Species Aquarium Or Community Aquarium?
This is one question that confronted me when I was setting up my first aquarium, and there is no definitive answer to it.
A species tank is typically one which has only one species of fish (in truth, it is rare to find a species tank, since you would want other species such as algae eaters as well in your tank), while a community tank contains a number of different species of fish – typically species that you may not find living together in their natural habitat. As an example, even if you were to have the lace gourami and the dwarf gourami in your tank, it for all purposes be a community tank.
Hence, one of the factors that determine whether or not you should have a species tank, is the fishes that you want to have in your aquarium. If you want only one variety of fish, it would simplify things, however the tendency is to go for a community tank, because of the variety that it offers, and hence should choose their fish carefully.
I for instance have a community tank with Black Ghosts, Paradise gouramis, neon rainbows and black phantom tetras, and the different fish add a lot of life to the tank. On the other hand, if I were to go for discus, I would prefer a species tank, since just by themselves they are an extremely pretty fish, and there is a wide coloration that you can get within them.
Can I keep it? is a good tool to find out whether the fishes you are considering buying, are compatible with each other or not. You would need to download the software, and install it. It’s quite easy to use – when you click on the name of a fish, incompatible species are dimmed, indicating that they cannot be kept with the selected fish. A brief explanation of any problems specific to the fish are noted in the text box at the bottom of the application window. You can click on as many fish as you like, and each time the program will remove incompatible species, further refining the list of species that will work well in your community tank.
It would be best to do your own research as well.
For instance, I ended up losing quite a few neon tetras before finally deciding that these small pretty fish are best kept in a tank of their own.
Must reads:
Introducing New Fish To Your Aquarium
5 Tips To Help You Buy Your First Fish For Your Tank
5 Top Reasons Why Fish Die, And How To Save Them
What Should I Feed My Fish?
