This is my list of the Top Ten WORST Community Aquarium fish! As mentioned in the video I do enjoy a lot of these fish, but I don't feel they fit in with other fish all that well. Rankings are all based on size that the fish grows to (and if a school is needed to a smaller extent), aggressive levels, how they behave with other fish, and overall, the level of overbearingness they cause to a community tank. Keep in mind these are just my opinions.
Chapters:
0:00 -Intro
1:04 -#10
2:02 -#9
2:56 -#8
4:01 -#7
5:00 -#6
5:46- #5
6:57 -#4
7:45 -#3
8:42 -#2
9:35 -#1
10:43 -Outro
Clips used:
• XXL Tiger Barb (Barbus...
• AquariumVlog-Tiger bar...
• tiger barb - feeding time
• Aquarium Fish - Tiger ...
• Bala sharks
• Tropical Fish - Rainbo...
• New Red Tail Shark and...
• My Dad's Aquarium, Res...
• XL Giant Danio for sal...
• Giant Danio aggression
• Pea Puffer basics - ta...
http • 🐠Aquass - Гиринохейлус...
• Monster Pleco #fish #r...
• Pleco Steals the Goldf...
Cheers from my fish room channel in Chicago, where I just subscribed to yours! This list has no surprises on it for all the reasons you state. If i had to be contrary I'd say Pea Puffers are worth the risk and Angel fish.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! I’ll definitely being checking out your channel later today 👍
Great list!, although ive had good experiences with chinese algae eaters with the caveat that i kept them in a semi aggressive aquarium.i have also found them very good eating algae, i may gotten a few rare exceptions of this fish. Overall fantastic list🙂👍🏻 and as a fellow fushtuber youve earned a subscription 🎉
Perfect list of aggressive and non community fish. They are not bad fish but they are not good to be kept in a community set up.
I totally agree!
Hi edagdwg God bless you thanks for sharing a lot of these fish people but all the time now I understand and enjoy them but learn what to put together a forever loving fan of your videos Linda j.peace
@@user-vx2qw2vx2odid bro say edging god ☠️
Great list, appreciate your time putting this list to help all fish keepers 👍🏼‼️
I had six tiger barbs and two 8 inch Oscars. Those 6 used to terrorize those oscars. Never saw oscars so terrified in my life.
That’s actually crazy!
Totally agree on the barbs - I've had experience with them. But some of the others you mention, like the rainbow shark, I was not aware of, so this has been very informative. Thank you!👍
Glad you found value from it.
list is spot on, great video
Glad you think so!
Ive had a Glofish orange rainbow shark for about 3 years now, and he quite likes the taco I got for him 😂 but he is so used to being with the albino Cory’s that he legit doesn’t mind them anymore. It’s interesting when he’s out among the neon tetras too as it reminds me of a shark swimming among smaller fish in the ocean. Granted I do keep them in a 55 gallon tank, so he has plenty of room to swim. He was territorial at first but has calmed down over the years. It’s definitely something I would consider a rare occurrence as I’ve seen other people try it and not succeed. Great video as well!!
Glad you enjoyed it, it’s also good to hear a rainbow shark success story.
I had a tank with a betta, tiger barb, angelfish, 2 corys, and a pictus cat. Obv got the fish with zero research and was surprisingly fine for almost a month until the angelfish got an attitude problem and started picking on the beta, separated them, and then the barb started going after the beta. No idea how they held it together for a month
Sorry to hear that, how large was the tank?
@@Fishman2114 10 gallons
Ten gallons is too small. I would recommend to not keep these fish together
Had a 55 gallon that was given to me when I was 10 and of course I wanted a pleco and a red-tailed shark. 5 years later the only thing that could ever survive with them(8" and 15" at the end of 5 years) were tiger barbs. I wouldn't recommend any of them to anyone, but if you had to, the red-tailed shark and tiger barbs can get along reasonably well.
That’s an amazing gift for a 10 year old 😂, either way you live and learn in this hobby
4:02 My dad has a golden angelfish in his 75 gallon community tank and he’s had it for years, he’s pretty chill!
