The Community Aquarium

A community aquarium, as opposed to the Biotope, is an aquarium that has a large
variety of fish living together peacefully. The fish may have originated from different
parts of the world, and the aquarium does not seek to simulate any particular ecosystem.
This aquarium can hold a lot of your favorite fish in one go. The only restraint you need
to exercise is that they should all be compatible with each other and able to tolerate the
same general living conditions.
A community aquarium requires more planning than a biotope. You should start out with
a clear understanding of what your aquarium should look like. You should also have adeeper understanding of aquarium set up and maintenance. Remember, the first aim of a
community aquarium is to provide a stress free, healthy and stable environment for all the
various species of fish that go into your aquarium. Remember a community aquarium is
one that will take up quite a lot of time and effort and should receive that much attention.
The best-suited aquarium for this kind of a setup is the large aquarium. The larger it is,
the more fish and flora it can accommodate. Also, larger aquariums are easier to
maintain. Keep in mind that a large aquarium will rest safer on a special aquarium stand
than on a piece of furniture. If you can afford it, an outside power filter is good in a large
aquarium because they are easy to use as well as clean. As for lights, unless you are using
plastic plants, double fluorescent lights are the minimum requirements. Just like with
other types of aquariums, you will need a cover to keep the fish in the aquarium if you
keep jumping species. A hood also keeps evaporation to a minimum. Make sure that the
aquarium is away from direct sunlight. Adding Laterite to your substrate will help your
plants to flourish well.
Adding fish to a community aquarium can get a little tricky if you have not done some
research on the fish. The main idea behind such an aquarium is to get various specimens
from a wide geographical area that can co-exist well. You must therefore be careful and
create a fish community you can live well with each other. For instance, if you mix a
small Tetra community with a group of Cichlids, you may see that your Tetras have
vanished silently, and that your Cichlids are not very hungry when you feed them. Of
course, all you need in this venture is just a bit of common sense. To make your aquarium
more lively and interesting, you should ideally also think about choosing fish that inhabit
all areas of your aquarium. For this you need to put in some top, middle and bottom
dwellers. As variety is what will keep this layout attractive, you can put in nocturnal,
diurnal, large, small, lively and calm fish - just about any kind of fish as long as they can
co-exist peacefully.
Some species that are ideal for a community aquarium are listed below:
􀂾 Rasboras and Barbs: Not all fish are peaceful and some
grow quite big. The Cherry Barb, the Golden Barb and The
Harlequin are ideal additions to a community aquarium.
􀂾 The Corydoras Catfish: Being generally peaceful fish that
are small in size, they also do well in a community aquarium. The
Bronze Cory and the Peppered Corydoras are ideal.
􀂾 The Danios are active and hardy shoaling fish that can
survive most conditions easily. Of these the Zebra Danio, the
Leopard Danio and the Pearl Danio are worth selecting.
􀂾 The Dwarf Cichlids, unlike their larger cousins are
generally peaceful and grow only to around 5 centimeters in
length. They do however require very good water conditions and
will become territorial at the time of spawning. The Ram Cichlid
and the Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid are good varieties.􀂾 Guppy, Platy and Swordtail are the most popular among the
Livebearers. Livebearers are typically easy to breed in aquariums
and give birth to free swimming fry.
􀂾 Loaches are a good addition to any community aquarium.
Though some species are a bit aggressive, they are mostly peace
loving fish, and do especially well when in groups of 4-6 or more.
The Clown Loach and the Zebra Loach are some of the best in this
group.
􀂾 The Rainbow fish are active and colorful shoaling fish and
a welcome addition to most aquariums. Though the younger ones
are not very colorful, they become very attractive as they grow and
mature. The dwarf species like the Dwarf Neon rainbow and the
Banded Rainbow will do well in a community aquarium.
􀂾 A small shoal of Tetras is also a good species to have. The
Black Neon Tetra, the Glowlight Tetra and the Neon Tetra are
worth mentioning in this group. The Buenos Aires Tetras are also
very hardy fish suitable for beginners.
Danios, Platy, Golden Barbs, Black Neon Tetras and Buenos Aires Tetras are some of the
best of the lot to start with. As you gain experience, you can explore the other species and
add one more specimen at a time.
Here is a small list of fish that are often sold as community fish, but are not very sociable
in their attitudes. These may harm the other fish too:
􀂾 Angelfish is normally peaceful, but during the spawning
season males tend to get aggressive towards other fish. They also
grow too big for a small community aquarium.
􀂾 Gouramis too are often territorial and quite aggressive,
especially towards other males of the same species. Some species
grow quite large later on.
􀂾 The Red Tailed Black Shark will become very aggressive
with others of its own kind. As they age, they become more
territorial.
􀂾 The Tiger Barb is active and colorful, but they may nip the
fins of other fish, though keeping them in a shoal can reduce this
tendency.
The Fire Eel, Paddlefish, Red-Tailed Catfish, the Pacu, and the South American Leaf Fish
are some varieties that you should keep away from. Some of these grow very big, and
tend to bash themselves against the glass sides and other obstacles in the aquarium. They
will thus injure themselves and may also be the cause of an infection in the aquarium.
Some of these species also chase the smaller fish relentlessly and become very territorial
as they grow in size.The number of fish, their type, and the kinds of plants that go into your community
aquarium can be as large and varied as you can afford. Only your imagination and your
budget can limit you in this. A well-stocked community aquarium is a dazzling display of
Nature at her best. As you keep going ahead with your project, you will find many ways
to make your aquarium even more beautiful.
Courtesy