5 Nano Fishes to Try in Your Small Aquarium
- Jan 22, 2023
- Anshika Mishra
- 459 0 0
Nano fishes are small fishes of less than an inch and are often suited for aquariums below 15 gallons. Here are the top 5 nano fishes for your small aquarium:
Pea Puffers
Also known as Indian Dwarf Puffers are the smallest puffer fish in the world and come from fully freshwater environments in the southwestern tips of India. Growing only 1-inch long, they are sold anywhere from three dollars to $15, although they are not usually available at pet store chains.
Pick a healthy fish with a nicely rounded belly when choosing your puffer. Ask the fish store what they feed the fish.
They do well in tropical temperatures from 74 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. So if your room temperature is below this range or tends to fluctuate, you'll need an aquarium heater.
Because they are not the fastest swimmers, you should always choose gentle filters with a slower flow rate. These are hardcore carnivores and love frozen and live foods. Given their territorial nature, you can keep only one fish in a five-gallon tank. If you want to save more, provide 5 gallons of water for the first puffer and 3 gallons of additional water for the next puffer.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow
These fishes get their common name from white cloud mountains in southern China, where it was first discovered. This 1.5-inch Minnow has a darker body with a white horizontal stripe and reddish fins. In nature, it feeds on Plankton and insect larva.
The species is endangered in the wild, so they are all captive-bred. They are incredibly hardy and can live in a range of pH from 6-5 to 8-5 and temperature from 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit.
They may be stressed if the water gets too warm and can live in water with no heater. These are schooling fishes and feel more comfortable in groups in a 6-10 gallon aquarium.
These fishes are not very aggressive. However, you may see the male sparring from time to time, and it can be kept with other peaceful community fishes that are similar in size. Consider supporting them with other colder water inhabitants like shrimps, Danios, and smaller Killifish.
Offer them a variety of food to meet their nutritional needs. For example, you can have a spawning mop or dense aquarium plants in your tank, which the fish will use to lay their eggs.
The fry will also use them to hide when they are small.
Scarlet Badis
They are also known as Dario-Dario and a one-inch Oddball nano fish that is known for its vivid coloration with vertical striping of the body. Females are dull in color, while males can be territorial toward each other, so your best bet is to keep a single male or three to four of them, so their aggressiveness decreases.
Adding many plants will help the fish feel more secure in your Nano tank. Feeding the fish can be a little challenging. They prefer to eat live food like micro worms. They can take protein-rich prepared foods like cow flakes, but you will have to test with your fish to see which food they'll take.
They do well in the pH range between 6.5 - 7.5, with temperatures between 72 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit.
Clown Killifish
These common names come from alternating dark brown and yellow vertical bands. They can grow up to 1.5 inches.
They can live in a 5-gallon nano tank or larger; as with surface-dwelling fish, the key is to keep a tight lid or hood with all the gaps covered. So they don't jump out of the aquarium.
They originally come from slow-moving streams and swamps near the coast of West Africa, so they provide a gentle filter with a low flow like a sponge filter and floating plants.
They can live in cooler temperatures ranging from 67-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Aim for a ratio of 1:3 male to female. Gave them a wide variety of small floating food such as easy fry food, crushed flakes, and freeze-dried daphnia.
Green Neon Tetra
The fish only grow to 1.25 inches long. They can live in more acidic water but otherwise thrive in standard water parameters for a tropical community tank. They are peaceful schooling fish so get at least 6-8 of them in a tank.
Feeding is easy as omnivores take to most prepared freeze-dried or live food. They will take to it as long as the food is slowly sinking and fits in her mouth.
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