# Master List of Peaceful fish vs more aggressive peaceful that may hurt or kill fish.



## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

I would like to make a master list of Peaceful vs more aggressive/nippy fish. 

This master database list is an expansion of another post I did dealing only with Tetras(since compatibility charts list all tetras as the same fish) 

I walk into my Petstore and buy every fish listed as "peaceful community" fish however from my experience not all peaceful community fish are the same. Some will actually brutalize, injure or maim other fish. 

I will try to present a more detailed list with sort of a ranking system to the best of my knowledge in hopes this will help someone avoid making the same mistakes I did. The list will try to go from most peaceful to most aggressive. 

I have also included a scale from 1 to 10. Level 1 being a peaceful zen master meditation monk and 10 being the Devil himself. 

Zen Master Peaceful
Most Peaceful fish( can be kept with red cherry shrimp) 

 Glow-light Tetra (Level 1 most peaceful) 72-77°
 Ghost / Glass catfish (Level 1 most peaceful) 75-80°
 Otocinclus Catfish ( Otto) (Level 1 most peaceful) 
 Corydoras Catfish ( Level 1 most peaceful) AKA Cory 
 White cloud mountain minnow (Level 1 most peaceful)
 Harelequin Rasboras (Level 1 most peaceful) 72-77
 Bristlenose Plecostomus ( level 1 unless gets too big) 70-80
 Red Cherry Shrimp( Level 1, most peaceful) 60-80 
 Neon Tetra (Level 2 very peaceful) 68-78
 Twig Catfish (Level 2 very peaceful) aka Whiptail ( Algae eater like a Oto catfish but long like a barracuda) 
 rummies ( Rummynose) (Level 2 very peaceful)


* The Best Types Of Fish For Your Shrimp Aquarium


Super Peaceful(but may or may not have issues with red cherry shrimp): 


Pearl Gourami (Level 2 very peaceful, note: I said PEARL Gourami not ALL Gourami) 75-86 degrees
 phoenix rasbora aka. Boraras[censored]merah ( Level 2 very peaceful) 
Honey Gourami ( Level 2 very peaceful) 
sparkling gourami ( Level 2 very peaceful) 
chocolate ( Level 2 very peaceful) 
 Platty (Level 2 very peaceful)	64-77 degrees
 Long fin Zebra Danio (Level 2 very peaceful)	64-75
Long fin lepord zebra danio (Level 2 very peaceful) 
 vail tail Red cherry Barb	(Level 2 very peaceful)74-79° F 
 Red Cherry Barb	(Level 2 very peaceful) 74-79	
 Flyingfox	Siamese Algae Eater (Level 2 very peaceful) 75-79
 Golden Killifish aka Striped Panchax Malabar Killi (Level 2 very peaceful when small baby , Level 5 when big adult, reports of eating neon tetra size fish) 72-75 *
Hacket Fish	(Level 2 very peaceful) 73-81
 Endlers livebearers (Level 2 very peaceful) related to the guppy AKA Poecilia Wingei
Fancy tail Guppy (Level 2 very peaceful) 
 Guppy Cobra male (Level 2 very peaceful) 64-82	
Celestial Pearl Danio (Level 2 very peaceful)
Penguin Tetra (Level 2 very peaceful) 64-82	
Black Neon Tetra	(Level 2 very peaceful) 72-77
 Kuhli Loaches(Level 2 very peaceful)
Moonlight gourami ( Level 3 very peaceful)
Metynnis Lippincottianus ( Level 3 very peaceful)
 Pristella Tetra (Level 3 very peaceful) 64-82
Silver Dollars(Level 3 peaceful) * Warning: NOT PLANT SAFE!!!!! but ok to keep around other fish 
Orange Von Rio flame Tetra	(Level 3 very peaceful) 75-82 
White finned Rosy tetra	(3 peaceful)	75-82F
 Blood Fin Tetra	(Level 3 peaceful) 72-80
 Denison Barb( Level 3 peaceful) 60-77° aka Rose Line Shark and the Red Lined Torpedo Barb

