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Nanofish List (v1.0)

259K views 170 replies 98 participants last post by  TankDave 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Howdy!

In the course of researching this amazing hobby, newbies (like me) often ask the same questions over and over; among them, the question of "so what kind of fish can I put in my planted nano?" seems to come up quite a bit.

To that end I'd like to start an easily-referenced thread with lists of ideal species for nanos. Wherever possible, please provide both the common name and the scientific name. :icon_bigg

EDIT (8/31/10):

Click Here for Fishydaze's cleaned up, expanded, and most updated version of the list.
 
#83 ·
no they are not on there, they dont like it much in nano tanks. they dont really show themselves or color up. they do better in tanks above 10 gallons.

sorry i completely forgot about doing this. i still have shrimp, temp, ph, and region to do. the rest is done though.
 
#86 ·
I'm gonna have to say the the glow light danios (Danio choprae) don't belong in anything less than 10 gallons. I have 5 in my 29 gand they are extremely active. I"m not sure what they would do in anything less. They alse get fairly large, for danios. Bigger than most zebra danios I've seen.
 
#88 ·
Has anyone mentioned pygmy killies (Leptolucania ommata) or bluefin killies (Lucania goodei) yet? The bluefins would need atleast a five gallon for a pair, but a pair of pygmy killies could easily be housed in a 2.5 gallon. American Aquarium Fishes says a pair can be kept in a 1 gallon jar that's filled with java moss. The three legal Elassoma species (pygmy sunfish) would also be good for a 5 gallon or larger. A 2.5 might work, but they're a little on the aggressive side so I would go with a five. The other three are protected, but the three that are legal are absolutely beautiful fish. The legal ones are E. okefenokee, E. evergladei, and E. zonatum. Another good fish is the swampfish, Chologaster cornuta, if you can find them. I think jonahsaquarium.com has them available. All of these fish come from swamps that have lush aquatic vegetation and will all readily spawn in the aquarium, except for the swampfish, which I believe may have only spawned once in captivity, if that.
 
#94 ·
Yep, some of them do - but sometimes that's conditional too. Any of these that are schooling or social fish - Nope. Any livebearers or prolific breeders - same thing.

Danios might be worth consideration here, but I'll defer to the experts on that one...
 
#95 · (Edited)
Excel List of Nanofish Suggestions

A newbie to planted tanks, I wandered looking for nanofish suggestions and tripped on this thread. Although I will continue to await the Web-based Nano Fish List that may be in the works, I grew impatient and began looking for info on the fish suggested in the thread. Eventually realized that I was creating an Excel file on them with their basic data (pH, temp, dH etc.)...its pretty much as done as I will get it and covers all suggestions so far.


UPDATE: Excel list is now on POST #98
 
#97 ·
Wow its been a while sence I've looked at this

A newbie to planted tanks, I wandered looking for nanofish suggestions and tripped on this thread. Although I will continue to await the Web-based Nano Fish List that may be in the works, I grew impatient and began looking for info on the fish suggested in the thread. Eventually realized that I was creating an Excel file on them with their basic data (pH, temp, dH etc.)...its pretty much as done as I will get it and covers all suggestions so far.

Would it be okay to post the chart to this thread, Alphacat? It seems like the natural home as it is derived pretty much 99 percent from the suggestions here...(with just a couple of others I spotted during the hunt for information)...
Well im not Alphacat but I would find it verry helpful and im sure others would too so why not right?

As far as 2.5 gallons go, I believe that Least Killifish are a good option (not sure of the scientific name).

They might not be vibrant with color, but my friend has 6 in a 2.5g and they are doing fine. Not stressed, exhibiting normal behavior, etc.

I have had a pair (male/female) in my 2.5g for about 2 months now and they've already given me 10+ fry! (And those are only the ones I know about, I'm certain that there are more)
Thanks for the suggestion, they sound great and I can't wait to check 'um out
 
#96 ·
As far as 2.5 gallons go, I believe that Least Killifish are a good option (not sure of the scientific name).

They might not be vibrant with color, but my friend has 6 in a 2.5g and they are doing fine. Not stressed, exhibiting normal behavior, etc.

I have had a pair (male/female) in my 2.5g for about 2 months now and they've already given me 10+ fry! (And those are only the ones I know about, I'm certain that there are more) I have a lot of plants and mosses from the wild that I put in there, so in mine they just eat micro-tiny bugs and that sort of thing, I never have to feed them (but I'm not suggesting that anyone just throw them in a 2.5g with just, like, a piece of java moss or something) I have a Lot of moss-type plants. The whole bottom is covered with them. That is why, I believe, that they are reproducing so well. They feel like they are in a natural environment. But enough of my ramblings. That's my recommended 2.5g fish.
 
#98 · (Edited)
Hello
I finally finished excel file of fish identified in this thread (plus a few others I found on the way). The attached document is a zipfile of an Excel 97-2003 file.

For those looking over the list, remember that the original rule set up by Alphacat for the thread was that fish be 1.8 inches in length or less. Some fish suggested on the thread turned out to be way outside this size, so I did not keep them on the list. A few 'oversized' are still kept on, because of online reports of success in small tanks and/or because in the wild they tend to live in thickly planted ditches or small swampy ponds (so genetically/behaviorally appropriate for nano environment). Quite a few fish met the size requirements, but had mixed info online about whether they would do well in small groups or small tanks: I kept most of these, and tried to note down a few pieces of nano relevant info for each fish.

