People often ask, what kind of tropical fish is better to put in a tank with aquatic plants as the main theme? Some even often put large fish that are not suitable for aquatic plants in tanks, resulting in all the aquatic plants being eaten by the fish or uprooted. Therefore, before stocking ornamental fish (preferably at the beginning of purchasing an aquarium), consider what kind of fish to keep, whether it is mainly to watch fish or to enjoy aquatic plants and landscaping, the requirements for the aquarium and equipment, and the species of tropical fish to be stocked. There will be a difference. This article mainly talks about tropical fish suitable for stocking in aquatic plants and landscaping tanks.

In fact, to put tropical fish in aquatic tanks, simply speaking, as long as the following are met There are several points that can be kept in aquatic plant tanks:

1. The ornamental fish that are kept in the tank cannot eat aquatic plants, so herbivorous fish and omnivorous fish that are partial to herbivores, such as goldfish, cannot be kept in the tank.

2. The stocked ornamental fish do not have the habit of digging the bottom mud or bottom sand, such as parrots and koi, which are not suitable.

3. The water quality requirements for stocked ornamental fish should not be too different from those of aquatic plants, such as silver dragons and colorful fish that require higher temperatures.

4. The ornamental fish to be stocked should not swim too fast, and the ornamental fish should be relatively quiet. It is too large, grabs food very quickly, and swims extremely fast. It is definitely not suitable for stocking in aquatic plant landscaping tanks. Its rapid swimming will lift all the aquatic plants floating on the water surface, such as maps, silver dragons, arhats, etc.

5. The variety, shape and quantity of the ornamental fish to be stocked should be suitable for the aquatic plant landscaping tank. The shape should mainly increase the ornamental value of the aquatic plant landscaping and should not damage the aquatic plant landscaping; the number should not be too large. Exceeding the maximum stocking quantity of the aquatic plant landscaping tank will not affect or damage the ecological balance.

6. The species of ornamental fish in stockings should not harm each other and get along well with each other.

7. Keep one kind of ornamental fish as the main fish. There should not be too many types of mixed fish. The ornamental fish in the same landscaping tank should be of the same size.

Generally speaking, there are only three kinds of fish in an aquatic tank:

First, one kind of fish is the main one, and the population has an absolute advantage, that is, the main fish (that is, the landscape fish) ), directly affects the aesthetics of the aquatic plant landscaping tank.

The second is as a supporting role or deployment, with a relatively small number and population, also known as background fish.

The third is as a functional fish for removing algae and snails, also known as tool fish, functional fish and garbage fish.

Ten kinds of small tropical fish that are most suitable for viewing in aquatic tanks

The ten best tropical fish in aquatic tanks mentioned in this article refer to the main fish in aquatic tanks. As an aquarium with aquatic plants as the main body, considering the ornamental and aesthetic aspects of the aquatic plants, the main fish stocking is generally small ornamental fish that are smaller in size and like to swim in groups, and the species are single and the number of stockings is small. There are relatively many of them, which can form the scene of group tours and give people a visual shock.

1. Lotus Lantern

Landscape Index: ★★★★★

Price Index: ★★★

Difficulty of Breeding: ★★★

Baolian lantern

Also known as red lotus lantern, new fluorescent lantern fish, and new red lotus lantern fish, it looks like fireflies in the aquatic plant tank. In order to easily distinguish it from traffic lights, the Baolian lantern is also called the new red lotus lantern (because traffic lights in Hong Kong and Taiwan are commonly known as red lotus lanterns). The body of the Baolian lamp is about 4 cm long, with a spindle-shaped body, slightly flattened sides, and a forked tail. The back is red, the eyes are black, the back of the body is blue from head to tail, and the body color is mainly red from the middle to the tail.

Baolian lanterns are very similar to traffic lights in terms of body shape, color, and living habits. They are just slightly larger than traffic lights. The main difference is that the blue fluorescent horizontal band running through the fish's body is wider and wider than that of traffic lights. The color is more vivid, and the red color on the abdomen almost covers the entire lower body. Under the lighting of the aquarium, the body appears in neon colors.

The suitable water conditions for Baolian Lantern are almost the same as those of traffic lights. It likes to swim in the lower layers of the water. It has a gentle temperament and is agile in swimming. It likes to live in groups and can be mixed with mild tropical fish. The requirements for feed are not high, but the feed should be finely chopped and dry. Regular feeding of live bait such as small water fleas can maintain the color of the fish; it is advisable to plant more aquatic plants in the aquarium. This fish is very sensitive to water temperature and is afraid of strong light and interference. Pay attention to daily management and should not be mixed with large fish.