Still considered peaceful but slightly more aggressive then fish on list above( have chased fish but not hurt any that I have seen) 


Black Ruby Barb ( Level 4 mostly peaceful) 72-79	
Red Minor Tetra ( Level 4 mostly peaceful) 72-82
Pearl Danio ( Level 4 mostly peaceful) 73-79
Zebra Danio ( Level 4 mostly peaceful)64-75 degrees 
Black Molly. ( Level 4 mostly peaceful)

List of Fish to avoid if you have a relatively peaceful aquarium with smaller more fragile tank. .( Have killed, injured, maimed other fish even if my accident when getting food to aggressively) 


Red-eyed Tetra /Lamp Eye Tetra ( Level 5) 
3-spot Gourami ( Level 5) 
 blue Gourami ( Level 5) 
Chinese algae eater ( Level 5) * Warning gets extremely large ( 10-inches) 
Black Skirt ( has killed cherry barb) ( Level 5, has killed several cherry barbs) 72-82 
Tiger Barbs(bad fin nippers)( Level 5)
Paradise Fish ( Level 6) ( One member said " he sucked the eyes out of my corries -thegirlundertherainbow) 
Pictus Catfish ( has killed several smaller fish) ( Level 6, has killed fish)
dwarf Gourami ( Level 7, have heard stories about killing aquarium full of fish) 
Buenos Aires ( Level 7, eats plants too, will kill and seriously injure smaller fish, has killed, seriously injured, mutilated smaller fish as witnessed first hand) 


Blue tetras ( 5+ level, yet to be determined) 
Colombian tetra ( 5+ level, yet to be determined)
Dawn Tetra ( 5+ level, yet to be determined)
Silver tip tetra(need more information on) ( 5+ level, yet to be determined)
Serpae ( unknown personally but read on forums) ( 5+ level, yet to be determined)
Bucktooth Tetra(Exodon paradoxus) ( 5+ level, yet to be determined)
Sailfin Tetra (Crenuchus spilurus) (scale nipping) ( 5+ level, yet to be determined)
Oscar (Level 8 Very dangerous) 
Piranha ( Level 9 true monster fish) 
Goliath Tigerfish ( Level 9 true monster fish) 
snakehead ( Level 9 true monster fish) 
Wolffish ( Level 9 true monster fish) 
Aligator Gar ( Level 9 true monster fish) 
Paroon Shark ( Level 9 true monster fish) 
Red Tail Catfish ( Level 9 true monster fish) 
Arowana (Level 9, a true monster fish) 
Vampire tetras aka payara (Level 10: The Tetra Devil) * hunts and kills piranha for fun, seriously! ( Level 10 out of 10!!!!! Also known as the Hydrolycus scomberoides
* Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySL8g5Oi4vE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc22MPCNoA8











* These fish might be ok if you have a " monster" tank with more aggressive, large fish however I have found that if you want a very diverse peaceful community tank(cherry barbs, guppies, neon etc..) these fish from the list above can and will cause problems from my experience. 

Please let me know if you feel strongly about adding a fish to a particular list. 

Lets try to do what would be the most general. I know some people have had aggressive fish probably mellow out in a 150 gallon tank or a neon tetra become aggressive in a 1 gallon overstock tank. I am going for generalization of peaceful vs more aggressive "peaceful" fish not the exception. This list will be a master list not limited to only tetras. 

Thanks.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

There is nothing "wrong" with fish from any of those lists. All fish are just not community tank fish, and I think that is good.

And it is not even as simple as species... In swordtail, red swordtails are more aggressive than others, so it can even be down to the colour.
Serpae's have the problem of 4 similar fishes all being sold as serpaes or minor tetras... only one being fairly subdued.
Still I think if someone wants to keep 6 of a fish that schools by the hundreds, they deserve all the aggression they can get.


