11 UNSTOPPABLE Fish That THRIVE in Any Aquarium!

[@kellyharrison5184]

My Black Neon Tetras have survived several disasters including a three-day power outage where our house temps plummeted to 42 degrees Fahrenheit. They outlived most the guppies. Highly recommend them.

[@Liammarqueses-f4c]

poor guppies tho-

[@jakefromstatefarm7527]

@@Liammarqueses-f4c "If he dies he dies"

[@commonsense246]

Mine from Petco all died within a couple days! Again parameters were perfect. I test almost every day.

[@WhoamI-mx7uo]

@@commonsense246 you need to get them from a reliable store/seller, not a store that cares to "sell" as many of them get the fish from bad breeders which cause them to have many diseases

[@garg4531]

Criminally underrated

[@notNajimi]

Black neons are bulletproof, I love them. They also like to breed if they’re happy so some carpeting grass or moss will help more of their fry survive. I think I’m on my second or third generation of black neons and I haven’t bought any in three years

[@willbell2633]

i love the long fin white cloud minnows. so pretty, with the yellow and red flashes when the flare their fins.

[@kevinchandran1902]

Useful info as always, thanks Nick! It'd be really cool to see a cardinal breeding project in the future.

[@shroomedz2812]

i had a really bad ich outbreak in a tank before and one of my black neons lost every fin, he was just a stump and he managed to recover and is still going

[@michaelshaw8370]

Way back in the Stone Age yes the seventies 😂 when I started fishkeeping. A local friend had an established pond in the garden of a house he bought. The previous owners had netted out their goldfish before moving out. Along with most of the lily’s. But there was still a wide range of other established plants. In late spring he put in a batch of WCMMs. They thrived even during winter with over a foot of ice. So darn strong and hardy. He would as they multiplied harvest once a month. Splitting them into two groups some in totes/ tubs in outbuildings unheated they even spawned as long as the totes did not freeze during the winter. The others he would over a week increase the water temp to acclimate the fish to community tropical tank temps. The same methods worked for me for both standard and long fin variants

[@waynekerrgoodstyle]

I'm so glad Nick mentioned Mekada Japanese rice fish, I just bought some eggs from an eBay seller. I hope they all hatch & grow.

[@ffxfgxsfxxxg2419]

I heard the eggs are super hard to hatch especially since they’re shipped any reason why u didn’t buy the non imported regular rice fish?

[@waynekerrgoodstyle]

@@ffxfgxsfxxxg2419 I live in the UK and I bought the eggs from a UK seller who lives about 350 miles away from me. They're Platinum rice fish.

[@WackWacky-vc5ed]

@ffxfgxsfxxxg2419 I think because he could not find any in his local pet shops and if he got them from eBay it is probably from a seller in america🤷

[@waynekerrgoodstyle]

@@WackWacky-vc5ed I live in the UK and the seller lives in the UK but he lives over 300 miles away. I got them 1 day after the seller posted them.

[@unforeseencircumstances]

@@waynekerrgoodstyle what sort of breed did you buy? I recently started this hobby and bought a lot ricefishes from several sellers. just hatched some fries and raising them on a small container so cute.

[@rogerhuggettjr.7675]

My fish store owner told me that cardinals and rummy nose tetras are two of the worst fish for adapting to new environments. I had a hard time getting 6 cardinals established is a tank with other peaceful fish (corys, cherry barbs, aquatic frogs, white clouds). After I finally had a couple weeks without one dying I had an ick outbreak that only killed the cardinals and cherry barbs. I'm sticking with neons now that have had no problems in my other tank.

[@ThermicLight]

It's interesting how people have such differing experiences. Mine being similar to your exp in losing cardinals. Now I have happy and healthy neons and so glad to have them. Personally I think the biggest difference is based on the health and quality of the fish than the type.

[@blessedbeauty2293]

​@ThermicLight - I agree with you. That's why he also mentioned if you get them from breeders who care, you shouldn't have any problems.

[@lou5851]

I had the same experience with one store where I got 10 (!!!) and lost 4 of them. Then I went to a second one that was actually supposed to be worse (literally one of the best rated aquarium stores in my country vs. a plant store that also had a small pet section lol) and out of the 6 new I got, I lost 2. :( I checked parameters daily, but from my research online, most people also say the same -- they're horrible at adapting to a new environment, but when they're settled in, they are pretty much unkillable. Then again, I also heard some people say that even water changes with slightly too big temperature differences was enough to shock those poor things, but mine are doing amazing now that they're settled in, luckily. Neons are also gorgeous!

