Choosing Fish for Proper Stocking

One aspect of compatibility in raising a community of fishes is the leveling in the aquarium. Different fishes prefer different levels inside the tank. Having fishes that prefer different levels in the tank will produce a more attractive tank and it assures that the fishes would not have to compete for territories in the aquarium.

Top Dwelling Fish

Top dwellers prefer to be nearest the surface of the water in an aquarium. Usually, these fishes have mouths pointing upward suitable for feeding from the surface. They linger near the surface of the water and wait for food to come. Top dwellers add attraction to the top level of the tank by having a presence of movement in that area which is most often with the least decoration. Some top dwellers are very strong jumpers. Make sure you put a lid or a hood on your tank to prevent the fish from leaping out of the tank.

Middle Dwelling Fish

Ideally, these fishes when placed on the tank should be more of the active fish kind. The middle part of your tank is the focal point of your tank. When active movement is present in the focal point then you would have a very attractive tank. You can choose to put a school of fish as middle dwellers or larger fish such as Gouramis or Cichlids.

Bottom Dwelling Fish

Bottom dwellers take attention to the bottom of the tank. These fishes are often called cleaners since they feed on excess food that sink to the bottom as well as some algae. Most of these fishes have downturned mouths that allow them to eat easier when scavenging or looking for food. Keep in mind that when giving food to the tank, the bottom dwellers are the last to get to the food. You may want to supply sinking foods to ensure that your bottom dwellers eat well too.

Choosing Fish

Do a reasearch or reading on the fish that you like to have in your tank community. There are a lot of good reads and sources on the internet. Don't forget to consider behavior, size of tank, size of fish, and water conditions for proper compatibility.