Nice video 👍
Thanks 👍
Very good list, kind of funny how fish can have a different temperament. I have my worst experience with the rainbow shark, as soon as I introduced him to my main community tank he started to claim and fight other fish for the castle where my catfish and other electric green shark always lived in peace. The rainbow and green shark started fighting, kind of a head butting game they put on. I had to separate them and the rainbow shark eventually didn't survive the hits. I also have Angel fish a total of 4 where 2 of them where always bullied by the black one in particular, and the white one who's biggest also didn't help to bring peace. so I have 2 community tanks. 1 for the main fish, and another tank for the not fitting in it. Also had to separate my tiger barbs, in 1 big group of 7 they were main to dominant and annoying for other fish, in groups of 3 and 4 they behaved better. The one missing maybe on the list or it's just my fish his attitude is the Golden Wonder Killifish, the male I have is so aggressive in particular to my sai algea eaters, they have enough space and movement and hiding places to rest. and also my white angel fish cuts him down sometimes hunting off my sai. I'd like to keep them in my tank as they are perfect for it's environment and diet of particular algae. maybe any tips are welcome.
Wow sounds like you’ve had some bad experiences with a lot of these fish 😂
Our sucking catfish gets along well with our Tetras and Angel fish, They play with each other but generally just do their own thing, often meeting in our large helicopter to take some time to relax by themselves as our school of Tetras swim above them. Meanwhile our Angel fish are swimming together, not going at each other, often would come up to to the front glass when they recognize me as the one who often feeds them. My tank is a 270 Liter tank with a lot of room to swim around in with a corner of weeds on one side and the other is a open area with a few small decorations here and there. Goldfish use to live in there with other goldfish but they were eating each other and attacking or roughly trying to mate, it was no surprise that some of them died cause of the stress But now we got new fish that is great for each other, the tank was truly a great place for them to relax, play and eat in. Even the swordtails sometimes swim nearby the Angel Fish and Sucking Catfish as they dont care in the slightest.
The sharks are SO cool, but they cause so many issues with tankmates lol. Great video!
Thanks Josh appreciate it!
Pea puffers actually don’t need their teeth grinded down because the growth rate is impossibly slow - which is good! Because they don’t eat their food w the shell anyways! This is why they angle themselves to eat the portions that are outside of the shell.
Really I’ve always heard/known that they did… either way they love to eat snails 😂
@@Fishman2114 True 😂
One of my all-time favorite tanks was my 80 gallon stocked with 30 tiger barbs, 30 serpae tetras, 30 Odessa barbs and 1 black tail shark. No issues.
yeh but 30 tiger barbs tend to be enough to keep the agression in shoal its when pet smart sells someone 2 or 3 its a major problem
Awesome video✌
@darkshireaquatics glad you enjoyed it!
The issue here is how one defines a "community aquarium". Basically, ANY aquarium containing a multiplicity of species that live compatibly together is a community aquarium. Of course, the typical vision of a community aquarium is, for example, a modest sized aquarium with Otocinclus, small Corydoras, and some peaceful Tetras or Rasboras, etc. But if you can afford it, and have the dedication to keep it running, a 300 gallon aquarium with Bala Sharks, Tinfoil Barbs and chunky Doradid catfish is also a community aquarium - just an unusual one. Likewise, a 300 gallon aquarium with big Cichlids, if those Cichlids are coexisting without internecine warfare, is a community aquarium, just an unusual one again. That said, some of the fish featured here are abominable choices for almost any setup. Chinese Algae Eaters are utterly atrocious. Want a PROPER algae eater for a small aquarium? Otocinclus. They stay small, are pacifists by nature, and will actually eat algae. Oh, and if anyone is looking for a Cichlid that fits well into a "standard" community setup, try Anomalochromis thomasi. Possibly THE leading candidate for the title of "pacifist Cichlid". Doesn't grow too large either, and is magnificent in breeding colours. Also, avoid anything that NEEDS live food, unless you're prepared to supply said live food on a constant basis, or anything with extremely specialised water requirements. This rules out the likes of Chocolate Gouramis and Discus, which are best left to the properly experienced and dedicated.
