What Livestock to Buy
Over the years, I've tried pretty much every type of nano fish out there — and I did it intentionally. I wanted firsthand experience with all of it: the best schooling fish, the best fish for cleaning, the best centerpiece fish. All of that takes time to try, keep, and actually learn from.
Nearing a decade deep into aquascaping, I've been lucky enough to keep hundreds of different fish.
There are a lot of great nano fish out there, but that doesn't mean they're all worth personally recommending. Below is my personal, curated list of favorites.
My All-Time Top 5
If I could only keep 5 — these are the ones.
I fell in love with these the first time I saw them. Fully grown, the midnight-blue body gets this incredible iridescence, set off by pearly white spots and deep red fins. Males will spar with each other for a female's attention, and you'll see couples break off and stay together.
These are my mom's favorite fish, so I always have a school of them somewhere in my personal aquascaping gallery. I really love their body and fin shapes — especially the red tip on their nose and the black-and-white striping on their tails. On top of all that, they're the tightest-schooling fish I've ever kept.
Arguably my favorite for behavior. They waddle and float in place like little helicopters, occasionally darting up to the surface for a quick gulp of air. An underrated schooling fish, too — watching a large pack move together, shaking their bodies in sync, is genuinely incredible to watch.
These are among some of the most underrated fish in the entire hobby. When they're fully colored up, males show deep red stripes running down their bodies — coloring up to an extraordinarily intense red — with bright, metallic cyan-blue front fins.
So red they practically glow. Scattered throughout the tank — especially hanging out on plants — they add little pops of color everywhere you look, and bring a lot of life into the tank.
The Full List
Select one or multiple filters below to find fish I'd personally recommend with those characteristics.