[@Brownwhale7]

I had a similar experience. All my cardinals died.

[@Grammarlings-cf8yw]

Cardinals are not a particularly easy tetra, there are so many easier tetras that you have to wonder why he put that at the top of his list.

[@sk6056]

❤ ur videos. Every time I watch one, I miss fish keeping and really want to start my aquariums back up.

[@ebinom8112]

@@sk6056 just do it! I recently started again after several years break and I couldn't be happier. 😊

[@jonleibow3604]

I'd recommend bristlenose plecos, *if* you have a large enough tank. I have one who unbeknownst to me, was in a nook in a hunk of dragon rock that was out of the aquarium for a couple of hours. I put him back in the tank and he's still thriving, 5 years on.

[@angiebear8727]

I’d add black and white skirt tetras. Was my first and still favorite fish. Put them through alot when I was starting out and they kept going. 😊

[@qcaquaholic]

I haven't been able to keep hillstream loaches alive for more than a few months. I put them in a 75 gallon with some decent flow. For me, it's corydoras, then kuhli loaches, and then rhadinocentrus ornatus shockingly enough.

[@willembastiaan743]

Hillstream Loaches need more than a decent flow. I advice at least a group of 5, a lot of oxygen and not so many stress. They are no beginner fish as Nick suggests.

[@Aquatasy]

Great list! The two that surprised me were Cardinal Tetras and Reticulated Hillstream Loaches. I've been in this hobby since I was a child, and there was the prevailing notion that Cardinals were sensitive fish. So, to be honest, I've avoided them for decades. No more! I have to give them a try. The same is true for Hillstream Loaches. I've been wanting to try keeping them, but I had heard that they were difficult. I'm thrilled to learn otherwise. Really enjoyed this video. Greetings from California!

[@craigquinn8225]

I've had loads of fish over the years, one of the most hardie, that never gets a mention. loaches, more specifically, kuhli loaches. I've never lost or killed a kuhli loach. sometimes they go missing, but you find it again. I've been keeping fish for nearly 30 years now. and pretty much always had them.

[@antonioviray5619]

True. One of my favorite.

[@rasta77-x7o]

Yeah i forgot i had some, till i moved some stuff around in the tank.

[@DelmarKuhlman]

I have kuhli loaches with peppered corydoras and neon tetras. I added the loaches like a month and a half ago and ive lost 2/5 of them this week out of the blue. They were doing great and then just croaked

[@LLmiasma]

I've had the opposite personally, everytime I try them they do great for a month or two but then suddenly start hiding and then they all seize and die over the next week or so. I've never been able to figure out why so I just gave up on them

[@maryglover8283]

Thank you for showing us these😃

[@jonleibow3604]

I love white clouds. My tank often gets below 20c in the winter but they're thriving

[@CaylorsReptilesAquatics]

Great stuff Nick! Hope you’re doing fantastic.

[@fakename2212]

I've had cherry barbs in two different community tanks, never had a problem with them. I have five males right now in a tank with neon and ember tetras, and if anything, they appreciate the other fish being around. They act a lot more at ease than when they were by themselves. Totally agree with you on cory cats, by the way. Great fish, non-aggressive, and they don't destroy my plants.

[@danielthompson3205]

Love the vid mate, can't wait to wander thru the store one day.

[@emadmamlouki7973]

Loving your videos Nick, a little suggestion: you can use a 50 ml lavage syringe instead of sucking tubes. It’s very convenient and clean 👏🏻

[@jessicawalden]

I rescued a lil albino Cory from a tank where the other fish picked at it or it had fin rot it litterly had no fins she just scooted along the bottom and with clean water and food she grew lil funny fins back and I've had her for over a year now

[@garageaquatics2023]

Great list, Nick and Harlan! I tried the reticulated hillstream loaches . . . TWICE! And a complete fail both times. Still not sure why. But I will try again. Never give up! Never give in! 🙂Cheers, Guys! ~Ron

[@tonycamplin8607]

I've found hillstream loaches very hard to keep, after several attempts I gave up.

[@SilkMilkJilk]

@@tonycamplin8607 throw your heaters out, fools. room temperature in fine for all tropical fish.