Not all CAE are bad fish. We have a 61/2" Golden Chinese Algae Eater named Goldspot and he is one of our favorite fish. He is in a 40 Breeder tank with 4 Silver Dollars, 2 Pearl Gourami, 4 Golden Wonder Killifish and a herd of about 20 Corydora of mixed species. The tank is planted and has 2 fairly big pieces of Driftwood in it. Goldspot has his 2 houses, the main one and a vacation retreat. Both are under a piece of wood. We have signs up saying "Goldspot lives here" and "No Trespassing". If the Cory's choose to ignore the signs Goldspot will chase them away. That is the sum total of his aggression. He also continues to eat algae on a daily basis. Mostly from the plant leaves. I believe the key to keeping a CAE is in feeding them. They are big eaters and like variety. We feed extreme flakes, Repashy, Bloodworms, Brine Shrimp, Tubifex worms, Cyclops, Beefheart, Extreme Bottomfeeder wafers, Hikari sinking wafers and occasionally live Blackworms. CAE are not for everyone but you have to know what tankmates to put with them. If you want to see Goldspot in his role as a fighter pilot go to the "Aquariums for Beginners app." I have been keeping fish for almost 60 years now so I am not a beginner but its nice to help out those that are.
Same, our ones get along great with each other, sometimes playing but nothing that would harm a single fish in our tank, they would just suck on the glass, nibble at the gravel and sit on the destroyed open part of the Helicopter and just take some time to themselves to relax
I had a 20 gallon tank it had tiger / cherry barbs and balla sharks , Tetras corrys
I’ve had a community with both angels and rainbow fishes. Both were perfectly fine in my personal experience. Those angels had some calm temperaments, they even would get intimidated by other fishes 1/6th of their size. The only fish I had issues with, I didn’t do research on admittedly, were golden wonder killifishes. I knew of other killifishes that were fine for communities, so I mistakenly assumed they’d be fine. Woke up to a few missing tetras and some fat killifishes despite them only being slightly larger than the tetras lol.
Yeah that’s definitely a bad combination there 😬
@@Fishman2114 hahaha yeah, lesson learned. They went straight back to the fish store after their feast 😂 Cool fish though, just very voracious.
I tried keeping Tiger Barbs, but they kept killing each other until I now have only one left. It lives with my Giant Danios, which it leaves alone since the danios are larger, faster and stronger than it is. PS) I've kept Giant Danios with a variety of smaller community species with no fin nipping. The only fish they ever bullied were Corydoras, and then only at feeding time. However, I have noticed that some species can be a little intimidated by the size and speed of Giant Danios (even when the danios ignore them completely).
That’s great to hear with your danios! I think they’re horrible fish but I had mine with other danios and they shredded their fins… maybe it’s just when they are with other danios.
You probably hadn't enough tiger barbs.
@@Fishman2114 Were the smaller Danios a longfin variety? I've kept Giant Danios with both Zebra Danios and White Cloud Minnows with no problems (although Zebra Danios can be hard on each other in my experience). I've also kept Giant Danios with a variety of Tetras (including Neons), a Blue Gourami, a Paradise Fish, Bristlenose Plecos, etc. The only aggression I've ever seen from my Giant Danios was bullying my Corydoras at feeding time. They didn't actually injure the Corydoras, but I ended up separating them anyway, since I was concerned that the Corydoras weren't getting enough to eat.
I saw the gourami in some of the clips and I was like waaaa my guy is chill. Cool list I held some of my family start tanks and I've told them about around half of these fish on the list
That's awesome, glad you enjoyed! Don’t worry I really like gouramis; I wouldn’t put them on this list. They are on another Top Ten Video though 👀
dang. I have tiger, shark, angel all together with other types of cichlids . never had a problem..
