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. The centerpiece fish attracts attention and stands out by its color or size. It also helps to get along with other swimmers in your community tank. Which one should you get, though? It’s a tricky question to answer since we don’t want a larger fish to gobble up the others!
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. Your centerpiece fish must be noticed and stand out. This is where two key factors come into play:
– Color – Size
The five fish we have chosen below are all variations of the same pattern and color. These fish are also more robust than the community fish. You can have a fish who stands out even in a small tank.
In this article, we’ll go through our personal favorite and top 5 centerpiece fish here at Aquarium Co-op. These species can all be happy in a small tank (minimum 29 gallon) and will not eat other fish.
Our Top 5 Picks:
You can have one fish in any size tank: a 10 gallon, 20 gallon, 25 gallon or 29-gallon.
5. Angelfish
The striking angelfish lives up to their name with its beautiful form, distinctive fins, and beautiful striped pattern. They are not suitable for 10-gallon tanks. However, if your tank is larger than 20-25 gallons (especially tall vertical tanks), these angelfish will fit in well and thrive. They can be aggressive but if they have only one, which we encourage, they will be more friendly and docile.
4. Gourami
Gouramis look a lot like bettas. They are both part of the Siamese fightingfish family. The honey gourami, which can grow to approximately 2″ to 2.5″, is a perfect centerpiece fish. It has a distinctive yellow color and only 2″ to 2.5″. Another choice? The female powderblue gourami is beautiful and shimmery. It’s slightly larger than honey. To prevent aggression, only one should be obtained. It is up to the fish whether or not they want to eat shrimp. There’s always risk in adding shrimp to fish that are too big for their mouths. Although 5 gallons may seem a little too small, we recommend at minimum 10 gallons as the ideal habitat size.
3. Apistogramma / Dwarf Cichlid
This striped fish is our number three choice with its bright orange and black fins. Choose a male for the best color. Another option is the Agassizii variety. The Agassizii double-red color is very striking. The mostly orange Japanese Fire Red is another variety. 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. Although a 10 Gallon is a bit small, a 20 Gallon or more will suffice.
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. They can live as one fish.
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 resemble actual koi and are very pretty. Although male bettas are sometimes aggressive, as long as one is kept and they have enough space in a 20-gallon aquarium, they will be fine. Each betta is unique, so it all depends on the fish! However, we recommend it as a centerpiece.