# Questions: Solitary Fish? Multi-species Shoals?



## Saki (Dec 27, 2005)

I'd like to have at least five different kinds of fish in my 75 gallon tank but I don't have room for 2-8 of each, especially when it comes to the larger fish. 

I've been looking around to see what fish don't mind being alone but when I think I've found one I'll read somewhere else that they need to be with their own kind. From your experiences, which fish truly prefer or don't mind to be alone, but are still good in community tanks?

I also read that some species will shoal with other species. In cases like that, are the fish content or is it more of a last resort for companionship and/or protection that leaves them feeling anxious? If multi-species shoals are okay, what are some common groupings?


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## violet (Mar 17, 2006)

A general idea of what type of tank you are interested in would make it a lot easier to suggest fish. There are just soooooo many fish which aren't compatible it makes no sense to list them all.

There are fish like angelfish. You may have one nice angel and it won't really suffer from loneliness IMO, but you won't see it's real behavior unless you have a tank of mostly angels. Especially my bigger angels have very interesting group behaviors I would not see in a community tank with many species.

Who doesn't like cory cats? A lot of them look very similar to us but they need the exact same kind to be happy. There are two species of albino corys that are commonly available, aeneus & paleatus, and even though they are very similar they still prefer their exact species. 1 each of 10 kinds of cory doesn't work, you will probably have 10 lonely fish.

I haven't kept tetras for years but do remember some would school with other fish out of desparation. But I have kept danios and the majority of them do not seem too fussy. Zebras & giants may not, but zebra and pearls, similar size, should.

Another thing to consider is that some fish which may not really get lonely may be very annoying to OTHER fish if it doesn't have enough of it's own kind to occupy itself.

I've never seen a school of plecs, that's for sure. Some are downright intolerant of not only the same species but all other plecs. That's one place you could get one very nice pleco and not have to worry about it having friends.

That's a really long way to say once you decide which style/type of tank you want it will narrow your choices greatly. If you want a well planted tank it rules out all those fish who love to dig and root around. If you want hot water discus you are not going to be able to keep a nice big school of cool water white clouds with them. And so on...

violet


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## falconblack (Jun 5, 2006)

Why not get a school of cardinal tetra about 8 and you could get a gold algae eater they do not grow to large(about 5") then you could get more school fish,without a problem.


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## Saki (Dec 27, 2005)

I plan on it being a low-tech planted tank. The amount of plants depend on what fish I decide to put in the tank. I will probably put the cherry barbs from my 10 gallon into it.

Violet, ever full of wisdom. ^_^ Alright, so the multi-species shoal idea is out. What fish would do well in a low tech planted community tank and not need another of it's kind? If a fish would stick with it's own kind in it's natural environment, then I don't want to force it to be alone in an aquarium.


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## vinimack720 (Apr 20, 2006)

i think that solitary fish are fine, but you should prolli get at least one school of fish. they will liven up the tank because of how active they are and give the tank more balance then if you had a bunch of fish hanging out on their own


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## Saki (Dec 27, 2005)

I do plan on the majority of my fish being in schools or shoals. It just seems like it would be more interesting if there were a couple fish that were the only one of their kind in the tank. Then I could be like "There's my pleco, just doin his own thang!"

Edit: I keep hearing that every aquarium should have a "centerpiece" fish but how can there be one if all fish need company?


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

falconblack said:


> Why not get a school of cardinal tetra about 8 and you could get a gold algae eater they do not grow to large(about 5") then you could get more school fish,without a problem.


By gold algae eater, I'm ASSuming you mean CAE (chinese algae eaters). There are albina strains which look gold and thus are labeled as such in lfs. Do not be mistaken. They are agressive when older and grow to 12 inches long. Not a suitable fish for any community tank.


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## violet (Mar 17, 2006)

Saki, no wisdom, just decades of mistakes I don't care to repeat.  

I'm not much help, with just a couple of exception I have a whole bunch of one thing in a tank. How they interact is what interests me most.

75G is a big tank. I definitely agree with the *centerpiece* idea but it may not have to be a single fish. The are some really flashy fish which may like to be in a group but are bigger and flashier than all the rest making them really POP.

For example there are a several Rainbowfish which are really lovely and will outshine almost anything else you put in with them. Five mature M. boesemani 'bows are lovely. Although not a single fish, they will stand out, perhaps in the way you are thinking of a centerpiece fish. They never look great in the store, they are not mature and the general conditions never allow them to look their best anyways. A fish like that gets several inches long. Multiple fish like that in a tank that size will not have same effect as the same five fish in a 29G.

I'm just using that fish as an example, maybe their coloring/shape isn't what you are looking for. But the idea of a few larger brighter fish acting as the centerpiece can also work.

Or get a nice superveil Angelfish from a local quality breeder. Meaning NOT a farmed fish which is already stunted by the time it is nickel sized. You can get a quarter size fish which will quickly get huge alone in a tank that size and really be hard to ignore!

violet

ps: Oh and a fancy pleco!


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## Saki (Dec 27, 2005)

Thanks for the advice. They're all really good ideas. I'm leaning towards the rainbowfish idea. They look loverly and will definitely make an impression. ^_^


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## Guest (Jun 12, 2006)

There are many types of fish that can be kept in pairs or trios. A few types of tetras, such as Conchu Blue tetras and Emporer tetras prefer a trio instead of a big school. Cherry barbs can also be kept in a trio.

As mentioned above, a single angel would work...or even a trio. Blue and Bolivian rams are great as pairs...or even singly.

Rainbows are a great idea. I've been trying to find a tank for a school of them...they are very beautiful. Definitely would be eyecatching in a group of 6 or so.

Loaches are a great bottom fish that can be kept in smaller groups, 3 or 4 would be fine.


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## Saki (Dec 27, 2005)

Those are some great suggestions, JustOneMore. I've never even heard of the Blue Tetra and can't seem to find a picture. ; (Edit: Nevermind, found a ton when I looked it up by it's scientific name "Boehlkea fredcochui". It's Gorgeous!)


I found a website that listed fish in certain categories, FishInThe.net A couple of them mention solitary fish:

"Single-Species [General] fish do not require any additional tank-mates of the same species to maintain social balance. Most single-species fish can be solitary fish their entire lives, but may travel in small schools or co-habitat with a fish of the opposite species when mating."

"Single-Species [Community] types can often co-exist in community or solitary tanks. Some fish of this type may be solitary fish within a breeding pair."


I thought it was interesting.


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