I have a 40 gal community tank. I have a 5 in Rainbow Shark that doesn’t bother with my Cory’s, Otocinclus or Hillstream Loaches but he will chase my Algae Eater when he gets close although it’s pretty harmless. No shredded fins or anything!!! Also he chews up some of my plants
It’s sounds like they have plenty of space to settle their differences 😂… the chewing up the plants kinda sucks though
ive had the same tigerbarbs roseybarbs and angelfish in the same tank for 6 years with no problems in a 140l tank
i dont know if it was mayebe because they have been together in the tank since very small tho they seem to leave eachother alone and the tiger and rosey barbs school together
What About All Fishes compatible for planted aquarium for community tank ( Manly for Angel / Barb Fishes compatible with small fishes ?? )
What do you mean?
@@Fishman2114 I Got a VIDEO - top community aquarium fish video on your channel
@@Fishman2114 I was looking for small fishes which are compatible with Angel / barb fish for my community planted tanks --
@@kiranamin4110 ahhh gotcha!
I'd argue Rosy Barb and Tiger Barb are great with Zebra Danio, other Barbs, certain Rasboras, Kribensis, and Ram Cichlids!! They are good with fellow Cyprinids!! I personally love the Tiger Barb and Rosy Barb!! 🤍🤎❤️💙
2:10 He said that weird looking fish is Cute? 😂
I have a thriving 45g community tank with 3 of the fishes you mentioned: 15 Tiger Barbs 7 Rose Barbs 7 Neon Tetras 1 Rainbow Shark As long as you keep the barbs at an odd numbered school, they won't pair up and be aggressive. Rainbow sharks just need to be the only shark species on the tank and a good hiding space. I know this because my Rainbow sharks (I've had two already) never caused problems with this method. That said, the list is agreeable but I'm just saying it could work if you did it right. On the other hand Goldfish and Plecos are the two absolute worst here. Goldfish is really a messy fish and they will eat any plant decor you have. Plecos also mess with slimecoats and once they get a taste of it, all your other fishes will be eaten if they can. They also are messy.
I definitely agree. All these fish can work, but they all have a high level of commitment to do so. With tigers you have to have a lot otherwise they are menaces, rainbows pretty much have to be the only bottom feeder/shark in the tank. To me I think that doesn’t make a good community fish; when you compare them to either a neon tetra or Cory that is chill no matter what so long as they have others. Glad your setting is working for you though, at the end of the day there’s no wrong way to fish keep… to an extent :)
@@Fishman2114 yup! It needs some experience to keep them in a community tank which I learned the hard way. Definitely don't do it unless you're confident. I've had the luxury of having mentors around me.
I’ve experienced Bala sharks to be very nice with other fish and keep to themselves but yes they do get massive but I would disagree on the aggression
I’ve heard that a lot with Bala sharks… maybe I just had a ‘bad batch’ of them 🤷♂️
yea, I've got three smaller bala sharks in my 150 gallon with lots of other fish; I've never seen them do anything aggressive. They just school together and be chill.
I have tiger barbs both in small groups (6-8) and large groups (15-20). Honestly, tiger barbs are a lot better when they are in large groups where co-operation is more important than dominance. In small groups, all the males start showing injuries (mainly missing chunks from their tails). Gold barbs are honestly the best barb fish. They are almost as big as a tiger barb, just as active as a tiger barb, but have better social manners with each other. They also seem disinterested in the other fish in the tank.
I personally think cherry barbs are the best barb, but Gold barbs are definitely up there
I’d like to add zebra danios on my own list I’ve had many of them and they never get along 😂 all tho they are very easy to keep and almost nothing kills them ! They are devils!
Goldfish. They always either eat other fish or get bullied. They indeed seem to go only with other goldfish. I kept them successfully only with corydoras, but even that wasn't perfect. If corydoras get hungry, they may bite goldfish skin.
tiger barbs are great! Ive had them for many years in multiple tanks and I've never seen one go after a fish of other species, smaller nor bigger. They only go after eachother.
