Good community fish

This section contains fish which which will live happily in a mixed community, are not usually aggressive, and do not require special attention to diet. Most will live happily in fairly soft to medium hard water and within a reasonable pH range, around neutral. Most of these fish are commonly available in aquatic stores. Click on the links for more info on some of the individual fish.

Suitable fish types	Examples
Barbs and Rasboras These are an active and colourful addition to any community tank. Not all are peaceful, and some grow quite large, but the species listed opposite are ideal for the general community tank.	Cherry barb (Barbus titteya) Golden barb (Barbus semifasciolatus) Five-banded barb (Barbus pentazona) Harlequin (Rasbora heteromorpha)	The Harlequin - a colourful little Rasbora
Corydoras catfish Cory's are small, peaceful catfish which are ideal for the community aquarium. The commonly available species are generally hardy and easy to breed.	Albino/Bronze cory (Corydoras aeneus) Peppered corydoras (Corydoras paleatus)	Peppered corydoras - a hardy and long-lived catfish
Danios Hardy, active shoaling fish with no special requirements.	Leopard danio (Brachydanio rerio var. frankei) Pearl danio (Brachydanio albolineatus) Zebra danio (Brachydanio rerio)	Zebra Danios are hardy and active fish
Livebearers The commonly available and very popular Livebearers are generally hardy and easy to breed.	Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus) Swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri)	Platy - a hardy community fish available in many colour varieties
Loaches The peaceful loach species make an interesting addition to the community aquarium. The species listed opposite are sociable and best kept in groups. Note that some other species of loach can be aggressive.	Clown loach (B. macracanthus) Pakistan loach (B. almorhae/lohachata) Zebra/Candy-stripe loach (B. striata)	Zebra loaches are one of the smaller and more peaceful loaches
Rainbowfish Rainbowfish are colourful and active shoaling fish, which are often overlooked as community fish, probably partly because the juveniles seen in the fish store are not showing their impressive adult colouration. Dwarf species are suitable for smaller tanks.	Boeseman's Rainbow (Melanotaenia boesemani) Dwarf Neon Rainbow (Melanotaenia praecox) Lake Kutubu Rainbow (Melanotaenia lacustris) Banded Rainbow (Melanotaenia trifasciata)	The colourful Banded Rainbow
Suckermouth catfish (Small species)	Bristlenose catfish (Ancistrus sp.) Otocinclus catfish (Otocinclus sp.) Peckoltia species	The bristlenose catfish is an excellent algae eater.
Tetras A small shoal of tetras will contribute little to the waste load of the tank. There are many smaller, peaceful species which are suitable for the community tank where there are no fish large enough to eat them. There are also a few larger tetras suitable for the community tank.	Black Neon tetra (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi) Glowlight tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) Neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) Rummy nose tetra (Hemigrammus bleheri) Larger tetras: (adults will be safe where smaller tetras might be eaten) Buenos Aires tetra (Hemigrammus caudovittatus) Congo tetra (Phenacogrammus interruptus)	The popular Neon tetra Buenas aries tetra - an active and hardy tetra

Note that although all of the above fish should be suitable for a community tank, not all of them would be recommended as hardy fish to add to a new tank. My own recommendations for the first fish in the tank would include Danios, Golden barbs, Platy's and Black Neon or Buenos Aries tetras. The hardiness of different species can vary in different parts of the world, depending on the quality of the stock they were bred from, so it may also be useful to check local recommendations.