Know Which Fish to Put Together in a Tank

It can be confusing when you can't figure out which fish will be compatible with that fish. Here's how to pair up freshwater fish.Most freshwater "community" fish can be together such as tetras, danios, guppies, mollies, platies, rasboras, corys, swordtails, along with angel fish, and Dwarf cichlids (not African cichlids). Fortunately, they all eat the same food; any tropical flakes or pellets. Frozen bloodworms and mini shrimp are good as well. Don't put female and male livebearers together as they will breed, unless you want fry (baby fish).

Tiger Barbs are aggressive, so they might beat others up that are in the tank. This can be avoided by keeping a school of 6 or more. NOTE: although Tiger barbs can be aggressive, most other barbs like Cherry Barbs are peaceful animals. Schooling fish should be kept in schools (6 or more) of each species. They will be much happier this way. It doesn't matter what age or size community fish are; they will flow nicely together, as long as you control quantity. There is a whole other group of freshwater fish, called aggressive. Fish in this group are: Tiger barbs, many cichlids, some gouramis, sharks, and eels. These fish shouldn't really ever be put in with community fis without attention, caution and care on your part.. Particularly the slow moving ones with long tails. They will nip their tails and fins off, and often times kill them easily. Bettas can never be placed in a community tank. The schooling fish will soon start to nip their fins, and the Bettas may become aggressive with other fish.

If you don't know if you can put a fish in with another, it's best to do some research.Rule of thumb, if a fish fits into another fish's mouth they are not suitable tank mates.

Never put small fish with big fish.If you mix small fry(baby fish) with lurking predators like bettas, You'll wind up with plump predators.Remember that MANY fish are predators. ALWAYS research fish species before you buy them - the store owners often give out false information.