Speaker A
Hey everyone, Cory from Aquarium Co-Op. Today I want to talk about centerpiece fish for 29-gallon tanks and smaller. It's one of our most requested questions here in the store.
Discover the top 5 colorful centerpiece fish ideal for small to medium community aquariums up to 29 gallons.
Key Takeaways
- Choosing a single colorful centerpiece fish for small tanks requires balancing size, temperament, and compatibility.
- Angelfish and Apistogramma species are top choices for visually striking centerpiece fish in community aquariums.
- Smaller gouramis like honey gouramis and female powder blue gouramis offer color without excessive aggression.
- Bolivian Rams and Danios complement centerpiece fish well by adding activity without harassment.
- Tank size and fish behavior are critical factors to ensure peaceful coexistence and a beautiful aquarium.
What the video covers
- Cory from Aquarium Co-Op discusses the challenge of selecting a single colorful centerpiece fish for tanks 29 gallons and smaller.
- Angelfish is recommended as a striking centerpiece fish for 25-29 gallon tanks, ideally kept singly to avoid aggression.
- Honey gouramis are a small, colorful, and docile option suitable for tanks as small as 5 gallons, though not fully shrimp safe.
- Female powder blue gouramis are preferred over males due to lower aggression and make excellent solo specimens.
- Apistogramma species, especially males like Kakatye tees, are colorful and adaptable, suitable for community tanks with moderate pH.
- Bolivian Rams are recommended as peaceful, colorful fish that grow to about 3 inches and add personality to the tank.
- Danios are suggested as good companions that are not overly aggressive and complement centerpiece fish well.
- Apistogramma borellii is highlighted for its vibrant color and ability to thrive in unheated tanks, staying relatively small.
- The video emphasizes the importance of tank size, fish compatibility, and behavior when choosing centerpiece fish.
- Cory shares personal experience and practical advice on fish selection, care, and community tank dynamics.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction to centerpiece fish for small tanks
- 00:25Common questions about fish size and color
- 01:06First recommendation: Angelfish
- 01:34Angelfish care and tank size considerations
- 02:03Fourth recommendation: Honey gourami
- 02:22Gourami varieties and suitability
- 02:54Female powder blue gouramis as solo fish
- 03:42Apistogramma species and their traits
- 04:51Bolivian Rams and their tank compatibility
- 05:11Danios as companions for centerpiece fish
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
People come in and Say I've Got a 20 Gallon or i've Got a 10 or i've Got 25 and i want one fish That gets Kind of Big and is Colorful to live with all my Other tiny fish and That's like The most difficult question to answer because
Speaker A
People come in and say, "I've got a 20-gallon, or I've got a 10, or I've got 25, and I want one fish that gets kind of big and is colorful to live with all my other tiny fish." And that's like the most difficult question to answer because
Speaker A
Now obviously if you have a ten Gallon i don't recommend This but like these Filipino blues They'll be striking Everyone That Looks at Your Aquariums gonna Say oh wow i love Angelfish Your angelfish Looks so Good Mine's so Mean But because you only have One they won't be fighting and so That'll Be Great?
Speaker A
typically a fish that gets big eats smaller fish. But here are my recommendations. I've got five of them for you, with the first one being angelfish. Now I recommend it is one, simply one angel in that 29 or 25-gallon tank, hopefully it's a little bit taller.
Speaker A
Showpiece Even as small as a five Gallon tank but ten Gallons and Up a Little Bit Better over here we have?
Speaker A
Now obviously if you have a 10-gallon, I don't recommend this, but like these Filipino blues, they'll be striking. Everyone that looks at your aquarium's gonna say, "Oh wow, I love angelfish. Your angelfish looks so good." Mine's so mean. But because you only have one, they won't be fighting, and so that'll be great.
Speaker A
and it'S gonna you Know Walk Around Like It owns the tank and It'll be the thing you've Been Looking Forward to set off your fish if you didn't. Have a bunch of blue Already My Number three fish is going to be one
Speaker A
Number four, we have certain gouramis, my favorite being the honey gourami. It only gets about two, two and a half inches, pretty docile, a lot of color in a small package here. And I'm not gonna say shrimp safe, but I have kept my shrimp and they don't prey on them that much, and could be your
Speaker A
Here we've Got the double reds and then We've also Got the japanese fire reds Over here?
Speaker A
showpiece even as small as a five-gallon tank, but ten gallons and up a little bit better. Over here we have
Speaker A
Say Tends The bare minimum but really i'd like to see a Twenty or more and Yeah so Let's go on to number two and I almost Forgot apistogramma borellii What makes them so cool is they don't even have to be in a Heated tank There's a Lot of Color
Speaker A
female powder blue gouramis, also another great choice. I wouldn't do the males; they tend to be pretty aggressive. You could do one, but I like the females as a one-off solo specimen. Nice bright blue, a little bit bigger a fish,
Speaker A
But Gorgeous fish and Just Not Worth mentioning for sure as their showpiece Number two for me is the bolivian Ram Now It might not look like a showstopper When you're seeing it in the store But you Get One coloured up looking Pretty Good and there are force to be reckoned with they Get about three inches or so
Speaker A
and it's gonna, you know, walk around like it owns the tank, and it'll be the thing you've been looking forward to set off your fish if you didn't have a bunch of blue already. My number three fish is going to be one
Speaker A
Danios and Things Like That and not be so boisterous that They're gonna Harass everything so i think They're a Great Pairing for That showpiece fish You've Been looking for My Number one recommendation for a community tank with nothing aggressive and you want
Speaker A
Apistogramma. Usually you're gonna pick a male because they've got a lot of color on them. I would stick to Kaka Tye Tees, either orange flash or super red. Possibly you go with egg disease. They're a little bit more aggressive, you know, we've got
Speaker A
There's Crown tails if you give them these big big flowy fins AnyThing That swims Really Fast Will peck at them so it could be Danios could be Sur pietrus Stuff Like That and vice versa They're gonna hunt Things a Little Bit like Shrimp and Stuff like that so i really
Speaker A
here we've got the double reds, and then we've also got the Japanese fire reds over here.
Speaker A
They Really Stand out in the aquarium All Your friends Will Wonder like How do you do that That can't be done it can be done They Just They tend to hold Their own and when you give them a bunch of space
Speaker A
But they only get about three inches or so. They don't need, you know, high pH. They can handle a relatively low pH, in fact. But anywhere in the middle is pretty good for them, and, you know, they're adaptable and they'll go well with lots of those schooling fish. I would
Speaker A
All i can Say Is all of our Bettas in the store Here live in our community tanks?
Speaker A
say tends the bare minimum, but really I'd like to see a twenty or more. And yeah, so let's go on to number two. And I almost forgot, Apistogramma borellii. What makes them so cool is they don't even have to be in a heated tank. There's a lot of color
Speaker A
store Are always in community tanks and The Best Part about that is They're available everywhere you don't Have to say Hey Cory i can't find female powder blues i can't Find pizza Grandmas i can't find i can't find
Speaker A
to them. They don't get as big; they stay pretty small. So you can see here we've got them living with like reticulated hillstream loaches.
Topics:centerpiece fishcommunity aquariumsmall aquarium fishangelfishhoney gouramipowder blue gouramiapistogrammabolivian ramdaniosaquarium co-op