Same type recommendations: traffic lights, black lights

Traffic lights

Black lights

2. Triangular lights

Landscape Index: ★★★★☆

Price Index: ★★

Difficulty of Breeding: ★★★

Triangular Lamp

Also Known as Triangle Fish, Triangle Lightfish, Triangle Lightfish has a spindle-shaped body, slightly flattened sides, a forked tail fin, and a body length of up to 5 cm. Its dorsal fin, arm fin, and tail fin are all red with white edges. The pectoral fin and The pelvic fin is colorless and transparent, and there is a black triangular pattern in the middle of the body from the pelvic fin to the base of the tail fin, so it is also called blue triangle or black triangle fish. The fins of blue triggerfish come in many colors, some of which are a mixture of rose red and blue, which are very harmonious and beautiful with the color of the fish body, so they are very popular among tropical fish keepers. This fish has a gentle temperament and is suitable for mixed culture with other species of small tropical fish. It mainly eats animal feed. This fish has strict requirements on water quality. It is suitable to use weakly acidic (ph=5.0-6.5) water with a water temperature of 20-26°C and a temperature difference between day and night of no more than 3°C. If necessary, some humic acid should be added to the water.

Recommendations for similar types: red tube lamp, lemon lamp, red cross

You should pay attention when the aquatic plant landscaping tank is mainly stocked with phoenix fish

① Construction The scenery must have a sense of hierarchy and leave a certain amount of space. When planting aquatic plants, avoid clutter. The same kind of grass should be concentrated to form a large background.

②Aquatic plants should be chosen as much as possible that are suitable for the native habitat of the genus Lampidae, so as not to appear abrupt or uncoordinated.

③ The stocking of lantern fish should be done "in small quantities and in large quantities", so that they can be effective only when swimming in groups, otherwise it will cause chaos.

④ The water quality should be maintained at 22-26℃ weakly acidic soft water, and the feed should be small-pellet feed dedicated to small fish of the family Lampaceae. The feeding should be careful to avoid waste and pollution of the water quality.

⑤Except for algae-eating fish and shrimps such as elf rats, try not to keep or keep other fish in the same place as little as possible. Even if you want to keep them together, you must keep them with fish that are not aggressive and do not dominate.

3. Red-nosed Scissors

Landscape Index: ★★★★

Price Index: ★★☆

Difficulty of Breeding: ★ ★★☆

Red-nosed scissors

The red-nosed scissors are similar in shape to other species of the same genus, with a red head and bright red snout, so they are also called red-nosed fish. The whole body is silvery white, almost transparent, and the tail fin has black and white stripes similar to those of the scissor fish, hence its name. The difference between the red-nosed scissorfish and the common red-nosed fish is that the red-nosed scissorfish has 3 black and white stripes, while the red-nosed scissorfish has 5 black stripes and 4 white stripes. The body is strong and easy to raise. It has a gentle temperament and can be kept with small fish of the same size and personality. The feeding water quality should be weakly acidic soft water, and the suitable water temperature is 22-26°C. When the water quality and temperature are not suitable, or the health is poor, the bright red will turn into pink and not bright. Group tours work very well. It eats small fish feed, lays eggs, and is suitable for being kept in aquariums with dense aquatic plants. It is a middle-layer fish.

Same type recommendation: Red Belly Pencil, Yimei Taoist

4. Guppy

Landscape Index: ★★★☆

Price index: ★★

Difficulty of raising: ★★☆

Guppies

Guppies, also known as rainbow fish, million fish, and anchovies, are ovoviviparous. The fish belongs to the family Medakaidae. It is named guppy because it has small blue-black spots on its tail, which resembles the tail feathers of a peacock. The characteristics of guppies are: small size, large tail fin, and rich colors. The male is smaller and has a slender dorsal fin; the female has a thicker body, up to about 7 cm in length, with a dull, flesh-colored, slightly transparent body color, and the dorsal and tail fins are not as brightly colored as the male; the suitable water temperature for peacocks is about 24 -26℃. Water quality from weakly acidic to weakly alkaline with medium hardness is acceptable; it can feed on red nematodes, water lice and broken small pellet feed; it has a gentle temperament and is lively and active. Guppies are ovoviviparous and give birth directly to young fish. According to the shape of its tail fin, it can be divided into fork tail, square tail, torch tail, tooth tail, upper sword tail, lower sword tail, double sword tail, piano tail, needle tail, round tail, flag tail, fan tail, and triangle tail. , docked tail, pointed tail, big tail and other varieties. The colors of its body, dorsal fin, and tail fin are colorful, mainly including red, blue, black, yellow, green, tiger skin color, and variegated colors.

