# Fish Compatibility



## RazzleDazzle30 (Jun 6, 2011)

According to the fish compatibility recommendations from the stocking calculator, the majority of my fish are considered ‘too aggressive’ to coexist with each other. Also, recommendations of 5+ fish per group. I think I’m doing just fine with the combination of fish in my tank – dainos, barbs, pleco.. 

I feel like a minimum of 2-3 or more fish, of the same species, are sufficient enough for success. I like odd numbers of fish – 3 giant danios, 5 tiger/albino barbs, 3 zebra dainos, 3 cherry barbs, 1 convict, 1 pleco. I do have one male & female rosy barbs who do well together. 

My single convict, for some reason, does not nip fins or eat his smaller tankmates. Instead, he bobs along slowly chasing off anyone who is intruding. The little zebra danios can easily swim laps around him they’re so fast. Also, my cherry barbs are doing ok after I introduced both tiger & albino barbs not long ago. I believe that the compatibility chart is not correct since my tank does not follow suit with the chart. A group of fish does not necessarily have to be at least 5+ (two fish are a couple, 3-4 a small group, 5+ large group) to be considered a ‘group’. Does anyone else diagree with what is usually "suggested/reccomended" in regards to tank mates? Should I be concerned with the different types of fish cohabitating in my 50gal?


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

I think a lot of people forget that fish have personalities and individual behaviors just like humans. There are ALWAYS going to be oddballs floating around. 

For example, we used to have two albino rainbow sharks together with a bunch of other fish in a 20 long tank. They seemed to enjoy each other's company and never nipped any other fish. 

So I say, as long as it works, keep on doing it. If it goes downhill, then oh well. You can't always tell what will and won't work.


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## RazzleDazzle30 (Jun 6, 2011)

That's what I thought too.. I'm glad you've had a similar situation with behavior that defies typical expectations – I needed another fish enthusiast to confirm my theory that fish are capable of acting entirely different than expected. I do believe that if fish are given enough space & plenty of hiding places, they tend to respect other fish that may be larger & more aggressive. It definitely varies per tank per fish – you can never predict a single fishes’ behavior & I believe that overcrowded tanks lead to disaster. Too many fish can become territorial if they do not have a spot of their own.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Many people keep "semi-aggressive" fish together and hope the aggression with balance out. I always like bigger groups because that tends to keep the aggression within the group. The barbs nip each other instead of picking on other fish. I also like odd numbers, but 5 is better than 3, 7 better than 5. Bigger tanks help, more hiding places help. The latest anti-aggression tip I've heard is to up the amount of current. A couple strong power heads make chasing more of an effort. All charts are generalizations and your fish may or may not behave as expected. My serpaes have all been terrors, but other people report tame ones. There may be more than one similar species with different temperaments going by the same trade name. The more tanks you have, the more you can experiment. You can watch fish and move them when there is trouble. The kid with one 10 gallon has to be very careful in stocking choices. One bad pick and he will have dead fish. Be careful saying "everything is fine". That seems to be the cue for all he** to break loose next week.


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## fishielover123 (Apr 21, 2010)

I agree with hxcchix...everyone says "bettas will nip a guppies fins" but there was a betta in a smallish tank with tons of blonde red tail guppies!! He was just sitting there while they were swimming all around him and he acted as if nothing was happening!!!!


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## RazzleDazzle30 (Jun 6, 2011)

See, compatibility does depend almost entirely upon size of tank, size & age of previous fish in the tank, & environment. Their behaviors cannot & are not always predictable based on compatibility charts. I do believe that every tank has somewhat of a pecking order in which newer, smaller fish accept. My fish move out of the way for so-called 'higher ups'. Whenever I suffer a loss of even one fish (which is rare) it throws off my entire tank. Odd numbered groups then become even numbered - I also prefer odd numbered groups of fish, unless I only get 2 of the same kind then I try to get a male and a female couple.


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## PostShawn (Dec 22, 2009)

There is a science to fish keeping but there is a touch of that individual personality of fish too. I've had several times where I "should" have had more then the amount I've had or should not put a certain kind with another certain kind and they seem fine. I'm all for if researching the fish before putting them in the tank try to stick to the "rules". Schooling fish need to be in a school. But if you have something already setup and it's working then who's to tell you any different. 

The only time I'll not agree with something that is "working" is when you put the fish's health in jeopardy. Example, a goldfish NEEDS more then a 1 gallon bowl. People say their goldfish lived for 3 years just fine in a bowl. Well that's nice but goldfish can live for well over 10 years so you basically killed the goldfish early in it's life. 

That's my opinion though.


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## Ladayen (Jun 20, 2011)

The chart is a tool, generrally it's correct but as you and others have noticed there are variables that it cannot take into account. I've heard numerous stories of feeder goldfish making friends with the Oscar that was supposed to eat it.

That being said, do you have experience with these fish in the recommended groups? There have been several times I thought my fish were happy outside the recommended settings. Once I was able to get the settings right though I finally realized what an enourmous difference there was. Zebra Danios were one of those. I went from 6 fish then added 2 more so I had 8 before seeing the difference.

You're correct about the pecking order to some extent. Most species will have a pecking order amongst themselves, similar looking fish may get caught up in it as well.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I've seen that with tank sizes. I keep fish in smaller than recommended tanks for years and all is 'fine', then I get some space, move the fish to a larger tank and see what a different some swimming space makes. The behavior changes and they become both happier fish and more fun to watch. Some times you see it happen with a change of temp or decor, you can just tell that the fish went from "I'm ok", to "My life is great".


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## RazzleDazzle30 (Jun 6, 2011)

I agree. My fish were just recently upgraded from a 20g to a 50g & it took a day or so before they noticed the tank was bigger, it was funny they were used to going back & forth in the tiny 20g. My giant danios are now giant & needed a longer, larger tank since they need a lot of room to swim. I also got a 3rd giant daino who looks like a baby next to my two veteran dainos. I hope my fish lose some weight now that they have a larger tank to swim around. I am also feeding less than I have in the past. I feel like fish are more compatible if there is more room for them & more than one place to hide & hang out.


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