# what is the most colorful freshwater fish?



## Assault0137

i am new to this hobby(2.5 yrs) and would like to know what the most colorful fish i could buy would be.
of course, it would have to be sociable with my other fish in my tank. 
<======look at my current setup and tell me what fish are compatible.


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## thekoimaiden

Everyone is going to have their own opinion of what is "most colorful." Personally I think discus, betta, and koi have some of the best colors in the aquarium world, but they are also man-made. For natural color almost nothing beats a school cardinal tetra and kuhli loach in my eyes. 

Here is an interesting article you might like: The 75 most colourful fish | Features | Practical Fishkeeping

As for figuring out which ones work best in your setup, we'd need your water parameters like ph and hardness. A lot of beautiful fish are also sensitive.


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## Philnominal

Probably a good mix of african cichlids.
Edit, these are not compatible with your tank, i didn't see that part. I know next to nothing about live bearers so ill let other people who know more about it give you ideas.


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## ladayen

Your fish you currently have make your tank way overstocked and you will have problems sooner or later. I would look at getting rid of fish not adding more.


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## Assault0137

ladayen said:


> Your fish you currently have make your tank way overstocked and you will have problems sooner or later. I would look at getting rid of fish not adding more.


oh, i have to update it. i had just bought some fish, and it brought in the slime disease. it took out 4 fish, but i have not updated it in a while...
i would just like 1 more fish to top it off.


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## Tazman

Is the Algae eater you mentioned in your tank profile a Chinese Algae eater by any chance? If it is you have a big problem.

The tank you have as well because it is a bowfront does not give a lot of swimming area for the fish. I would not consider anything for the tank as you are overstocked now and have some slight compatibility issues.


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## Assault0137

Tazman said:


> Is the Algae eater you mentioned in your tank profile a Chinese Algae eater by any chance? If it is you have a big problem.
> 
> The tank you have as well because it is a bowfront does not give a lot of swimming area for the fish. I would not consider anything for the tank as you are overstocked now and have some slight compatibility issues.


chinese algae eater?i have no clue. it says '29+ gallons', so i figured i was good with a 36.


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## ladayen

Assault0137 said:


> chinese algae eater?i have no clue. it says '29+ gallons', so i figured i was good with a 36.


In terms of tank size, a 29g is big enough for those guys. The problem is they like to attack other fish, often this can leave them open to secondary infections. You mention you lost 4 fish to slime disease it wouldn't surprise me if it was because of this guy, not because of the new fish you added. Myabe a combination of both. What 4 fish did you lose?


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## Assault0137

ladayen said:


> In terms of tank size, a 29g is big enough for those guys. The problem is they like to attack other fish, often this can leave them open to secondary infections. You mention you lost 4 fish to slime disease it wouldn't surprise me if it was because of this guy, not because of the new fish you added. Myabe a combination of both. What 4 fish did you lose?


new guppy, very,very old swordtail male, very, very old swordtail, and the other algae eater.


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## Tapil

Get a second tank - that way you can put the aggressive more colourful fish in

like that evil algae muncher, and say some random chiclid.

Or start hitting up trading posts for an old 55 gallon tank. People upgrade all the time so they have to do something with their old tank


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## Assault0137

anybody got a spare 55?


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## thekoimaiden

Most people here have them filled with fish. :-D What Tapil is talking about are places like Craigslist. Often times people will post tanks on there. Sometimes they come with fish and sometimes they don't. But they rarely come with quality, working equipment.


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## La Reina

I really love my group of assorted platies for the color in my aquarium. And neon tetras are beautiful as well.


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## Jayy

Killifish are VERY colorful. There not easy to find though. Cyprinodontiformes — Seriously Fish


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## Assault0137

thekoimaiden said:


> Most people here have them filled with fish. :-D What Tapil is talking about are places like Craigslist. Often times people will post tanks on there. Sometimes they come with fish and sometimes they don't. But they rarely come with quality, working equipment.


3 fish tanks in my county: 1.5 gallon, 10 gallon, and a 300... well... not too many options...


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