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## jr125 (Mar 5, 2015)

I have kept several of the "bad" fish on this list for years in community aquariums with no problems. Fish act differently depending on lots and lots of different variables. Do research on your particular situation and go from there. If I had followed the advice of many of these generalized lists of "good and bad" fish I would not have kept many of the fish I have come to really enjoy over the years.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

Nordic said:


> There is nothing "wrong" with fish from any of those lists. All fish are just not community tank fish, and I think that is good.
> 
> And it is not even as simple as species... In swordtail, red swordtails are more aggressive than others, so it can even be down to the colour.
> Serpae's have the problem of 4 similar fishes all being sold as serpaes or minor tetras... only one being fairly subdued.
> Still I think if someone wants to keep 6 of a fish that schools by the hundreds, they deserve all the aggression they can get.


Which is the subdued version of the Serpae? 

Some honest kid goes in a pet store and is advised to get stuff labeled as " community fish" well, he is probably not expecting to come home and find dead and mutilated fish, in his aquarium from aggression. 

I am simply trying to point out the more peaceful and true community tank fish away from the ones that are more likely to cause harm. 

Some people like watching fish being killed by other fish like the Roman watching the gladiators however I don't. I want fish that get along and are friends :laugh2:


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

jr125 said:


> I have kept several of the "bad" fish on this list for years in community aquariums with no problems. Fish act differently depending on lots and lots of different variables. Do research on your particular situation and go from there. If I had followed the advice of many of these generalized lists of "good and bad" fish I would not have kept many of the fish I have come to really enjoy over the years.


Depends on what you want. 

If you have bigger and more hardy types of community fish than maybe the bad list will be ok however if you have a wide spectrum of community fish with smaller weaker fish, these fish may kill or mutilate the smaller fish even without trying. They may both go for a flake food together and the bigger more aggressive fish may accidentally rip part of the face off a smaller fish. I have seen this happen with before. 

There are monster fish keepers who try to keep the most crazy killer fish they can. There was a guy who had a aquarium in his house killed with sharks( real salt water sharks) and eels in the middle and threaten to throw anyone he disliked into the tank. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g-CB0dOPgw


Some people will keep alligator gars









Almost all the fish in all these list are classified as " Peaceful" however I am trying to make like a scale from 1 to 10 at how peaceful they really are. The top of the list is most peaceful that you can even keep with red cherry shrimp and the ones on the bottom are the most likely to kill or hurt other fish.


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

Honestly Spacelord, how many more of these specious Good vs. Bad fish threads are you planning to post?

Your lists are fraught with hearsay and prejudice.

Six of the fish in your last list I've kept, and they were for the most part, really peaceful..

I've been keeping fish since 1973.


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## _alex_ (Apr 22, 2016)

Dude I'm new here and first one of your threads I have seen and you come across as a guy who knows it all. The shark tank video that is just asinine. Those fish should never be kept in a tank of that size and most of the fish in there with them not be. 

It seems you take everything to the extreme. I've also been keeping saltwater fish for 7 years and never had one mutilated or disfigured. Some aggression yes but not mutilated lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

We have a local out-of-home business LFS and the owner's display tank has..

A school of Cherry Barbs swimming with a school of Black Skirts and Glass Bloodfins. And there's no pile of dead Cherry Barb carcasses in his tank from the killer tetras. 

BTW, Glass Bloodfins have a undeserved ( as in from forum hearsay..) reputation of being 'nippers'. His tank is a big 80 gallon 'community' tank, it's where he keeps some overstock of his Tetras, Rasboras and Barbs. There's also Marginatus Pencilfish and Rasbora Espei in this tank.

Here's a couple of fish that could be placed in a 'cautious' list: the Bucktooth Tetra, (Exodon paradoxus) and the Sailfin Tetra, (Crenuchus spilurus) the only reason I mentioned them is because they have been noted as being specialized feeders, The Bucktooth does a little scale nipping, and the Sailfin has a rather large mouth and is known in the wild as a small piscavore. Both very rarely show up at most Box Fish Stores and are more likely to be seen at your LFS.