New subs. Newbie to hobby Currently watching your video, i wish you make a 101 video for bichirs.. soon my bichir will come after i finish my tank setup. #LoveFrom 🇵🇭
Welcome to the channel @MADMUSICENT, glad you have you with us. Bichirs are truly amazing fish, I don’t own any but they are definitely my favorite of the “monster fish”.
My SAE cleaned my plants and leaves my axolotl alone sooo any remarks?
I’d be lying if I’ve heard of keeping a SAE with an axolotl…
Chinese algae eaters look VERY similar to the preferable Siamese Algae Eaters. Even moreso when they're young. A lot of pet stores mix them up and sell the wrong ones to you by mistake.
Yeah and that’s a horrible mistake 😂
Agreed with no.1 BALA SHARK
I concur.
I would say that with the barbs, you basically need community fish that do not have long fancy fins. I've got myself 7 tiger barbs with a few flying foxes and corydoras and do not have any fin-nipping issues. Other than the first few days till order is established, the community is living in peace with me.
Glad to hear it, the thing for me is that (most) barbs are kinda hit or miss. You either have a solid setup or a fin nipping nightmare on hand…
How did you pronounce Giant Danio? With a g sound instead of a j?
I say it with a G
I have a rainbow shark in my community aqarium. I've had him for about 8 years now. I've never seen him attacking any of the fish. He has his own hideout and is doing very well. Maybe I got lucky with him
Sounds like you did get pretty lucky
The point to remember about Epalzeorhynchus species, is that they're more likely to coexist harmoniously with other fish, if the aquarium has a LOT of caves to choose from. This is especially the case if you have other bottom dwellers that are likely to occupy caves. Though temperament varies across the Genus. Rainbow or Redfin Sharks will coexist with the likes of Bristlenose Plecs IF you have a surplus of caves to keep everyone happy, and ideally you should be looking at 75 gallons and up to improve your chances of harmonious coexistence. Redtailed Sharks become seriously aggressive with age, to the point where they actually make suitable companions for ruffians such as Convict Cichlids. The only catfish I'd recommend keeping alongside a Redtail Shark, are heavily armoured Doradids that can hold their own with bad tempered Cichlids, and I'd recommend not trying even this combination in an aquarium smaller than 125 gallons for safety.
I couldn't get my balas to grow really. My tiger shovelnose red tail hybrid catfish ate em....
I had an oscar with my short neck murray river turtle, they would fight over the feeder fish, it was a GREAT tankmate for my turtle, it eventually died of age, my turtle is 22 years old
Hi I had angel fish in the community tank for years nothing happened
Lucky you, you got a good one 👍
Man I just got tiger barbs, rosy barbs and a a few zebra danios. Damn I need to make a few changes now.
This is just my opinion from my experience. Maybe you will have better luck with those fish. How big of a tank are they in? Also how many tiger barbs do you have I know that plays a big part in their aggression levels.
@@Fishman2114 yes I am very much new to this hobby, I also got plants as well now and I googled that rosy barbs eats soft plants so good luck to me handling all that, and my tank is around 35 gallons, and I have around 20 tiger barbs and 10 rosy barbs. Plus a few tips if you could give me to keep my plants and fishes safe as well then it would be really helpful.
To me the tank sounds a bit overcrowded. I would honestly either get a separate tank for the rosy barbs and probably the danios too (maybe another 30 or 35). For the plant situation you’re probably just going to want to keep your rosy barbs well feed with a wide variety of foods. This may prevent them from wanting to really eat your plants.
@@Fishman2114 oow okay! Thanks mate this was really a big help, will make sure about keeping them well fed.
