April 12, 2009
What are some fun active freshwater fish?
Heather C asked:
I have a freshwater community tank and I have a few neon tetras and a mickey mouse fish and an upside down catfish but most of the fish are not really very fun to watch because they aren’t as active. The catfish is, but he only comes out at night. so I was just wondering what some active fish might be a fun addition to my tank.
I have a freshwater community tank and I have a few neon tetras and a mickey mouse fish and an upside down catfish but most of the fish are not really very fun to watch because they aren’t as active. The catfish is, but he only comes out at night. so I was just wondering what some active fish might be a fun addition to my tank.
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Comments on What are some fun active freshwater fish? »
sea monkeys.. really
Tetras and platies are active fish. If yours are not, then perhaps there is something amiss with your tank. You should have a 10 gallon tank with a heater for the fish you are keeping. Tetras need to be in shoals of 6 or more fish so that they school properly. Your tank temperature should be 78F - 85F as your fish are tropical. You should test your water parameters to be sure ammonia and nitrite is 0ppm and nitrAte is 20ppm or less. Poor water quality and inappropriate temperature will cause your fish to be inactive.
zebra danios
what size tank do you have?
How many Neons do you have? How many other fish are in your tank?
What is your tank decorated with?
Neon Tetras should be pretty active and interesting to watch. If they’re not, it could be for a number or reasons. Is the water quality good? Is the temp good? Is there enough decorations to make them feel safe and interested? Do you have at least 6 of them?
Tetras will display more active and interesting schooling behaviors if all the above conditions are met. If that still doesn’t help, try adding a larger fish which will scare your tetras into the proper behavior. The additions of a fish like some Gouramis (not too aggressive though), Rams, Kribensis, Discus, Apistogramma… They will not be overly harsh on your neons but by being larger lurking fish they will trigger an active schooling instinct in them.
depends what size tank you have. I really like firemouth cichlids and convicts but they will tear your fish apart. Som e other community fishes that might do well is an elephant nose(needs a 30 gallon tank minimum), zebra danios as they like to play tag with each other, and possibly clown loaches, if you have a huge tank, as they get really big and like to stay in groups. You would need like a 100 gallon to keep 4.
how many neons exactly. neons are better in a group of 6 or more, then they swim around like crazy!
definitely guppies
Guppies, danios, white cloud mountain minnows, harlequin rasboras, cherry barbs, panda & pygmy corydoras, dwarf gourami. Smaller tetras should be active in groups of at least 6 but they are more placid compared to danios & rasboras. Platies are active fish, maybe consider getting an additional one. You could consider a kuhli loach, you might not see him that frequently but it’s interesting to see his eel-like body wriggling through the water. Or get a few shrimps like Amanos, cute to see them ‘cycling’ around.
Glass catfish, Zebra Danios, White cloud mountain minnows, Cory catfish are very busy fish that also clean your fish tank and you can get them in a few different colors as well. Scissortails, Maybe some gourami’s too.