37 Best Community Fish For Your Freshwater Aquarium

If you have a tropical aquarium, you probably want to keep a variety of different fish species together. But with so many beautiful fish to choose from, making the right decision can be challenging.

What species make the best community fish for a freshwater tank? Can you keep small and large fish together? And are shrimp and snails safe to include in a planted community tank?

Read this guide to discover the 37 best community fish for your freshwater aquarium!

37 Best Community Fish For Your Freshwater Aquarium

Of the hundreds of tropical fish species that you’ll see for sale in your local fish store and online, we think that the 37 fish on our list are some of the best for a freshwater community aquarium.

1. Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna)

Honey gouramis are found in India and Bangladesh. 

These are peaceful, shy fish that need a tank with plenty of plant cover and shelter where they can get away from amorous males and nosey tank mates. Honey gouramis are easy to care for omnivores that thrive on a diet of fish flakes and frozen meaty foods.

2. White Cloud Mountain Minnow (Tanichthys micagemmae)

White Cloud Mountain Minnows are pretty little fish that can make a nice addition to a nano community tank. 

The fish is endangered and considered rare in its natural environment in China despite efforts to reintroduce populations of White Cloud Mountain Minnows into the wild. However, at the time of writing, all the fish that you see in the trade are captive-bred.

3. Pictus Catfish (Pimelodus pictus)

Pictus catfish are peaceful, nocturnal fish that make a good addition to a community tank and can live with many other non-aggressive species.

You can include more than one Pictus catfish in your setup, provided that you give them both a hollow log or cave to hide out in during the daytime. 

4. Blue Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus)

Blue gouramis are beautiful fish that can make an attractive addition to a large community aquarium, gliding gracefully amid your plants, occasionally coming to the surface to breathe through their labyrinth organ.

These are one of the hardiest gourami species that need a heavily planted tank in which to be happy.

5. Diamond Tetra (Moenkhausia pittieri)

Diamond tetras are gorgeous little freshwater fish that make a fabulous addition to a community tank. These sparkling tetras are super-easy to care for, making them ideal for a beginner.

Just be wary of keeping large, predatory fish in the same tank, in case these little guys end up being lunch!

6. Rubber Lip Pleco (Chaestoma milesi)

The Rubber Lip pleco is a peaceful, bottom-dwelling fish that can make a good addition to a large freshwater tank. 

These plecos spend much of their day grazing on algae, although you will have to supplement their diet with algae wafers, or they might starve.

7. Zebra Danio (Danio rerio)

Zebra Danios are beautiful little nano fish that are easy to care for, breed readily, and can be kept in a tank without a heater.

These pretty black and white striped fish make great members of a peaceful community setup. However, it’s safest not to keep them with large semi-aggressive species that might view the danios as a food source.

8. Harlequin Rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha)

Harlequin rasboras are relative newcomers to the hobby, only having appeared on the scene in the early 1900s. 

These lively little fish are extremely popular members of tropical, freshwater community tanks that are easy to care for and make a stunning display in a large shoal.

9. Glowlight Tetra (Danio rerio)

Glowlight tetras are gorgeous little nano fish that make a perfect addition to a peaceful community setup, making a wonderful display when kept in large shoals.

Glowlights come from river habitats in Guyana and appreciate plenty of lush planting and open swimming space, too.

10. Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus Cirrhosus)

Bristlenose Plecos are bottom-dwelling herbivores that like a well-aerated tank with a decent current that replicates their natural habitat of the Amazon River Basin in South America.

These peaceful, and they’re sociable fish spend their time grazing on algae, helping to keep your tank clean.

11. Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster Ialius)

Dwarf gouramis are beautiful fish that can make a nice addition to a peaceful community tank. Males can be aggressive toward each other when females are included in the mix, so a single-sex group is best.

These fish come in several color variants, including flame red and powder blue. Dwarf gouramis are labyrinth breathers, so they need access to the water surface. 

12. Guppy Fish (Poecilia reticulata)

Guppy fish are probably the most popular tropical aquarium fish species with beginners in the hobby.

Guppies are brightly colored, peaceful, easy to care for fish that breed very readily. Hence the guppy fish’s common name of Millions fish!

13. Dwarf Pencilfish (Nannostomus marginatus)

The Dwarf Pencilfish is an unusual fish that’s not often seen in the hobby. That’s a shame because these attractive nano fish are peaceful and easy to care for, making a lovely display when kept in groups of ten.

14. Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)

Neon tetras are gorgeous little swimming gems that make a sparkling addition to a community tank when kept in a school of ten or more.

These fish are easy to care for and you can breed them quite easily too.

15. Celestial Pearl Danio (Danio margaritatus)

Celestial Pearl Danios or GalaxyRasboras are incredibly beautiful little nano fish that can bring masses of color and vibrancy to a community setup.

These fish need very stable water conditions to remain healthy and stress-free.

16. Congo Tetra (Phenacogrammus interruptus)

Congo tetras need a well-planted tank with plenty of hiding places and floating plants.

These fish need to be kept in a school of at least six individuals and mix well with other peaceful species.

17. Platy Fish (Xiphophorus maculatus)

For a lively, medium-sized fish that fits in well in a community setup, check out the Platy fish. 

