Top 5 Centerpiece Fish for Your Small to Medium Sized Community Aquarium
Creating your own ‘school of fish’ in a medium-sized or small fish tank is a fun and rewarding experience. You can make it even more enjoyable by adding a showpiece fish as your aquatic pride & joy. A centerpiece fish draws attention, stands out through either color or size, and also gets along with the other swimmers in the community tank. Which one should you get, though? We don’t want the larger fish eating the smaller ones!
What to Look for in a Centerpiece Fish?
Before you go fish shopping for that perfect species, let’s go through the highlighted traits you’ll need to keep in mind. It must stand out from the crowd and be seen to make it a show-stopper fish. Here are two important factors:
– Color – Size
Below are five fish that we chose to highlight the different patterns and colors of each feature. These fish tend to grow slightly larger than most community fish. Even if your tank is smaller, you can still have fish that stand out.
We’ll be discussing our favorite and top five centerpiece fish at Aquarium Co-op in this article. These fish will live happily in a tank of 29 gallons or less – and they won’t eat any other fish!
Our Top 5 Picks
No matter how big your tank is, it doesn’t matter if you have a 10 gallon or 20 gallon tank.
5. Angelfish
The striking angelfish is a stunning fish with a beautiful body, distinct fins and a lovely striped pattern. These little beauties aren’t for 10-gallon tanks, but if you have upwards of 20 or 25 gallons (especially a vertically tall tank), they’ll fit right in and enjoy the space. Although they can be quite aggressive, they are much more docile and easygoing if there is only one.
4. Gourami
Gouramis are similar to bettas in appearance. Honey gourami makes a great centerpiece fish. It only grows to 2 to 2.5 inches in length and has a distinct warm yellow color. Another choice? The female powderblue gourami is beautiful and shimmery. It’s slightly larger than honey. To prevent aggression, only one should be obtained. Shrimp can be eaten by fish, but it is up to them whether they like it. There’s always risk in adding shrimp to fish that are too big for their mouths. While 5 gallons is a bit of a squeeze, we recommend at least 10 gallons and up as an ideal habitat size.
3. Apistogramma / Dwarf Cichlid
The striped fish, with its black and flaming orange fins, is our third recommendation. Choose a male for the best color. The Agassizii color range is also available. The double red is especially striking. Another option is the Japanese Fire Red which is mostly orange. The Apistogramma Borellii, a yellow dwarf cichlid, is another option. It doesn’t require a heated tank. These cichlids grow to about 3″ in length, they can handle a relatively low pH in the water and are adaptable enough to go with many smaller fish species. A 10 gallon may seem small, but you can get by with a minimum of 20 gallons.
2. Bolivian Ram
This species has fewer bright colors, thanks to its muted striped color palette. However, they are 3 inches in size, making them a great centerpiece fish. Their tails are long and have pretty trailer fins. Plus, they’re also easy to care for and have a remarkably peaceful demeanor. They don’t bother other species. Living as a single fish is just fine.
1. Betta Fish
Our number one choice is the betta fish! Our number one pick is the betta fish. However, other fish might be tempted to eat their stunning crown tails or half-moon fins. We suggest the Plakat Betta Pugnax or Betta Pugnax with shorter fins. The Koi ones look just like real koi and are very beautiful. While male bettas can be aggressive, they are fine as long you only keep one and give them enough space in the 20-gallon tank. Bettas are all unique and each fish has their own personality. However, we recommend it as a centerpiece.