Same type recommendations: Mary fish, swordtail fish, teapot

Key points for landscaping and stocking guppies as the main fish:

① Be familiar with the characteristics of guppies: middle and pelagic fish, small fish, large tail fin, gentle personality, suitable water temperature 24-26 ℃.

② Choose the appropriate guppy breeding mode based on the appreciation angle or to prevent genetic strain disruption: single-sex single-strain stocking, single-sex single-strain stocking, bisex single-strain stocking, and bisex multi-strain stocking Strain stocking. It is best to keep males and females separately to prevent males from excessively chasing females and causing damage to the fins. Generally, single-strain stocking or single-sex (mostly male) stocking is more suitable for guppies and aquatic plants in landscaping tanks.

③The key points for selecting aquatic plants for guppy landscaping tanks are: guppies are constantly shuttling back and forth, so aquatic plants with soft branches and leaves should be selected; guppies often migrate in the upper layer, so aquatic plants with taller branches and leaves should be selected. , to bring out the beauty of guppies. Common ones include cress, chrysanthemum grass, pagoda grass, feather grass, pine tail, snapdragon, iron crown, moss, antler moss, green leaf grass, etc.

④ According to the characteristics of guppies, you should choose to mix them with ornamental fish that are gentle, non-aggressive, small in size, and middle and lower layers. Common ones include: rat fish, lantern fish, short sea bream, and small catfish. , red sword, ball fish, moss rat, algae-eating shrimp, etc.

5. Colorful Fairies

Landscape Index: ★★★

Price Index: ★★★★☆

Difficulty of Breeding: ★ ★★★

Colorful Angelfish

Also known as Discus, Discus, and Discus. Origin: Amazon Basin of South America. It is known as the "King of Tropical Fish" and has a nearly round body. Shape, flat. The body color is rich and varied, including brown colorful with red as the main tone, blue colorful with blue as the main tone, and embellished with red, yellow, blue, green, black, brown, white, purple, etc., there are many colors. The varieties are endless. Common varieties include snake pattern, red and white, red cover, emperor blue, snow jade, yellow and white, dove, etc. Suitable water temperature for Colorful Fairy: 28-30°C. It likes weakly acidic soft water and is not suitable to be kept compared with other fish.

Colorful angelfish is a high-temperature, high-oxygen fish with extremely strict requirements on water quality. It is picky about the feed industry and is difficult to raise. The aquarium should be planted with broad-leaved aquatic plants or neutral rocks with no edges for them to rest on.

The feed is mainly live food such as fish worms, blood worms, water earthworms, artemia worms, and mealworms. The artificial feed includes "hamburgers" made of beef heart, shrimp, beef liver, and beef. , most of them can directly eat artificial feed.

Colorful species were originally not suitable for aquatic plants and were mostly cultured in naked tanks. However, because of their large size, brilliant colors, and elegant and quiet posture, they are deeply loved by aquarium enthusiasts and are increasingly being used. Many aquatic plant masters breed aquatic plants in aquatic plants and landscaping tanks.

If you want to raise fish mainly with Discus in aquatic plants and landscaping tanks, you should pay attention to the following:

① The suitable temperature for Discus is 28-30℃, the food habit is small and frequent, it is easy to pollute the water quality, and it likes weakly acidic and soft water. Therefore, you should choose aquatic plants that are resistant to high temperatures, resistant to pollution (nitrite), and adaptable to weak acid and soft water. Common ones include pepper grass, moss, antler moss, iron crown, red butterfly, crown grass, wave grass, crepe grass, etc.

② Colorful flowers are native to the rough tropical Amazon River in South America, so aquatic plants with too small leaves and many branches are not suitable, such as ox felt; instead, aquatic plants with large leaves, dark green, and simple appearance should be selected.

③ The colorful body is round and flat, and the body is large. The aquarium should be at least 60 cm. At the same time, aquatic plants with good uprightness and sparse branches and leaves should be selected to facilitate the movement of fish.

④The foreground grass (i.e. feeding area) and central aquatic plants in aquatic landscaping should not be too high. At the same time, because the middle and background grasses are upright and tall, other small and medium-sized aquatic plants that require less light should be used. The landscaping composition can be concave or triangular to create a certain space in the aquarium.

⑤The water plants should be green (or only a little dark red), and the background painting should be pure blue to highlight the beauty of the seven colors. The colors of the colorful stockings should be relatively single, not too messy, and the number of stockings should be appropriate.

⑥The most suitable material for colorful landscaping tanks is sunken wood. Its lignin will decompose into tannic acid and humic acid, which can help maintain weak acidity in the water.

