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I am trying to decide what type of community fish I want to add to my tank. So I would like to know what you all think is the perfect community fish that is being sold in your LFS? Keep in mind it is a 30g tank and the only inhabitant in it right now is a betta. What makes this fish a perfect community fish? Thanks for any input

Justin

Colts Fan For Life
30g platy tank: 2 sunburst wag platys, 2 redtailed white calico platys, 2 red wag platys, 1 fry(not sure who it belongs to), 1 Golden CAE.
Bettas:1 VT male

From the perspective of actual, practical experience, I can tell you that I have only kept Tiger Barbs since I became a fishkeeper a couple months ago.

I can tell you that I have done a lot of reading and question asking since I found this gem of a website. based on everything I have read, finding the "perfect" community fish can depend on your water parameters, and the types of fish and plants you have in your tank. Check with the fish profiles on here for some great species descriptions and photos.

For me, I am planning a 50g set up. I intend to stock it with Cardinal Tetras and Neon Tetras for movement and color, Lemon Tetras for a bit of variation in shape and some "elegance..." Also, Black Phantom Tetras for more elegance/shape variation. I intend to have a nice shoal of corys, probably Julii Leopards and maybe Panda Corys too. For my centerpiece fish, I want to have Bolivian Rams. Overall, this ought to make for a pleasant, peaceful tank environment, on which all these particular fish thrive. And who knows what else I will be able to find that will fit in with those particular species. It will be quite a contrast to my 20g Tiger Barb species tank/insane asylum!

You'll want to do some research on what species go well together on the basis of common water paramaters, as well as temperament and how many of a particular species you'll need to have, in case you choose fish that require a shoal. Another thing to consider is plantings, decor and substrate. So, there's a lot to think about when planning to stock a tank. Here is a basic compatibility chart that could serve as a guide:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/fwcompatibility_chart.cfm

Good luck!

Rummy-nose tetras. School tightly, for a great appearance, don't bother other fish, and stay smallish but not tiny enough to be eaten by the majority of other community fish...

Rummies have a bright red nose that helps you see how happy they are and if it fades you know you need to change the water. And racing stripes on their tail They're active and fun to watch.

They do require a school, and their tight schooling behavior makes it very worthwhile to keep them in a school.

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Some of my favorite community fish of all time are gold barbs. They're active and yet dont nip at other fish the same way that tiger barbs do.

WCMM are another of my favorites, they shoal really well, have a wide temp range and are very active. They're a lot like zebra danios in that they're quite hardy and are often used for cycling a tank or in outdoor ponds because of their temp tolerance. Drawbacks on them is that they can stay small enough to be eaten by larger fish, although as I said they're pretty active and can make for a hard to catch dinner.

What's a perfect fish will depend on the tank. WCMM can be to go with some fish, rummies can get too large for small tanks, tiger barbs shouldnt go with anything that nips, and oscars, well oscars dont go with anyone....

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