Bottom water tropical fish are a great addition to a community tank. A great community tank is one that includes several species of fish that usually do not normally occur together in nature. The purpose of a community tank is to have fish that are compatible in temperament and water requirements, but have a variety of different colors and behaviors that add interest and are entertaining to watch.

When most people think of bottom water tropical fish, they think of scavengers whose only purpose is to clean the tank of debris and algae but this isn’t so. Bottom water fish do eat leftover food and are good at helping keep the tank clean, but they also need to be fed a high-quality food to make sure they are getting the proper nutrition they need. Because these fish are “grazers” not “gulpers” they don’t overeat and can be fed a wafer shaped food that sinks past the top feeders and lays on the bottom of the tank.

If you’re looking for variety in your community tank, bottom water tropical fish can be just the addition you are looking for. Three  of the better-known bottom water fish are the Algae Eaters, Botia, and Corys.

Algae Eaters

Algae eaters are a good addition to any tank because they do help keep it clean, but be sure to choose several different varieties as they eat different types of algae. If you get only one type, then they will only rid your tank of that particular algae. Some common algae eaters for you to choose from are the Siamese Algae Eater, Otocinclus, American Flag fish, Bristlenose Pleco, Whiptail Catfish, Black Molly, and the Suckermouth Catfish.

Botias

Be careful when choosing Botias and make sure they are compatible with the other varieties of fish in your tank. Botias range from the very aggressive Botia Beauforti to the peaceful Botia Histrionica which will be able to get along with other community fish in the tank.

Botias are bottom dwellers and do eat leftover food on the bottom of the tank, but they also eat a wide variety of foods including vegetables like zucchini and cucumbers. Be sure you feed them frozen bloodworms, flake foods, and sinking tablets so they will remain healthy.

Corys

Another great bottom water tropical fish is the Cory. If you’re looking for a non-aggressive fish that is fun to watch, this fish is for you. There are hundreds of different Corys to choose from in an extremely wide range of colors. These fish have a long lifespan of up to 26 years and are great at keeping a clean balanced ecosystem in the aquarium. They don’t bother the other fish in the tank and love to dig through the gravel on the bottom.

As you can see, the Algae Eaters, Botia, and Corys have many attractive features that will add entertainment and variety to your aquarium. By paying close attention to their needs and compatibility with the other fish, any of these bottom water tropical fish will be a great addition to your community tank.
 

If you’re looking for a great little fish to add to your community tank, consider the Lemon Tetra. This is a fun little guy with a splash of color that is playful and fun to watch. Being hardy, he is easy to keep and will make a great addition to your tank.

Appearance

The Lemon Tetra grows up to 2” and is a tall and compressed fish with a transparent body that has a bright splash of yellow on its lower fin. The top of its eye is very red and it has black on the end and edge of the Dorsal fin. The back rays on the Anal fin are also black and the front ones are bright yellow. The body is transparent with an iridescent stripe extending laterally from the gill cover to the start of the Caudal fin.

The Lemon Tetra will only develop the beautiful colors if kept in soft water that is well maintained with frequent changes. It will show its best coloring if it has a proper diet which can be provided with a color enhancing food, such as Tetra Ruby. You can distinguish between males and females by comparing the amount of black on the anal fin. Males have a larger portion, up to 1/3, of the anal fin trimmed in black while females only have a very thin black trim.

Habitat

This fish will live in the middle to top strata of your tank. Keeping the water soft with a dH range of 3-25 and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5 is very important if you want to keep the Lemon Tetra healthy and show off its great colors. The temperature should be maintained between 72° and 79°. Without these water conditions, it loses its colors and becomes unattractive and dull.

The Lemon Tetra is a very good community fish that lives in schools. Because of this, it becomes very stressed is you only have a small group in your tank or if you only have one Tetra. If it becomes stressed, it has a greater likelihood of becoming sick and will hide or sit by itself on the bottom of the tank. Be sure and get at least a school of six Lemons and provide dense plant cover in your tank leaving one open space for it to swim with its friends. To show off and enjoy your Tetra’s beautiful colors, set up your tank with a dark backgrounds so you can see their vibrant colors flash as they swim and chase each other about.

Breeding

These Tetras can be tricky to breed in captivity and they are not as productive as the Neon Tetra. Lemon Tetras sometimes have trouble releasing their eggs so it is best to combine several females with one male to increase the odds of success. They prefer to lay their eggs among fine-leafed plants but offer no parental care afterwards. The adults will eat their eggs and fry so if you want to breed them, you need to set up a separate breeding aquarium so you can remove the parent fish.

Feeding

The Lemon Tetras are omnivores and will accept a variety of foods like plant matter, worms, and crustaceans. You can feed them a quality flake as a base but be sure to give them treats of brine shrimp, worms, and frozen foods. Tetras will show their best color after you have owned them for a few months and have given them a good diet. 

All in all, fish hobbyist agree that the Lemon Tetra is one great little fish that is hardy, easy to keep and a delight to have in their tanks. This fish has a lot to offer without a lot of work.