⑦ In order to avoid water pollution caused by feeding and the breeding of algae, colorful fish should be placed 2 weeks after the aquatic plants are stabilized and begin to grow.

⑧ You should choose only ornamental fish that inhabit the Amazon River Basin with the colorful fish, have low activity and low aggression, and are suitable for breeding in aquatic plants tanks: angelfish, lantern fish, small South American short snapper , rat fish, moss rat, algae-eating shrimp.

6. Angelfish

Landscape index: ★★☆

Price index: ★★★

Difficulty of raising: ★★☆

Angelfish

Also known as swallow fish, angel fish, and small angel fish. Viewed from the side, angel fish look like swallows flying in the air, so they are also called swallow fish. The angelfish has a rhombus-shaped body with extremely flat sides. The trailing edge of the tail fin is straight. The two fins on the back and arms are extended backwards and are symmetrical up and down, like an open sail. The pelvic fin is extra long and filamentous. The body length can reach 15 cm and the body height can reach 15 cm. up to 20 cm. Angelfish do not have bright colors. The base color of the fish is silvery white, the back is golden yellow, and there are four black horizontal stripes on the side of the body. The first one goes through the eye socket; the second one is on the front edge of the base of the dorsal fin and arm fin; the third one in front From the end of the dorsal fin to the end of the brachial fin; the fourth one is at the base of the caudal peduncle. Its dorsal fin and arm fin are light yellow, its tail fin is transparent and covered with black vertical stripes, and its eye sockets are red.

The suitable water temperature for angelfish is 23-26℃, and the water quality is weakly acidic and soft. Angelfish like dried wages, and changing the water frequently will reduce the chance of the angelfish getting sick. Angelfish can eat fish insects, nematodes, artificial feed, etc. After years of cultivation, many new varieties of angelfish have emerged, the most common of which are: ordinary angelfish, black and white angelfish, black angelfish, zebra angelfish, golden-headed angelfish, red-eyed angelfish, Egyptian angelfish, diamond angelfish, and three-color angelfish etc.

Same type recommendation: Golden Pineapple

When raising fish mainly with angelfish in aquatic landscaping tanks, you should pay attention to:

①The height of the aquarium should be high and the space should be high. It should be large, the water plants in the background should be tall and densely planted, and the grass in the middle and foreground should be dense and short, leaving a certain space to set off the gauze gracefulness of the angel fish.

② Sunken wood will release humic acid, organic acid and other substances, which can soften the water quality. It is also a good material for simulating the native land and should be used when landscaping.

③It is best to stock a single species of angelfish with the same color and a quantity of about 10. Can be combined with traffic lights, elf rats, and algae-eating shrimps in small amounts. It is best not to mix it with other fish, especially those that are more ferocious and fast swimming. Tiger fish often like to bite the arm fins and tail fins of angel fish, so try to avoid mixing them with them.

④ Angelfish love to nibble on aquatic plants, so you must pay attention to the types of aquatic plants. It is best not to use plants with too small, delicate leaves and many branches. Instead, choose aquatic plants with large branches and thick leaves. Lord. Red leaves and small green leaves will be bitten by them and look ugly.

⑤After the aquatic plant tank landscaping is completed, healthy angelfish should not be added until the water quality is stable and the aquatic plants begin to grow.

7. Mermaid

Landscape index: ★★

Price index: ★★★☆

Difficulty of raising: ★★

Mermaid

Also known as rainbow fish, it belongs to the family Irididae. The body length is 10-15CM, with an oval shape, flat sides, a pointed head, and a dorsal fin divided into two front and back parts. It is another large type of fish that is mainly kept in aquatic landscaping tanks. Common mermaids include red apple beauty, stone beauty, pigeon beauty, and red tail. Beauty, Blue Beauty, Electric Beauty, Congo Beauty. Among them, Red Apple Beauty, Stone Beauty, and Congo Beauty are most suitable for stocking in aquatic plants.

The suitable water temperature for mermaids is 24-26°C. If the water quality is alkaline hard water, water earthworms, red worms, fish worms, artificial feed, etc. are all good baits. It swims quickly and is suitable for aquariums with aquatic plants and sunken wood. It can be mixed with small fish.

Recommendations for the same type: Dutch Phoenix, Killifish, Manlong, Pearl Vest, etc.

When raising fish mainly with mermaids in aquatic plant landscaping tanks, you should pay attention to:

① Be familiar with the characteristics of mermaids: middle and upper-layer fish, small and medium-sized fish, active and fast swimming, suitable water temperature of 24-26℃.