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## BrynnaCC (Jan 5, 2014)

I think it's too difficult to come up with a master list because you have to look at how each species interacts with each other species, and too many factors are involved.

Example: My honey gourami is totally peaceful with every other fish in its tank (kubotai, peacock gudgeons, erythromicron, cherry shrimp), but I put one female betta in there and she got aggressive because the betta moved in that familiar anabantoid way. Does that make her aggressive?

There's also the other logistics. I see you've put hatchets as potentially dangerous to shrimp, but for me, I've had no shrimp troubles with them because, while they are active hunters, they only eat things directly above them. With a tall enough tank they may never even see a shrimplet. On the other hand, my neon tetras were avid shrimp hunters because the tank wasn't heavily planted at the time.

My praecox rainbowfish completely ignore my bottom dwellers but will occasionally harass my gold tetras and hatchets. They leave all my more timid fish alone but have chased some of their own females to death. Is this peaceful or aggressive?

Things like space, hiding spots, the way they hunt, whether they are spawning and what they perceive as a threat to their eggs, food competition, and behavioral differences between particular species are all factors in determining aggression.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

GrampsGrunge said:


> Honestly Spacelord, how many more of these specious Good vs. Bad fish threads are you planning to post?
> 
> Your lists are fraught with hearsay and prejudice.
> 
> ...



This is the only list that deals with all fish. The other ones as I have mentioned only deal with Tetra since compatibility charts list all tetra as one fish. 

My fish store has 20 different types of Tetras and they all show up as the same fish on my list. I walk into my fish store with this charted on my smart phone as well as a print out in hand and it offers no help in avoiding problems in my aquarium. 










That is why I started with tetra, this is a new list that deals with ALL Freshwater fish not just tetras. 

Most of my information is based from first hand knowledge from what I have witness myself. Other information is based on other experiences on this forum. 

So people are prejudice now because they want peaceful fish and to keep out more violent fish? Are you going to make an ACLU for fish now? 

What are the 6 fish on the more aggressive list that you feel are peaceful and would you keep them with fancy tail guppies, cherry barbs, small neon tetras without fear of any fish being injured? 

Thanks


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

_alex_ said:


> Dude I'm new here and first one of your threads I have seen and you come across as a guy who knows it all. The shark tank video that is just asinine. Those fish should never be kept in a tank of that size and most of the fish in there with them not be.
> 
> It seems you take everything to the extreme. I've also been keeping saltwater fish for 7 years and never had one mutilated or disfigured. Some aggression yes but not mutilated lol
> 
> ...


I just want to let you know that was not my shark tank but just a random video I came across on youtube when I was looking for clips of the TV show about private equity investors. 

I do not know it all but rather have probably asked a lot more question on this forum then advice I have given. I am trying to give back a little to helps others out and have people upset with me over it. 

I have purchased several of the fish on the aggressive fish list and had my fish killed or mutilated in front of my eyes. 

I have Buenos aires tetra tear the jaw off some smaller tetras, I had 2 dead cherry barbs in 24 hours after added a black skirt tetra to my tank, I have had 5 dead guppies after adding a pictus catfish to my tank. I wish I was armed with this list when I went to the LFS during a fish sale and could have avoid all the carnage in my aquarium. 

My current aquarium setup is a community tank full of very small and peaceful fish. I am tired to having 1 or 2 big fish in an empty tank without any room to move around. So perhaps my fish are more fragile then other aquariums or perhaps the more aggressive of the community fish will mellow out in a 125 gallon heavy planted aquarium after a while. 

In any event, there is nothing wrong with making a ranking system of less aggressive to more aggressive types of community fish. 
I don't know why people are acting like its racist or something.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

GrampsGrunge said:


> We have a local out-of-home business LFS and the owner's display tank has..
> 
> A school of Cherry Barbs swimming with a school of Black Skirts and Glass Bloodfins. And there's no pile of dead Cherry Barb carcasses in his tank from the killer tetras.
> 
> ...