[@garageaquatics2023]

@@tonycamplin8607 I may give it one more try, but that’d be it. They are neat little fish.

[@danieldelphi]

Gold White cloud minnows are very hardy, I’ve had some of mine get nipped up by a Molly and they all fully recovered. One of mine had his tail fin almost fully removed and he survived and regrew a nice healthy tail fin. I’ve even mixed white clouds with mosquito fish from a local river, which were also very nippy, but they all survived. Great fish to experiment doing a low tech set up with.

[@HunterWHansen1]

Awesome video man! I’m fairly new to the hobby and looking to stock my 20 gal cube. Perfect timing. Any thoughts on Venezuelan Coreys?

[@ralphmills7322]

I gave up on the small red/blue neon tetras, got tired pulling their corpses off the filter intake. The cardinal tetras lasted much longer but when I got back in fish keeping I started with six glowlight tetras. After a few months I wanted six more but the store was out of stock so I ended up with twelve black neon tetras that were on sale at the time. If I ever need to replace my panda corys I'll try the recommended albino corys instead.

[@ebinom8112]

I'm fed up with them too.

[@Kyddoemiko13]

Love the CPDs ,I want to try the cherry barbs minus the fin nipping. I try to remind myself not to purchase any long fin fish. Love the video. .

[@jasongoodrich1374]

I have an angel that has survived a bacterial infection that took out 2 of my other angels, callamanus, and then fin rot (a series of unfortunate events) and she's still going strong. I don't name many fish but she's earned the name Beyoncé because she's a survivor.

[@FishRfun]

White Clouds are definitely underrated

[@Aquafinity]

My favorite beginner fish are harlequins rasboras and black neon tetras. Super hardy fish.

[@ryaquaza3offical]

I feel like Bristlenose plecos need a shoutout. my beloved 10 year old Sherbet I rescued from my friends tank after the entire tank completely got nuked from orbit. The entire tank just turned green and smelt awful killing all his barbs in the process, he thought everything immediately died soo he took 3 days before he cleaned it to mourn. The water just festering the entire time Guess who was found COMPLETELY FINE in the castle, that’s right, Sherbet. I then asked to take him off my friend since he wanted to get rid of the tank all together and lo and behold, the lil dude was perfectly healthy somehow. That day I learned bristlenoses are basically immortal soo they do deserve a mention imo. My little guy I’ve had for 4 years now after the incident and no issues here ether

[@ollieworth7341]

my grandmother thought she killed mine, threw it outside, and it was still alive when i managed to find her. not a bristlenose, but a 2.5ft regular pleco. theyre resilient and excellent at being invasive because of it, but im glad that she's still living out her life in my neighbours pond, bless my vet for helping me but yeah. knife wound from a lifelong fisherman couldnt even take that pleco out, nor could the eagle that tried to grab her two different times. survivors. they thrive anywhere

[@Christian-cv5rw]

With hard tap water neon is the better choice. I mix tap with rain water or destilled water and CO2 to stabillize the pH level on a lower point around 6 to 6,5 for my cardinals. They like soft and acidic water

[@bonniegareau4073]

Great informative video! By the way; Your Jack Russell is so darn cute!

[@davidmiller4174]

I've always found a huge difference in barbs. My tiger barbs were always fin nippers unless they were in a larger school of six or more. I've never had any kind of aggression out of my cherry barbs

[@Peregrine1989]

I agree that Sewellia Lineolata and the entire Genus of Sewellia is really hardy, which is why they have managed to thrive even with how few numbers were in Australia when import restrictions started. But I feel its important to add that Hillstream Loach is a much MUCH wider catagory then you have used it here (including Borneo suckers and Lizard Loaches) and you probably should have been more specific as many of those are quite fragile.

[@WackWacky-vc5ed]

Can you please do a chili/dwarf rasbora breeding project?😊

[@megexpo]

Agreed, I’d love to see this!

[@mr.octopus6972]

The things I've done to those guppys 🤦 I even use them to cycle tanks. Never succeded in killing one.

[@nerimadaikon5516]

Just bought 5 albino corys on Amazon because of this video. Fingers crossed.

[@FontaineDerby]

I had a Glowlight Tetra that was so hardy. I now have a White Cloud Mountain Minnow who is equally tough.

[@RobDouglas3]

Great video. Thanks!

