What is the top 10 'not to buy' fishes for my aquarium?

Question

I have recently started my aquarium but have found it difficult mixing fish as some are compatible and some are not. There are very aggressive fish out there but don't know which one's to avoid and which one's are ok as a community. What are the top 10 fish to avoid purchasing?

Answer 1

Here's a good chart that will help you out!

Answer 2

It's difficult to give you an "exact" answer because there's a lot to consider besides just the temperment of the fish. How large is your tank? If it will outgrow the size you have, even a "good" fish may not work for you. Do you have a heater? Different fish have different temperature requirements, plus theyall have preferences for hardness, pH, salt, etc.

I'd say to stay away from most cichlids (there are a few that are peaceful enough for a community tank), or anything that will get to an extremely large size or is a predator (arawana, gars, freshwater barracuda, red-tailed catfish, common plecostomous).

Here's a few links to sites with "fish profiles" where you can look up info about a particular fish and what it can be kept with - choose what works best for your interests & water chemistry!
http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=16
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/000tropfishcareguides.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/TropicalFishProfiles.htm

BTW: "fishes" is the correct term - "fish" is the plural for all fish of one species; "fishes" is plural for fish of different species!

Answer 3

IMO there are several fishes that are not suitable to aquariums and should not be sold.

1. Iridescent Sharks--The smallest species grow to 3-4 feet long and weight 90-120 pounds. Some species sold as iridescent sharks grow over 9 feet and weight close to 1000 pounds. You would have to have your own personal tropical lake to keep one of these.
2. Pacus--They grow to 2 feet long, weigh in excess of 40 pounds, and are known tank busters. Because of their hard head and fast moving, they are capable of shattering the glass many aquariums. And because they are a shoaling fish, they need to be kept in groups, so no less than 1000 gallons for Pacus. Pacus should still be sold, but online, where the only people who will buy them are people who actually can keep them.
3. Common Plecos--Like Pacus, they should only be sold to aquarists with very large aquariums. They grow usually to 18-24 inches, but it is not uncommon for one to grow to 3 feet long. Too many people buy them to "clean" their tank, but in realitly the pleco is causing tons of problems because it is in a tank that is way too small.

Answer 4

here is a small list of community fish --

smaller tetras
rasboras
danios
white clouds
cory cats
rainbows
smaller gouramis (dwarf, sparkling)
shimp
guppies
mollies platies and swordfish (better in brackish water)

one of the things to avoid the most is the "algae eater" they only eat algae when they are young and then develop a taste for the sides of your slower moving fish.

Answer 5

Avoid tiger barbs they can be agressive.

Answer 6

It's FISH not FISHES.