Platys come in a wide range of colors and patterns, they’re easy to look after, and make perfect beginner fish.

18. Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi)

Cardinal tetras are often mistaken for Neon tetras, although they are not the same species. 

Cardinals make good community fish and look very impressive when kept in large schools. However, they are not as straightforward to care for as Neons.

19. Bala Shark (Balantiocheilos melanopterus)

These spectacular black and white fish can make good community members, although they do grow very large, so you need a big tank to accommodate them.

The Bala Shark is calm, laid back, and easy to care for, too.

20. Black Skirt Tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi)

Although Black Skirt tetras can make excellent community fish, they do have a reputation as being fin nippers. For that reason, I recommend that you don’t keep these attractive fish with species that have long, flowing fins

21. Molly Fish (Poecilia sphenops)

Molly fish are another extremely popular species of aquarium fish that are ideal for a beginner’s community tank.

These livebearers are prolific breeders that come in a wide range of colors, forms, and patterns.

22. Siamese Algae Eater (Crossocheilus oblongus)

Siamese Algae Eaters are great community fish that provide a helpful service to the aquarium keeper in that they do what their name suggests. So, if you introduce a few of these fish to your tank, they will spend their time grazing on algae, keeping your tank and plants clean.

23. Sparkling Gourami (Trichopsis pumila)

Although Sparkling gouramis do make good community fish, they can be territorial and semi-aggressive when spawning.

These fish need a well-planted aquarium with plenty of hiding places where the fish can take shelter.

24. Corydoras Catfish (Corydoras)

Corys are an extremely popular aquarium fish that make wonderful community members and are one of my personal favorites!

These hardy, cute little catfish spend their whole lives scavenging on the tank bottom for leftover food and eating general detritus.

25. Marbled Hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata)

Marbled Hatchetfish are peaceful community fishes that can make an attractive addition to your tank.

The fish will eat flake food, but they need meaty proteins, including bloodworms and mosquito larvae, too.

26. Otocinclus (Otocinclus)

Otos are peaceful, sociable little bottom-dwelling fish that need to be kept in groups of five or six.

The tank should be well-planted, with plenty of places for the fish to hide.

27. Threadfin Rainbowfish (Iriatherina werneri)

These elegant little fish make a beautiful rainbow display in a community tank, especially when kept in schools of ten or even more.

The male fish’s fins are long and flowing with delicate filaments at their extremities, giving a pretty, feathered appearance.

28. Bolivian Ram Cichlid (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus)

With its striking colors and placid nature, the Bolivian ram is one of the more peaceful cichlid species that can be incorporated into a community tank.

These fish are easy to care for and suitable for a beginner to the wonderful world of cichlids.

29. Pearl Gourami (Trichopodus leerii)

Pearl gouramis are one of the most attractive gourami species that make a good addition to a large community tank.

These elegant fish need plenty of swimming space to be happy.

30. Peacock Gudgeon (Tateurndina ocellicauda)

Peacock Gudgeons live in large, loose shoals in streams, rivulets, and rainforest ponds, where they can be seen hovering just above the substrate.

These peaceful little fish need a biologically mature aquarium with lots of dense plants, rocky caves, and driftwood for shelter.

31. Cherry Barb (Puntius titteya)

Cherry barbs are brightly colored little fish that must be kept in schools of at least five individuals to show their best colors.

These are some of the more peaceful species of barbs that can do well in a community setup.

32. Ember Tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae)

Ember tetras make a glowing display in a nano tank or with other tetra species in large schools.

These fish show their best colors when kept in optimum conditions and fed a high-quality diet. 

33. Kuhli Loach (Pangio kuhlii)

The Kuhli Loach is a small, eel-like fish that spends most of its time on the bottom of the tank. 

These peaceful loaches do well when kept in small groups in a well-planted tank and can make great members of a community of non-aggressive species.

34. Chili Rasbora (Boraras brigittae)

Chili Rasboras are also known as Mosquito Rasboras. These are tiny schooling fish that have become popular in the hobby. 

Although tiny, these lively, fun fish bring a vibrant splash of color to your aquarium.

35. Glass Catfish (Kryptopterus vitreolus)

As their name suggests, Glass Catfish are completely transparent, so you can even see their skeletons!

These peaceful community fish add a touch of the unusual to any tropical aquarium setup.

36. Green Swordtails (Xiphophorus hellerii)

There are many variations of Green Swordtails, each with slightly different coloration. Male fish have the characteristic long, pointed caudal fin of all Swordtails.

Although these fish can live peacefully in a community, males tend to be territorial and fights can break out if there are too many in the tank.

37. Pygmy Corydoras (Corydoras pygmaeus)

Pygmy Corys are friendly little fish that are perfectly suited to life in a nano tank with a large school of its own kind. 

These fish don’t do well in general community tanks, as they are often picked on by larger tank mates and potentially eaten by semi-aggressive types. 

In Conclusion

Did you enjoy our guide to the 37 best community fish for your freshwater aquarium? If you loved it, please share!

All the fish featured here can be kept in mixed tanks, although you should always research every species you want to keep to make sure that they share similar requirements in terms of water parameters and diet. Also, be aware that very tiny fish may be viewed as a food source by larger species.

If you have a community tank, we’d love to hear what fish you keep. Tell us in the comments box below.