[@ebinom8112]

Nice video. I prefer Endlers to Guppies. Theyre hardier & the males more colourful. But theyre no longer as popular/available in my country as they were back in the 80s/90s.

[@ThePauloCIlas]

I have 8 out of the 11: cardinal tetras, danios, minnows, angels, endlers, corys, black neon tetras and barbs

[@ThePauloCIlas]

I never saw number 10 in Brazil 😢

[@Raphael.P.]

Cardinal tetras are super hard to keep alive for me.. i stopped buying them 5 years ago. I cannot agree with this list at all😅 For me ember tetras are the hardiest ones..

[@ebinom8112]

No more neons & cardinals for me too. But they sure are pretty.

[@tonycamplin8607]

Don't know if things are different in Australia but I don't agree with you. Cardinals definitely aren't an easy fish, nore are hillstream loaches and endlers I've never had any luck with either. Not a professional like you but I've been keeping fish for over 60 years.

[@ebinom8112]

Cardinals & neons are not easy for me too.

[@Grammarlings-cf8yw]

He gives bad advice. Cardinals are one of the more sensitive tetras, so many easier options.

[@Brownwhale7]

My experience with cardinal tetras is the literal opposite of everyone on KZbin

[@DaisyLarson4936]

We had neons and went down to two bought some more and went down to the same 2. I feel they had breeding problems as I noticed some with missing fins and some with white tips. These last 2 seem bullet proof but I'd like something else to pop in with them in a 20L tank. Would any on this list make a good tankmate with perhaps just 1 or 2.

[@voicedmood]

Thanks you from Taiwan fans

[@KeepingFishSimple]

Thanks 😊

[@BulusKursunlu]

Cardinal Tetras are some of the most easily killable fish in the Netherlands. Are they stronger in Australia?

[@tonycamplin8607]

Bulus I completely agree with you. I'm from the UK.

[@benc3214]

@@BulusKursunlu I’m in Australia myself and my Cardinals keep disappearing, not all at once slowly over 6-9 month period. No other fish die or have any disease at any time. So unless Nick has a special kind of Cardinal that I’m not getting here in Aus I can’t agree with that choice.

[@BulusKursunlu]

@@benc3214 honestly I think Nick's a great breeder and picks strong fish for his shop. But, the average fish shop might be less knowledgeable or just buy bad quality fish.

[@ebinom8112]

Agreed

[@Grammarlings-cf8yw]

This guy is talking nonsense on his channel, you can probably list 15 tetra species that are easier to keep than cardinals... he's talking nonsense.

[@Johnnysfish]

Loving the videos Nick, I've been looking to start breeding fish and I was just wondering about the shelves you have your tanks on. Dud you buy them somewhere or did you build them yourself?

[@rrotley1]

Nick has a couple of videos about setting up his shop and fish breeding room, including the building of the tank shelves/racks. Take a stroll through his video library, around 2 years ago.

[@Johnnysfish]

@@rrotley1 thanks, I will

[@ragw33d]

guppy had nothing but problems, neons didn't live long but i suspect that was due to poor care at the place i bought them from, angel fish i found were brilliant had to rehome due to size though. I have had cory in every setup had for past 20 years now highly recommend

[@kenlaidlaw-b6l]

Enjoy your videos. What is the box on your lovely dog's collar?

[@TheK33lan]

I just recently put 10 Cardinal Tetra's in a community tank with 9 Danio's, reckon they'll do fine?

[@Jen-w1i]

Great info, thank you!

[@LawrenceMorello-m2c]

Ive never had luck with cardinals. The die off is awful. But I lived in Florida, which is mostly limestone, and the water is very alkaline. Couldn't grow plants in it either.

[@johncameron4194]

Your dog is cute ❤️

[@AWY-LO]

Black neon tetras are the GOAT

[@ehsanhaidary9766]

Just my experience - I've had heaps of barbs over the years. Tigers and Rosy barbs are nippy, but the cherry barbs aren't. Cherry's are very peaceful

[@jaycarpenther7405]

Gold barbs seem to be fantastic community fish also. My Melon Barbs are tank bullies though.

