two or three females for every male so the males' constant courtship does not exhaust individual females. In a small tank, an all-male group of six to eight gives the…
Keep at least six dwarf rainbowfish together, with eight or more giving a noticeably calmer, tighter school. These active little rainbows feel exposed in twos and threes, and lone males often turn shy or nippy. Aim for more females than males, roughly two females for every male, so display flashing spreads out instead…
Keep discus in a group of at least five or six, because smaller numbers concentrate bullying: in a pair or trio the lowest fish absorbs constant aggression and often stops feeding, while a group of six or more spreads the pecking order thin enough for every fish to eat. Larger groups suit larger tanks and are even…
For most home tanks the answer is one clown pleco: they are solitary, wood-dependent fish that stake out a hiding place and do not seek company, and two in a small aquarium often means one perpetually evicted, stressed fish. Two can work in a larger tank only with separate driftwood territories at opposite ends and a…
Keep bronze corydoras in a group of at least six of their own kind, with eight to twelve better where the tank floor allows, because these are shoaling fish that forage, rest, and explore in company. A pair or trio stays timid, hugs cover, and shows little of the busy bottom activity people buy corydoras for. Groups…
Keep Boeseman's rainbowfish in a school of at least six, with eight to ten better in a long tank, because small numbers produce shy, washed-out fish that hug the plants. Males show their famous two-tone colour only when they have rivals to display to and females to display for, so a mixed school with at least two or…
Blue gouramis are not schooling fish, so the right group is usually just one, or a single male with one or two females in a spacious, heavily planted tank. Two males in an ordinary home aquarium typically leads to chasing, fin damage, and one fish living in hiding, and even females can bicker in tight quarters.…
Bamboo shrimp are flexible: one can live perfectly well alone, and a small group of two to four also works in a tank with enough current, perches, and food drifting in the water. Unlike many shrimp they do not need company to feel secure, but in a group you will see more of their best behaviour — lining up on wood…
Apistogrammas are not kept in a group the way schooling fish are — the workable numbers are one male alone, a bonded pair, or in a larger tank one male with two females, each female holding her own cave territory. Two males in a typical home aquarium usually leads to persistent fighting, and a pair with fry turns…
Keep amano shrimp in a group rather than singly — three is a workable minimum, but five or six is a better starting point for a typical home tank, and larger groups suit bigger aquariums. Amanos kept alone tend to hide, graze cautiously, and do noticeably less of the algae work people buy them for, while a group feeds…
Generally yes — true ghost shrimp live safely with other shrimp and with snails, grazing alongside cherry shrimp and ignoring snails entirely. Two checks matter before you relax: some shops sell larger, long-armed look-alike prawns under the ghost shrimp name, and those can catch small shrimp and fish fry, so look for…
Yes — Endler's livebearers are among the safest fish to keep with shrimp and snails, thanks to their tiny mouths and mild temperament. Adult shrimp are essentially ignored, snails are left completely alone, and only the smallest newborn shrimplets face some risk when they wander into open water, so moss or dense…
Yes, with one clear limit: dwarf rainbowfish are peaceful with adult shrimp and with snails, but tiny newborn shrimplets look like live food to them and many will be hunted in open water. Keep a dense patch of moss or fine-leaved plants where shrimplets can hide until they grow, and add the shrimp first so they settle…
This one is a qualified no: Boeseman's rainbowfish are peaceful with other fish, but they are large, fast, curious mouths, and small shrimp — especially baby shrimp — are likely to be eaten. A big adult amano shrimp stands a better chance than a cherry shrimp, though it is not a guarantee, and most snails are left…
Yes, bamboo shrimp are gentle giants that are safe with other shrimp and snails, because they feed by fanning tiny particles from the water and have no claws for catching anything. A bamboo shrimp perches in the filter current and opens feathery fans to collect food, so its real needs are flow to sit in and fine food…
Yes — amano shrimp are among the safest tank mates other shrimp and snails can have, because they are peaceful algae grazers with no interest in hunting their neighbours. An amano is larger than most ornamental shrimp and will shoulder in at feeding time, and it may pick up a pellet and walk off with it, but it does…
White cloud mountain minnows are cool-water fish that suit 58 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit and a wide pH range from 6.0 to 8.0, so most homes need no heater at all. The important limit sits at the warm end: water held up near tropical temperatures week after week shortens their lives and washes out their red fins, so…
Tiger barbs suit warm water between 74 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit and a pH from 6.0 to 7.0, tolerating up to about 7.5 once settled. They are energetic fish with a fast metabolism, so the warmer middle of that range keeps them active and feeding eagerly, while cooler water makes a group sluggish and more quarrelsome.…
Serpae tetras suit water between 72 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit, with pH anywhere from 5.0 to 7.8 and the most comfortable keeping in the slightly acidic to neutral band around 6.0 to 7.0. Set the heater once and confirm it with a separate thermometer rather than trusting the dial, because a school held steady near 76…
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