***Please always research your fish in detail before confining them to nano tank; please always use well circulated, oxygenated, clean water for nano tanks***

Quite a few of the suggestions to the thread appeared to be based on size and not necessarily direct experience. I think it would be great if people going through this list who have personal experience with any of these fish in small tanks would chime in, with a note to the thread, about whether the fish did or did not do well (and how many adults and in what size small tank). By 'doing well' I mean healthy for at least six months, bonus points if healthy with successful breeding or for years.

----For those unable to use microsoft products, the file has been loaded up on Google Docs
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Au7lYaFUaRybdGlkTmF0a0pacDRYcGZzNXlHcEwwbnc

----For those able to view excel files (list upated 11-2010) the file is in the zip file below.
 

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#100 ·
Hey fisydaze,
When you have entered 3 min under the min #, does that mean a 3 min is recommend only? I assume that no shoaling would be expected for this fish? thanks d

Hello
Finally finished excel file of fish identified in this thread (plus a few others I found on the way). The attached document is a zipfile of a tab delimited text file: once decompressed, open it in Excel and it should be fine using default settings.

For those looking over the list, remember that the original rule set up by Alphacat for the thread was that fish be 1.8 inches in length or less. Some fish suggested on the thread turned out to be way outside this size, so I did not keep them on the list. A few 'oversized' are still kept on, because of many online reports of success in small tanks and because in the wild they tend to live in thickly planted ditches or small swampy ponds (so genetically/behaviorally appropriate for nano environment). Quite a few fish met the size requirements, but had mixed info online about whether they would do well in small groups or small tanks: I kept most of these, and tried to note down a few pieces of nano relevent info for each fish.

***Please always research your fish in detail before confining them to nano tank; please always use well circulated, oxygenated, clean water for nano tanks***

Quite a few of the suggestions to the thread appeared to be based on size and not necessarily direct experience. I think it would be great if people going through this list who have personal experience with any of these fish in small tanks would chime in, with a note to the thread, about whether the fish did or did not do well (and how many adults and in what size small tank). By 'doing well' I mean healthy for at least six months, bonus points if healthy with successful breeding or for years.
 
#101 · (Edited)
Nano-Black Phantom Tetra

I am very impressed with all your work on the list. Thanks very much.

I have had luck with a male/female pair of Black Phantom Tetras and also with a pair of female black Phantom Tetras. They have shorter dorsal fins than the males but more than make up for that with the reddish orange color of several of their smaller fins plus the adipose fin. Unlike some tetras you can keep a pair instead of a school.:wink:

PS I keep them at pH 8.0 as they are one of the tetras that thrive in alkaline/basic water.
 
#104 ·
I thought i should clarify a bit as I realized more info would be better as I was just reviewing your list of fish for the nano tank. I have read and have experience of keeping a pair of Black Phantom Tetras rather than a shoal of 5+ as your table suggests. The reading I have done plus my experience of keeping a pair in a 5 gal in good health for over a year supports that conclusion. I still have them now with 2 more in a larger tank.
 
#105 ·
Hello Ravenmyth---
Thanks for the additional thoughts...I have edited the chart since your earlier email to show your successes with pairs in 5 gallon tank, but also kept on the chart what was recommended on multiple websites regarding larger groups. This is to help those who are trying to decide what they should try in a small tank. With this info, I hope that they realize that happy nano pairs of black phantom tetra are viable, but possibly nano placement is less common or less optimal for this species. I also updated some of the additional info for this fish: More than one online site does say you could keep a pair of black phantom tetra; but quite a few of those same sites also contradictorily suggested having groups of 6 or more, giving the males space for separate territories, and that the larger groups do show shoaling behavior, so a nano tank might be challenging. Might depend on your individual fish, too, of course....
 
#106 ·
Black Phantom Tetras in Nano

I would be against trying 2 males. I agree with your concern about territorial issues. Thats why I did 2 females once and a male/female pair the other time. I would note my females have always more than held their own against the males---chasing them off if they became too agressive about food etc.:fish:
 
#108 ·
Hey Fishlover-
re: The least killifish (Heterandria formosa), Pygmy killifish (Leptolucania ommata), bluefin killifish (Lucania goodei), pygmy sunfish (Elassoma sp)

Was the info you reported on them from personal experience/knowledge of success of these particular fish in 2.5 g? If so, I wanted to mark it in the excel table

Thanks..
 
#110 ·
Hey P.Freak-
The latest list is at Reply #98 within this thread...hope it helps
 
#112 ·
Hello-
IMHO: things might go okay for awhile, but it sound precarious in terms of tank health. Remember, with gravel and plants and equipment, a 5.5 g tank might end up being only 4.5 g or so (but I like a thick layer of gravel/ couple of larger rocks in mine).

From my experience, 'regular' cories can get up to three inches each and beyond for some (bronze). Then your list got longer and no specific head count (more fish and frogs); so starts to sound like a lot when number of fish suggested is generally so small for a nano tank.

As always with Nano tanks:the general recommendations to follow are excellent filtration, water movement,and regular partial water changes. And few fish, with friendly habits. One thing to consider: if you think you might not be on top of the tank care, then I really recommend as few fish/amphibious creatures as possible.

I do have a friend who has had two frogs and snails in a 3 gallon, and they have been fine for almost two years.

Good luck on the new tank set up
 
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