②The size of the aquatic plant landscaping tank should be 80-120 cm. The aquatic plants should not be planted too densely, and a certain amount of space should be left for the mermaid to shuttle back and forth.

③ You can choose to tie aquatic plants such as iron crowns to the sunken wood to increase the beauty of the scene.

④The varieties of mermaids include red-tailed mermaids, stone mermaids, blue mermaids, electric mermaids, etc. One of these fish, male fish, should be kept in the landscaping tank.

8. Zebrafish

Landscape index: ★☆

Price index: ★

Difficulty of raising: ★

Zebrafish is also known as blue striped fish, striped fish, and zebra daniel fish. This fish has a slender body, a slightly flattened to slightly pointed tail, long arm fins, and a forked tail fin. . There are zebra-like longitudinal stripes on the side of the body. Its back is olive-colored and the stripes are silver-blue. The sides of the body extend from behind the gill cover to the end of the tail. There are also stripes on the arm fins similar to those on the side of the body. Body length is 4-6 cm. The blue stripes of the male fish are more yellowish, with lemon-colored stripes in between; the blue stripes of the female fish are more bluish and bright, with silver-gray stripes in between. The body is plumper and thicker than the male fish, and each fin is shorter than the male fish.

Zebrafish is a low-temperature and hypoxic fish, suitable for water temperature of 25-26°C, neutral water quality, and has strong heat resistance and cold resistance. Lively and exquisite, with a gentle temperament, it swims in the water almost all day long. It can be mixed with other small fish. It is not picky about food. It can accept various animal feeds and dry feeds. It rarely gets sick and is the best choice for first-time feeders. Ideal fish species.

Same type recommended: Fluorescent fish

9. Tiger fish

Landscape index: ★

Price index: ★☆

Difficulty of raising: ★

Also known as the Four-Jian Crucian Carp, Pianpian Fish, Tiger Pian, Black Four-Jian, Colorful Pianpian, Black Four-Jian Fish, Pinpin Fish, and Tiger Side Fish, this fish The body is oval, with flat sides, a forked tail fin, large scales, and a body length of up to 6 cm. It is light yellow in color, with a golden back and a white abdomen. The edges of the dorsal fin, pelvic fin, caudal fin and snout are all bright red. There are four horizontal deep black wide stripes on both sides of the fish body through the eyes, in front of the pelvic fin, in front of the dorsal fin and in front of the caudal fin. The stripes look like tiger skin from a distance, so they are called tiger fish.

Tiger fish do not have high requirements for water quality, but they have high requirements for water temperature. Weakly acidic and soft water of 22-26℃ is suitable. When the water temperature is lower than 15℃, they will die. Tiger fish like to swim in groups, so it is best to keep them in large numbers. When swimming, they often fight and chase each other in circles. They often attack other tropical fish that swim slowly, especially angel fish. Therefore, when raising this kind of fish, only a few can be mixed in the aquarium. Fast-swimming tropical fish, common tiger fish species include: golden tiger fish, green tiger fish, red tiger fish, etc. They are all stereotyped varieties of tiger fish and can be kept together.

Recommendations for the same type: three-room rat, rose crucian carp, gourami, etc.

When raising fish mainly with tiger fish in aquatic plant landscaping tanks, you should pay attention to:

① It is a very lively carp fish that is accustomed to swimming in the middle waters of the water. They like to swim in groups, so aquatic plant aquariums mainly composed of tiger fish are also very popular among landscapers.

② They often fight, chase and bite each other. They prefer to attack other fish that swim slowly and have long fins, especially angelfish. Their beautiful fin edges often have Tiger fish will bite you to bits and pieces, so it is best not to keep slow-moving fish such as angelfish together with tiger fish.

③ Some fast-moving small fish are suitable to live and coexist with tiger fish, but they must be suitable. Too few will easily be bullied by tiger fish and dare not eat; too many will overwhelm the guests. Impact on the landscape.

④ Tiger fish like clear and old water quality and are very sensitive to changes in water temperature. Too drastic changes in water temperature environment can easily make them sick, so be careful when changing the water.

10. Colorful Skirt

Landscape Index: ☆

Price Index: ★★

Difficulty of Breeding: ★★

Colorful Skirt

Colorful Skirt is a middle and upper-level fish, a small fish, active and fast swimming, suitable for water temperature of 22-26°C, with flat sides, about 2-3 cm long and 1.5-2.5 high. cm, the colors are red, pink, yellow, blue, green, white, etc., the colors are rich. In the aquatic plant landscaping tank, large-leaf grasses such as red cantaloupe can be appropriately used as background scenery. The fish tank should not be too large, and should be 60-80 centimeters.