#the centerpiece fish of my community tank is a honey gourami

[prince-liest]

I saw that you are an aquarium fan! What's your favourite kind of tank fish? Mine is certainly Neon Innesa but Pterophyllum scalare are also pretty neat!!

TIL you can change the colors of text in asks! Neat!

And oooh - haha, thanks for getting me started on this! >:) I actually do have a group of neons in my larger community tank. I think they're very pretty fish and they hold a nostalgia for me because my mom had a bunch when I was young. I don't have a tank large enough for angelfish unfortunately, and I've also just in general been won over to the pros of having exclusively non-aggressive community fish in the community fish tank, so I'm not sure if I'd ever go for angels.

That said, if she hadn't been a homicidal shrimp murderer, I cannot overstate how nice it was to put my betta fish into a 20 gallon tank. People are often focused on putting bettas in the minimum safe size of tank for them, and it feels like you rarely see the interesting behaviors you get from bettas in larger tanks discussed. She used the whole tank, patrolled and explored constantly, and it was very clear that compared to the neons, who were often just vibing, most of her actions were performed with some sort of deliberate purpose. I felt almost guilty transferring her into her current 6.4 gallon tank, though it's heavily planted and has shrimp for her to pick at.

My generic "I fucking love betta fish" answer aside, my favorite fish tend to end up being loaches! I have java loaches in my community tank, which are hilarious, active noodles, and my favorite loaches are reticulated hillstream loaches.

They're very pretty: aside from the pattern, they look like tiny little manta rays, and they spend a lot of time sticking to the side of the glass and to smooth rocks. I've got three (soon to be four when I take my friend's extra when he moves) and they're very peaceful fish that do well in a large range of temperatures. Watching them flap at each other or sift sand is always really fun.

[glassboxdiaries]

Community Fish Tank Stocking Guide: Guppies, Neon Tetra, Corydoras, Danios, Minnows, And More!

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In this video, I’m excited to share my personal experiences with some of the most popular community fish in the aquarium hobby. I currently keep all of these species in my own tanks, and I’ll explain how each of them fits into a “layered stocking��� strategy, where different fish naturally occupy the upper, middle, or bottom zones of the water column. This helps you maximize movement and color without overcrowding any single layer. Feel free to use the timestamps below to skip around if you’re short on time!

First, let’s talk about Guppies. Vibrant and easy to care for, they primarily hang out near the surface but will explore all levels, especially if they feel comfortable. I prefer keeping just males to avoid overpopulation, and they coexist well with shrimp in my experience. Next, there are Neon Tetras, known for their iconic blue and red stripes. While they’re considered a shoaling species, mine roam the lower half of the tank and only group together when startled. Cardinal Tetras, meanwhile, are similar but sport a red belly extending the full length of their body, and they tend to be hardier, if slightly more expensive.

Celestial Pearl Danios (CPDs) are tiny, speckled gems that mostly stick near the bottom. Although they’re active, they aren’t shy about exploring under plant cover. Chili Rasboras, on the other hand, are minuscule, bright red fish that usually stay in the upper half, preferring dense plant cover to feel secure. Then we have Corydoras, classic bottom-dwellers that spend their days sifting through the substrate. They’re peaceful, easy to feed, and come in various sizes, making them suitable for multiple tank setups.

If you’re looking for a colorful centerpiece, Honey Gourami might be perfect. Their bright yellow bodies and calm temperament make them stand out, and they’re hardy enough to handle small fluctuations in water parameters. Next are Medaka Rice Fish, a personal favorite. They come in various color strains and do well in unheated tanks, exploring all levels despite often being labeled as top-dwellers. Siamese Algae Eaters are next: algae-grazing champs that can tackle even stubborn black beard algae. They usually remain in the lower to middle zones but occasionally rise to snack on algae on hardscape or plants.

White Cloud Mountain Minnows add constant motion to any tank and prefer cooler temperatures. They’re hardy, breed easily, and will happily forage at both the middle and bottom of the aquarium. Lastly, we have Harlequin Rasboras, underappreciated pinkish fish that split their time between top and middle layers. Their laid-back nature makes them well-suited to community setups, and they sometimes shoal loosely, especially when feeding or spawning.

By mixing these different species—each with its own water-column preference—you can achieve a balanced, dynamic community aquarium that utilizes every inch of space. Always remember to keep an eye on your water parameters and stock responsibly based on your tank size. Thanks for tuning in, and I hope you find these insights helpful as you plan your next community tank. Be sure to check out the timestamps if you want to jump directly to a specific fish, and feel free to ask any questions in the comments.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Community Tank Fish 00:24 - Community Tank Layering 01:27 - Guppies 04:22 - Neon Tetra 06:45 - Cardinal Tetras 07:36 - Celestial Pearl Danios 10:33 - Chili Rasboras 13:31 - Corydoras 15:52 - Honey Gourami 17:35 - Medaka Rice Fish 19:40 - Siamese Algae Eater 22:58 - White Cloud Mountain Minnow 25:28 - Harlequin Rasbora

Some of the links in this video description may be affiliate links meaning I earn a small commission from any purchases made.

