Community fish that don't need schools

E

enderwiggin

AC Members
May 10, 2009
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When I first started keeping fish, I remember making what I believe to be a very common beginner mistake: getting 1 or 2 fish of several types that caught my eye. The problem, of course, is that most community fish should be kept in schools of 5+ fish (tetras, guppies, barbs, etc). In the context of planning a new tank, I caught myself falling into the same trap, and thought it'd be helpful to try to put together a list of fish that are good candidates for "variety" aquariums.

Off the top of my head, these were the fish I came up with that are both community tank friendly and can be kept in groups of just 1 or 2:
Dwarf gourami (C. lalia)
Honey gourami (C. chuna)
Angelfish (P. scalare)
Rams (P. ramirezi)
most plecos
Kribs (P. pulcher)
Peacock gudgeons (T. ocellicauda)

Other suggestions? What am I missing?
 
Ahh, I forgot about apistos! I'm curious about the cherry barb suggestion though, since I always considered them a schooling fish, but maybe others know better...
 
I can think of several, but it depends on how "easy" you want. Some of these only really do well with small peaceful tankmates, or are picky eaters, etc...

Scarlet Badis (Dario dario)
Gold Dwarf Cichlid (Nannacara anomala)
Dwarf Flag Cichlid (Laetacara curviceps)
Keyhole Cichlid (Cleithracara maronii)
Chameleon Fish (Badis badis)
Sparkling Gourami (Trichopsis pumila)

If I can think of any others off the top of my head I'll try to update.
 
Cherry Barbs are not really schoolers. They enjoy company and will occasionally hang out together, but they do not seek each other out to be a part of a group. IME I have nearly 15 of these bad boys and girls and enjoy them, but have never witnessed schooling behaviors.
 
pacpac2 said:
Cherry Barbs are not really schoolers. They enjoy company and will occasionally hang out together, but they do not seek each other out to be a part of a group. IME I have nearly 15 of these bad boys and girls and enjoy them, but have never witnessed schooling behaviors.
Click to expand...

There was a debate about the meaning of "schooling" and "shoaling" here on AC a while ago....

I tend to use them interchangeably, but I think schooling refers to fish that actually swim together in formation. Like pacpac2 says, cherry barbs don't really do that.

However, I'd still call them a "shoaling" fish, because they live in huge groups in the wild, and they stick together for social reasons.

From a few online sites: "The Cherry barbs should always be kept in groups of at least five individuals, preferably more, since this is a schooling species. A Cherry barb that is kept alone can become very stressed in the aquarium."
-- http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/barbs/cherrybarb.php

"The Cherry Barb does best when kept in a school, preferably 6 or more them."
-- http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-CherryBarbs.htm

But, I think the above sites really mean "shoal."

Anyway, in answer to your question, the African butterfly fish (Pantodon buchholzi) is an interesting oddball to add to the list.
It gets to be about 4 inches long, and it can live in a community tank, as long as its tankmates are too big to be lunch :)
 
The school/shoal is a good point. I was thinking of either schooling or shoaling in the context of the OP's question, ie: fish that are fine with only a single (or less than 3) representative.

I was questioning the cherry barbs because I have 12 in my planted 33, and while they don't school, they definitely shoal (they're always hanging around each other).
 
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