I have maybe 10 cherry barbs for a month and within 24 hours of adding 3 black fin tetras, there were 2 dead cherry barbs. 

The first one died within 20 minutes of adding the black skirt tetra, the second one died about a day later. 

Fish stores will routinely clear out the dead fish in the aquarium. Most of the time you look at the aquarium and everything looks fine. 
They don't act like Oscars being feed feeder fish but a fish does end up dead every once in a while due to the more aggressive fish. 

The bloodfin Tetra was actually the victim of the Buenos Aires tetra. I actually have them on the more peaceful list( not the cherry shrimp peaceful list but the middle one) 
Which may or may not includes peaceful chasing and occasional nipping without killing or mutilation. 

I have added the fish you talk about to the avoid aggressive list. 

Thank you.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

BrynnaCC said:


> I think it's too difficult to come up with a master list because you have to look at how each species interacts with each other species, and too many factors are involved.
> 
> Example: My honey gourami is totally peaceful with every other fish in its tank (kubotai, peacock gudgeons, erythromicron, cherry shrimp), but I put one female betta in there and she got aggressive because the betta moved in that familiar anabantoid way. Does that make her aggressive?
> 
> ...


We don't have to have every fish in the world but it would be nice if we got the list to include most fish found at the major fish stores Petco/Petsmart so people could determine if the so called "community " fish is a good fit for their community tank. 

Betta and Gourami fall into an whole different category. The average person can tell by the name " Siamese fighting fish" or that its isolated in a little cup at the petstore that caution should be adding bettas with other fish. They are also listed on the compatibility charts whereas a fish like the 25 different types of tetras are listed as a single fish on the compatibility charts. 

I have a dedicated shrimp tank, I paid $25 for 6 red cherry shrimp and filled the rest of the tank with over 20 neon tetras. 

I probably have over 50 red cherry shrimp in that tank now from breeding from the 6 shrimp and the neon tetra do not seem to be hunting any shrimp. Are you sure these were not cardinals tetras( they look identical to neons but are a little bigger) ? 

My understanding is that silver hacket fish were probably ok with red cherry shrimp for all the reasons you mentioned however would not be opposed to eating one if one happen to swim over it. 

My hacket fish spend most of the time on the top of the aquarium however do on occasion travel to the middle of the aquarium. If you feel this is not true, let me know and I'll move it into the other list. 

Just because its in the middle list does not mean it won't work with red cherry shrimp but that it may impose more risk then lets say an otto catfish does or a fish with a mouth so small, its impossible to eat a red cherry shrimp.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Well, I think that too many folk's do not perform ANY research on the fishes they purchase BEFORE they place them in their tank's.
This has been the norm for as long as I can remember. 
When I began in the hobby, in 1970's,there was no internet where one can easily find info on various fishes with a little effort.
Most research, will include suitable tankmates,pH,GH,temp's, for various species.
Some of the info is a bit dated ,and some species have adapted to varying water chemistry, but the info in my humble opinion is a good guide.
Is maybe better than relying on a forum where no matter what is suggested,there will always be those who have had success or failure with a particular species .
Do we know really,, what environment the fishes are being kept in? 
Is info posted just to be dismissive/different ? Do the fishes survive more than a few week's?
Other's post problem's with different species with regard's to water chemistry,temperment's, for example.
Are they to be ignored because someone post's that they have seen no such issue's with keeping the same species In water far outside suggested ranges most internet sources suggest, and with what you or I might consider unsuitable tankmates,diet,temp's?
Do we ignore those who have been in the hobby a few decades, and have kept many species more than once? Or does their measured opinion carry more weight?
Forum's in my mind, are like compiling statistic's.
If one searches long enough/hard enough,one can find or manipulate statistic's to suit their cause or point of view.
Fishes we keep have little input.They are subject to their environment,our research, and our care, or lack thereof.
I killed untold number's of fishes when I first began in the hobby, trying to force the fishes to adapt to what I believed they should, and with other species that they should not have been placed with.
Fishes died,and I bought more. I became a fish collector, rather than one who cares for the fish they have.(which one are you?)
I believe a list to help other's is a good thing, if it can help keep folk's from making mistakes that cost them their fishes.
Have yet to se a list of anything/anywhere,any topic, that could not use more discussion and or tweaking.
Differing view's are to be expected on public forum's ,but sarcastic responses serve no useful purpose that I could ever gauge.
Measured opinion's are a good thing.