[prince-liest]

update: THE SHRIMP HAVE BEEN PURCHASED

grainy-ass photo because these are legitimately the smallest amano shrimp I have ever SEEN. I frankly was not entirely sure they even were amano shrimp and not just wild-type/clear neocaridina, but the guy seemed to know what he was doing in looking for the telltale amano spots, and somehow the amanos are cheaper than the neos anyway so no big loss if they’re neocaridina. hopefully the little dudes thrive. I cut back a bunch of the plants so there are some diatoms growing at the moment and shrimp LOVE diatoms

I ALSO got a new fish buddy!

I’ve been waiting foreeeever for my LFS to get honey gouramis back in stock. unforunately they only had males, so this dude will have to be a loner for a little while (I’ll check again for females on thursday), but he’s so small and adorable. I’m excited to have a non-aggressive centerpiece fish in the community tank, especially since her highness the betta fish is adapting fantastically well to my desktop tank

I'M GONNA GO BUY SOME SHRIMP

[hella-free-space]

Hi I got a 20 gallon for Christmas and I’ve been trying to figure out how to appropriately stock it! I really like cory catfish so I’m planning to have a school of them and I also really like the idea of a centerpiece fish, I’m thinking a honey gourami. From what I’ve been researching it seems like I have room for a small group of schooling fish? Would that be overcrowded if I was to get a small group of tetras? Do you have any suggestions for me? Thank you!

hey there @balloonkiwi​ :p that’s an awesome xmas gift!for a 20 gallon max stocking (imo) is 3 species of fish, one for each level of the water column. so you could have some cute lil cories (bottom) and a centerpiece fish, and then a schooling fish (mid/top levels usually) and that would probably look like a fantastic tank! :) i’m not sure if cories and gouramis and tetras are compatible in terms of parameters (even tho i think they are, research is always a good idea so keep it up!). i dont think it would be too crowded with a shoal of cories, a centerpiece fish, and a school of something :p i’m personally in love with rasboras so if those would work in the tank i’d totally recommend seeing if there are any rasboras you might like! but thats just me :p if the tetras are compatible and you find some you really love them go for those instead :)Tips for Stocking A Community Aquarium

I’d recommend picking our 2-3 species of fish and some inverts for a community aquarium of around 20 gallons. When stocking any community aquarium, your top priority should be compatibility! :) You should also consider stocking in terms of space (what area of the tank/water level with the species occupy most? how much space does it need?) and bioload (how much waste does this species produce? how big of a school/shoal do i need? is my filter big enough to handle the waste produced?)

- Ensure that your fish share water parameters like temperature, pH, etc. ranges. Bonus points if they come from the same geographical region! :D- Ensure that their temperaments are compatible. You don’t want to keep agressive fish with peaceful fish! :O - Ensure that they’re compatible size-wise. With schooling/shoaling fish, it’s best to keep a school of fish that are the same size/age. If you keep a school/shoal of mixed sizes/ages, then bullying is likely to happen. Also, if you keep larger fish with smaller fish, the smaller fish may become a tasty snack D: - Ensure that different levels of the water column aren’t overcrowded. Corydoras and kuhlis can both be housed in a 20 gallon aquarium, and both tend to occupy the bottom of the tank. Let’s say you house 12 kuhlis + 12 corydoras. Your tank probably isn’t overstocked in terms of bioload, but you’ll probably have a lot of unoccupied space at the top of the tank (though kuhlis can be active and will swim into higher levels of the water column) and the bottom of the tank will be pretty crowded. After finding some fish that you’re interested in keeping, and seeing which ones are compatible, you can choose which fish you’d like to cohab according the level of the water column fish occupy :D You can get a bottom-dweller (like cories), a mid-level fish (like rasboras), and a top-level fish (like marbled hatchets) :p Sometimes fish will occupy more than one level of the water column as well. Corydoras pygmaeus will actually shoal in the middle of the water column as well as on the bottom of the tank and lots of schooling fish will swim around the mid and top layers of the tank :) If you were to house 2 species that occupy multiple levels of the water column with some overlap, that’s perfectly okay. Many species will venture out of their layer from time to time anyways ^-^ So long as one area of the water column is not where all your fish live (i.e. having 3 shoals of different corydoras species or 3 schools of tetras in a minimum-sized tank), you should be a-okay :pYou should always stock a community aquarium according to the needs of every species of fish you plan to cohab in the aquarium :) If everyone’s healthy and getting along well, you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy your awesome community tank! :D