Community Tanks

[Back in the fold]

I do get why people like community tanks. They like different fish and like variety. Would you keep parakeets with canaries and finches all in the same cage ? Would you keep gerbils together with Guinea pigs and hamsters ? Not trying to stir up a hornets nest but I keep species only tanks and have for most of my aquarium days. The fish are more relaxed and show their natural behaviors. They seem more likely to spawn and they all get fed without competition.

 

[malfunction]

Of course you could make the argument that single species tanks are unnatural because in nature, many fish live in mixed species environments. But then again, you could also argue that glass boxes do not occur in any animal’s natural environment.

As you said, most people find it much more fun to have multi-species tanks because it gives you variety. You can have a variety of behaviours, a variety of body shapes, and it can also be interesting to see how different species interact with each other.

 

[Back in the fold]

Of course you could make the argument that single species tanks are unnatural because in nature, many fish live in mixed species environments. But then again, you could also argue that glass boxes do not occur in any animal’s natural environment.

As you said, most people find it much more fun to have multi-species tanks because it gives you variety. You can have a variety of behaviours, a variety of body shapes, and it can also be interesting to see how different species interact with each other.

Yes, all true and all valid points but you read on this forum posts from people having bad experiences with their mixes of fish. There's bottom feeders , top feeders , fast and slow feeders , day and night active fish and mellow fish and nasty fish. It's too bad that people have to find this out the hard way. I wonder if there is such a thing as some table or reference that would give people a heads up on this ?

 

[Sgooosh]

Yes, all true and all valid points but you read on this forum posts from people having bad experiences with their mixes of fish. There's bottom feeders , top feeders , fast and slow feeders , day and night active fish and mellow fish and nasty fish. It's too bad that people have to find this out the hard way. I wonder if there is such a thing as some table or reference that would give people a heads up on this ?

i think people think that since some fish for example can live in the same water conditions, they must be able to live together. but then turns out one of them is super aggressive and eats the other.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Many an aquarium starts with one or perhaps two species.....but over time, and after word gets out to the neighbours that you have fish (usually when a neighbour is unwell or has died and there is no-one else to care for the fish they had)...that initial plan of a fully compatible aquarium one or two species stocking idea flies right out the window.

Been there......and got it.