Take kindly the council of year's, is pretty good advice when you don't know anything.
I resisted this advice when I was a young man, and was not until a few decades had past that I came to realize how smart the old geezer's who were trying to help me, actually were.


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## BrynnaCC (Jan 5, 2014)

SpaceLord said:


> We don't have to have every fish in the world but it would be nice if we got the list to include most fish found at the major fish stores Petco/Petsmart so people could determine if the so called "community " fish is a good fit for their community tank.
> 
> Betta and Gourami fall into an whole different category. The average person can tell by the name " Siamese fighting fish" or that its isolated in a little cup at the petstore that caution should be adding bettas with other fish. They are also listed on the compatibility charts whereas a fish like the 25 different types of tetras are listed as a single fish on the compatibility charts.
> 
> ...


That's my point. IME the honey gourami should absolutely be listed as peaceful, because overall, it is completely docile and a joy to have in many setups. But there may be certain species for which this doesn't apply.

Yes, I've kept both neons and cardinals, and I'm familiar with both. My neons loved shrimp snacks. My swamp darters have tiny mouths that you wouldn't think could take on a shrimp but I've seen them eviscerate a fully-grown one.

My hatchets do occasionally travel to the middle of the tank, but they still won't grab anything that isn't directly overhead, so I would list them as shrimp safe.

But my overarching point is that I don't think you should change your personal list at all, because that's what it is. It's a personal list. Your experiences are things that you can apply to your personal aquarium, based on its size, shape, parameters, number of fish, types of fish, whether they were wild caught or bred, plants, hiding spots. But I don't think you can definitively say, "here's a master list of fish who are peaceful community fish" because fish have so many sets of variables that making a list, while we can make some generalizations, is going to end up looking like that compatibility chart. I do think lumping all tetras together is wrong, but I don't think you can do much better than that chart.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

roadmaster said:


> Well, I think that too many folk's do not perform ANY research on the fishes they purchase BEFORE they place them in their tank's.
> This has been the norm for as long as I can remember.
> When I began in the hobby, in 1970's,there was no internet where one can easily find info on various fishes with a little effort.
> Most research, will include suitable tankmates,pH,GH,temp's, for various species.
> ...


Thank you for the kind words, I do appreciate it. 
I am really trying to help people avoid making the same mistakes that I did and create a list I wish I had when I entered my fish store during a big sale looking to stock up on community fish. 

Most of my fish tanks have either been a few large goldfish in a completely empty tank swimming back and forth or an Oscar is a empty tank swimming back and forth. I came across a youtube video of these beautiful planted tank that were little ecosystems and I wanted to try something different. 

Instead of having couple large fish swimming in an empty tank, I would have very small fish swimming in a tank with caves, rock structure, wood structures, fields of exotic plants,etc... 
I am trying to create a perfect peaceful ecosystem with everything working together and being in balance. 

This was not going to be another goldfish tank or a monster tank with Oscars that would kill anything that entered the tank(but I don't feed live fish, just pellets) but rather a uptopia of plants and fish. 

