Opportunistic bottom dwellers such as goldfish can quickly pollute tank substrate with uneaten food and waste, including uneaten food or waste they’ve swallowed directly from food sources, while their long trailing fins make them vulnerable to aggression or territorial fish who might fin nip them aggressively or territorially.
Give them a well-balanced diet of pellets and flakes on a consistent feeding schedule to prevent mealtime disputes. Furthermore, it is best to feed sinking foods as these help avoid swallowing air as the animals often gulp air while eating from surfaces.
Contents
White Cloud Minnows
White Cloud Mountain Minnows (Tanichthys albonubes) are popular aquarium fish among beginners and those seeking an easy to care for pet, and breeding these colorful minnows is relatively effortless and they won’t eat plants, making them ideal for aquascaping purposes.
Reptiles do not tolerate sudden temperature shifts well; for optimal care in captivity, their tank should maintain an ambient temperature of approximately 68 degF.
This species makes an excellent addition to a community aquarium with other peaceful species, but should be avoided when mixing with aggressive ones such as Rosy Barbs or Dojo Catfish schools. Furthermore, larger invertebrates like snails and worms don’t do well with them.
Ricefish
Beginner fish pet owners may be taken aback when their goldfish spend time relaxing at the bottom of their aquarium, yet this behavior is entirely natural for these hardy coldwater nano fish. Goldfish are omnivorous creatures and feed on algae, plants, insects, worms and crustaceans in nature as well as dry food pellets or live food such as daphnia, freshly hatched brine shrimp or Grindal worms in captivity.
Medaka Ricefish typically pair off in the early morning and produce adhesive eggs which adhere to fine-leaved aquarium plants or sink to the bottom of an aquarium, providing a fantastic option as an alternative to Tetras.
Rosy Barbs
Rosy barbs make excellent fish for beginners to keep in an aquarium, being highly resilient species that adapt well to many water conditions and tankmates for other freshwater fish and invertebrates. Furthermore, these hardy species will accept most flake foods, including some live food sources.
Due to their schooling nature, rosy barbs should be kept in tanks of at least 30 gallons and require an environment with both gravel and sand substrate that closely resembles their natural home in subtropical lakes and rivers of Southern Asia.
Rosy barbs tend to be peaceful and non-aggressive when housed in groups of at least five; if overcrowded or stressed, however, they may begin nipping at other fish’s fins and fin nip.
Variegated Platy
Breeding Platy fish requires a tank holding approximately 10 gallons of water and will need plenty of hiding places within densely planted aquarium with gentle filtration for breeding success. A pregnant female Platy develops a distinctive dark spot on her abdomen when pregnant with eggs or babies.
Your best choice would be zebra danios and cory catfish; these friendly bottom feeders make an excellent addition to a tank with other bottom feeders such as these and even crayfish (Corydoras cyprinus).
Platies are omnivorous animals who thrive when provided with a diet containing plenty of vegetables. Feed your patty quality flake food several times each day as well as occasional treats of blood worms or brine shrimp to provide optimal care and wellbeing.
Brochis Multiradiatus
Hobbyists have taken to keeping dwarf fish like Corydoras and Hillstream loaches, yet many enthusiasts have yet to recognize their larger counterpart, the hog-nosed brochis. An ideal tank companion for goldfish, these aquatic mammals spend their days foraging through substrate and picking up any leftover food your goldfish may shed while snacking on algae for snacks.
Distinguishing them from other Corydoras fish species is simple; simply study their snout shape. B. multiradiatus has a more saddled snout than B. splendens and B. britskii. Furthermore, they feature thicker bodies up to 4inches long which makes them potentially snackable fish for B. multiradiatus. These characteristics are important considering goldfish often consider any smaller fish potential food sources.
Stingray Loach
Hillstream loaches resemble baby stingrays more than fish, with sleek bodies and strong fins designed to grip rocks in rapids. But they also thrive in regular community aquariums with slower flow; being great at scavenging as well as nibbling off hair algae or brown diatoms!
Goldfish make ideal tankmates because of their preference for cooler temperatures than typical aquarium fish. Goldfish also excel at foraging through substrate for food sources and typically don’t notice other tank mates unless they’re too small or have spiny fins that could get caught in their mouths.
Keep stingray loaches separated from fish with spiny fins like otocinclus or cory catfish; otherwise they might mistake them for food!