Most glofish are also fin nippers
Also, I think Angelfish are fine in community setups, especially if kept solo… and I know, maybe some ppl think that’s mean to keep them alone, but really? They prefer it. They get all the attention and food. Plus, we keep male bettas & even females alone. Forever. Is that cruel? They’re cichlids, too, after all. I think single, specimen Angels are especially perfect for communal tanks, unless it’s like, a breeding pair or juvenile group, or something... If they get along, they get along, and you’re in luck. Still, I enjoyed my single Angel! He was like a dog! 😆 It’s similar to discus communities, I think; as long as the other inhabitants are smaller, schooling, dither-type fishes, their presence relaxes the cichlids-they know, if the small fish are out and about, predators must not be around! I also never witnessed ANY aggression from my Angel towards the other fish. But I likely couldn’t say the same had I tried introducing another Angel or other cichlid, gourami, female betta, etc. That would’ve been a territorial dispute for sure. Lol. I kept my Angel in a 40-gallon planted tank with one golden wonder killie (who spent all his time at the top of the tank), 3-5 kuhli loaches, 1-2 clown plecos, and a nice mixed school of 10-15 neon tetras with emerald-eye, scissortail & harlequin rasboras, as well as 3-5 otocinclus for algae control. Also had random ghost shrimp from time to time. Angel never gave anyone a second glance.
(Ignorant) people also seem to forget that, with plecos, they have those sharp, pointed ends of their fins… not sure if it’s painful or not to be poked with? Let alone venomous or irritating? 🤔 I think _Otocinclus_ have a similar structure to their fins, but it’s mostly a last-minute defense in the event a larger predator swallows them… plecos and otos will flare their fins to injure their attacker.
I’m pretty sure the whole venomous thing is just a myth, could be wrong though. They definitely do have those sharp barbs like most catfish but I’ve never been stabbed by one. If you just hold your hand behind those fins you should be ok.
Bravo from Romania Dracula land ❤🎉
Bala shark being semi aggressive? Not really right, they are aggressive towards each other if you have to few of them yes, but not towards other species.
All true
tiger barbs! One of my barbs bullies the rest of his kind. He just doesnt get tired
I think in this list ,serpae tetra should be rank1.
Define community aquarium .
Surprised the Oscar wasn’t on the list.
Never seen one labeled as a “community fish” so I didn’t include them. You are definitely right in that they ARE NOT a good community tank choice. They start off small, but get large and are definitely pretty aggressive.
y did u include goldfish...they are not so aggresive in my opinion
I included goldfish not because of aggressive behavior, goldfish are incredibly peaceful. But mainly because of their incapability with most other fish. They are a cold water species, get large, and are very messy. Most people just keep goldfish with other goldfish
Goldfish have several issues if you out them in a tropical aquarium. The non fancy varieties prefer unheated water, and tend not to take to tropical temperatures well. They also grow large (up to Tinfoil Barb size in a large enough aquarium) and produce waste on an industrial scale. Fancy goldfish that do better in warmer water have the same appetites and waste generation issues, but also bring to the table extravagant fins and other appendages that are a magnet for fin nippers. They also aren't the brightest bulbs in the box, and will try to swallow items that are harmful if given the opportunity. Fancy goldfish will also have trouble competing for food with fast swimming Rasboras and Tetras.
For the fish swimming around in the wild where it comes from and where it belongs, it's bad enough being netted out, placed in a plastic bag and shoved in a crate for weeks and then being placed in a small transparent box for who knows how long before being bought. But to then be put into a tank with fishes from around the world which will pick on you and maybe even eat you, it's the cherry bomb on top.
I definitely agree against wild caught fish… but at this point most aquarium fish are captive bred which is a good thing 👍
And also mollies they nipped my guppies tails
Oh no I’m sorry to hear that…
I agree with you on the Tiger barb, a terrible community fish, they are beautiful to look at, and can easily fool a beginner to purchase them.
For sure, they could be cool in a species only tank (with maybe a bottom feeder), but they are definitely challenging to work with which is why they are so high on the list
Balentocheilus n 1 est victime de son apparence..poisson coul plus que le labeo chasseur car territorial sans etre agressif.
Giant danios are the worst
I wouldn’t call them the worst, but they definitely aren’t my favorite…
@@Fishman2114 I know there the worst for me
Tiger barbs = horrible
Totally not true. I had them. People just make always the mistake with school fish to not have enough of them. It you have 12 of them they just play with each other.
Gaggudhjoooooooooooooooooog