Anyway, I was armed with my compatibility chart like a good boy and found it was worthless(especially in the TETRA category) since it showed up all as one fish. 
Tetra is almost like saying " fish" its so broad of a category. 
Freshwater & Brackish Fish Compatibility Chart | thatpetplace.com

Anyway, I was horrified when I saw smaller fish getting their face ripped off, jaw ripped off, half eaten,etc... from fish like Buenos Aires Tetra, Pictus catfish, etc... Many of the fish getting killed were smaller and weaker Tetra even though the killer was also a Tetra. The compatibility list was completely worthless. LiveAquaria.com said this fish was peaceful, the chart on the petstore said it was a community fish yet it was killing the smaller fish. 

So this is why I want to make the list and hope people will print out this list and bring it to them in the Petstore to prevent making a big mistake. 

We both know that not all community fish are created the same and even though they may all be rated as Peaceful by liveaquaria.com or shown to be compatibility on the charts that may not be the case.

Some fish are more peaceful than other fish. Perhaps the fish was starving and that is the reason it killed all those fish but people in well fed aquariums don't have a problem with them, I'm not sure that cause. 

I think you touched on the problem a bit and noticed that in these forums, you have people demonizing a harmless fish because it may like to chase another fish once in a while or defending a fish that is obviously capability of killing other fish. 

I am trying to get an honest as possible list on a more detailed classification ( Maybe 1-10 level) of how aggressive the fish may be in a community fish tank. While it may not be an exact science, a Buenos aires tetra is more aggressive and likely to kill than a glow light or neon tetra. 

To answer your question, I am not trying to be a fish collector but rather create a real ecosystem that works with plants and fish. I would like to create as good as an environment as I can for both. 
I am monitoring ammonia levels, have the best biological filtration media I could find in my canister filter with UV sterilizer with an over $100 automatic feeder so they don't starve when I'm away.

Would you want to share some of your vast experience to help me build the list? You can even PM me if you think I have anything wrong or if you think I should add a list to any list. You can even give me a number of 1 to 10 on how aggressive you feed the fish is or just share what experience you have encountered with any particular fish. 

I think there is enough knowledge on this forum to make a pretty good list as long as people don't try to sabotage the list with exceptions to the rule. The key word is generalization what is most likely for the fish. 

I saw a book at the bookstore once called " Unlikely friends" in which animals which may usually be enemies are actually friends. I feel that people are taking that concept and want to apply it to the list. Just because someone is able to keep a Goldfish and an Oscar together does not mean that should be on the list of compatibility fish.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

Nordic said:


> There is nothing "wrong" with fish from any of those lists. All fish are just not community tank fish, and I think that is good.
> 
> And it is not even as simple as species... In swordtail, red swordtails are more aggressive than others, so it can even be down to the colour.
> Serpae's have the problem of 4 similar fishes all being sold as serpaes or minor tetras... only one being fairly subdued.
> Still I think if someone wants to keep 6 of a fish that schools by the hundreds, they deserve all the aggression they can get.


Nothing wrong with this fish?









This would be ok in your community tank :grin2: This particular fish hunt and eat Piranha and for some reason, some LFS sell them. They are a Tetra and the compatibility charts show all tetra as the same fish. 

Hey, which one of the serpaes is the subdued one? 

Thanks.


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## sevendust111 (Jul 15, 2014)

Another issue that makes this more complicated is school/shoal size. I find the larger they are, the less aggressive. Due to some deaths, I ended up with a single long finned white cloud at one point and he terrorized everything my tank.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

sevendust111 said:


> Another issue that makes this more complicated is school/shoal size. I find the larger they are, the less aggressive. Due to some deaths, I ended up with a single long finned white cloud at one point and he terrorized everything my tank.


Did the white cloud kill any fish? 

I have some in my cherry shrimp tank and they seem pretty peaceful. 

Thanks.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

Would anyone like to rate these fish on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being the most peaceful and 10 being the most aggressive? 

I believe the follow fish are at very least a 5 or more. 

If you read my original post, you can see how I rate some of the other fish from 1 to 10. 

I don't have any first hand knowledge with the follow fish so hopefully I can get some input from other people who have owned these fish before in a community tank. 

