Community tanks are aquaria that are designed to
contain more than one species of
fish. Most commonly they include a variety species that
do not normally occur together in nature, for example
angelfish from Brazil, swordtails from Mexico, and gouramis
from South East Asia. The aim of such
communities is to bring together fish that are compatible in
temperament and water requirements, while using their
different colours and behaviours to add interest and
entertainment value.
Though not usually called community
tanks, most
marine aquaria fit into this category too, using fish
from places as diverse as the Caribbean, Red Sea, and
western Pacific Ocean.
Other aquarists prefer communities that represent
particular locations, and combine fishes from a certain
place with appropriate decorative materials including the
right kinds of rocks and plants. The most popular of these
geographically correct community tanks are those based
around
cichlids from the East African
Rift Valley lakes of Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi.
Good community fish
For freshwater community tanks, there are large numbers
of species that work well. Most of the livebearers, barbs,
tetras, rasboras, danios, and rainbowfish are peaceful,
though a few species are fin nippers, most notably tiger
barbs and serpae tetras. Angelfish, gouramis, and dwarf
catfish (Corydoras) can also work well, though angelfish at
least are predatory and will eat very small fish such as
neon tetras.
Notoriously bad community fish include the
red-tailed black shark, the sucking loach Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, and many
types of
cichlid and
catfish. These fish are often aggressive and/or
predatory, so are best kept in species tanks or in carefully
constructed communities with other robust species.
Water chemistry
Most freshwater aquarium fish do well in water that is
soft to moderately hard, and has a pH between 6 and 8; the
notable exceptions are the
Poeciliidae such as
guppies and mollies, which should generally only be kept in hard,
alkaline water.
Brackish water aquaria are another special case and need
their own community tanks. While a few freshwater and marine
fish can adapt to brackish water, most cannot
[1].
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