Thanks: 

Blue tetras 
Colombian tetra 
Dawn Tetra 
Silver tip tetra
Serpae 
Bucktooth Tetra
Sailfin Tetra


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## sevendust111 (Jul 15, 2014)

I didn't let it get that far. I donated the white cloud.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

There was also a study that shows fish that are real life adversaries/competitors show more aggression towards each other when placed in a tank.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

Nordic said:


> There was also a study that shows fish that are real life adversaries/competitors show more aggression towards each other when placed in a tank.



Do you have any examples? 

Like Betta and Gourami?


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

That would be a good example..


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

To me,absolutely nothing other than substrate and décor is anything near natural to fishes confined in glass box of water.It is very unnatural.
In the wild,,fishes can move away from more aggressive or predatory fishes, and or they can move from water that is too warm to deeper cooler water.
Often it is suggested that minimum number's for schooling/shoaling species is six, when in nature,they may shoal in number's in the hundred's/thousand's.(safety in number's)
In nature,those fishes that are compatible will be found together.
Those that are not won't, unless being preyed upon or preying upon smaller fishes.
I have done a fair amount of research on lot's of species over a few year's and from several sources rather than one or two, and I do not agree that compatability list's show all tetra's for example as being compatible.
Maybe all member's of a certain species/classification, but as mentioned,, a little extra research will usually suggest suitable tank mates,pH,GH,diet's,temp's, etc. 
List from one to ten for meek or mild with many species will be different with number's of fish,tank size,male/female number's,tankmates,food available.
All reason's in my view why folk's wind up with multiple tank's so they can keep multiple species or at least that is my thinking/ experience.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

> All reason's in my view why folk's wind up with multiple tank's so they can keep multiple species or at least that is my thinking/ experience.


I have multiple tanks just to aggravate the hell out of my wife lol. JK! I think you are right, it is how I got started with multiple tanks. I had a VC10 and a bunch of other cichlids that came with my 75 when I bought it and once the VC10 got big enough he systematically killed tank mates one at a time. I got another tank so I could isolate him. From seriously fish:


> A relatively peaceful species that does well in a community of larger Malawians.


 No not so much in my case lol. 

I can tell you another fish that doesnt do well with tank mates is Labidochromis hongi. Mine is an absoluely gorgeous fish but what a jerk. Mine had a female tank mate and killed her. I also had a large sailfin pleco, three times the size of the hongi, the hongi bullied the pleco to the point I thought the hongi was going to kill it. A little fish with brass nads perfectly willing to take on fish twice its size, bravado in the extreme.

Some species are solitary in nature and should be kept that way in an aquarium. Unfortunately that is a hard lesson learned sometimes.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

roadmaster said:


> To me,absolutely nothing other than substrate and décor is anything near natural to fishes confined in glass box of water.It is very unnatural.
> In the wild,,fishes can move away from more aggressive or predatory fishes, and or they can move from water that is too warm to deeper cooler water.
> Often it is suggested that minimum number's for schooling/shoaling species is six, when in nature,they may shoal in number's in the hundred's/thousand's.(safety in number's)
> In nature,those fishes that are compatible will be found together.
> ...


My 55 gallon tank is filled with Level 1 fish(from the list) 
Red Cherry Shrim, Cory, Otto cat fish, white cloud, neon, glow light tetra, glass catfish. 

My 75 is filled with Level 1-4 and no more fish death from violence from other fish from either tank. 

Once you go into level 5+ you start getting into the injuring and death from aggressive. 

The chart really deals with aggression more then compatibility however perhaps I could add some basic stats such as normal water temperature. 

Thanks for the suggestion. Please let me know if you have anymore great ideas. Thanks again.


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## Docock (Aug 5, 2015)

This is a great idea, if we can compile everyones experiences we could achieve an incredible chart. 

Does anyone have experience with wrestling halfbeaks or honeycomb catfish?


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