[@cloverdog85]

Im glad that angels are easy to care for. My brother in law gave my daughter all of his fish and some basic supplies when he moved to another city. He wanted to start a new tank. So he gave her 1 30gallon, 2 10 gallon tanks and all of his fish. Lots of albino corys(4 died) and 7 platys, 3 plecos( 1 8" common, 4" horned?, 1 other kind not sure), 2 angels, and a bunch of other fish. Unfortunatly the tanks are to small for the fish so I found a 90 gallon for 20 bucks and im working on getting it ready. Just gotta buy a filter, check if theres a leak(im resilliconeing the tank eitherway) and a stand.

[@cloverdog85]

Once I have the bigger tank I plan on setting up the 10g as a quaranteed tank and getting 4 more albino corys, 2 more angels, and some surface fish. The 30g I plan on setting up in my classroom when I find a fulltime teaching gig.

[@AVDB95]

@@cloverdog85 When adding new angelfish always get ones that are younger/smaller than the established ones, they are more likely to accept those without fighting.

[@cloverdog85]

​@AVDB95 good advice thanks. The ones I have now are pretty big. I'd say about the size of my hand. Most in the store are 1/4 the size.

[@masonhughes3597]

Stoked to watch

[@eswade1]

That mustache is first class, mate!!!

[@yashtapase3821]

Anyone wondering you can also add bristlenose plecos to this list 😅

[@raelenehansen9305]

Wow I've been watching your videos for so long and only just found out your in Brisbane 😮

[@ricksallotment5923]

Music sent me skitty, I'd drop that

[@unforeseencircumstances]

I started this hobby last month and it's already been a rollercoaster... i literally have half of the species mentioned in the list and they are awesome. i would recommend kuhli loaches, a honey gourami or a bolivian ram (single)

[@HeavensAngels1111]

Check out Father Fish here on KZbin and the roller coaster ride will be over if you take his advice guaranteed!

[@yashtapase3821]

4:06 I love the way twiiink cories and hill stream loaches do ❤😂

[@erz5386]

Awesome sound design man!

[@jonathanbedsole1671]

Cardinal tetras are notoriously difficult to keep alive.

[@ebinom8112]

True

[@BenedictCortez-f3i]

One of my cardinal tetras survive for months alone

[@BanthaWorship]

Dog cameo!

[@later_daze_4080]

There should be a warning that comes with Endlers. A trio will turn into hundreds in 6 months.

[@gidgitvonlarue9972]

I have a globe tank that I'm bringing back to life - I want fish - a variety of fish - that all get on together. Can you do a combo first starters fish tank that looks lovely please xxx I want it to be so pretty with a combo of fish in fresh water! Can you do a starters pack of first step up aquarium please! xxx

[@danielthompson3205]

Yer.. the angels I had over twenty years tend to make the neons ... Disapear

[@rhondafitzpatrick1646]

lmao, you are making it sound like you're trying hard to kill them. 😅😢😊

[@ckgnproductions8338]

what about ember tetras?

[@fakename2212]

My favorite tetra. Mine have done well, and they are super non-aggressive. You can keep them with small shrimp.

[@johncameron4194]

Nice list

[@raisinggoldfishonabudget7058]

I have a 75 gal aquarium & was wondering what type of fish can I put in it that likes a fast flow & will get along with each other like danio size type fish, Like a tank of different type fish. Not guppies, I had them, they are too prolific I like the cardinals what else would go with them?

[@denzelknight2146]

White Cloud Minnows, Danios, and Barbs are big fin nippers due to their anxious, fast, constant moving. Don't keep them with slow moving/docile fish. This part wasn't mentioned.

[@pecosR0B]

Nick, I need a rec for a top feeder in my planted 100 gallon. I have rummy nose and cardinal tetras, habrosus, emerald, and panda corys, 4 harlequin rasboras (used to be 6). What's a fish that can be top feeding, 6-6.5 ph, soft water (hardness under 200 ppm), and 79F? I know I can use clown killis but I want them in my cold tanks and not warm.

[@pecosR0B]

I've always avoided hillstream loaches because of the high flow rec but I'm glad I saw this video

[@arcotraj9896]

I need those ! Tysn

[@TheMrcooldjbigones]

I could tell this is a newer video, because Nick's still growing that #SwingersMustache!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣👀👀👀✌🏿🤙🏿

[@realhusky]

Yeah, I know he just said giant Dan's are super peaceful, but those fish are little psychos. They nip and bite. They're fast they jump out.

[@tomp6685]

Kuhli loachs are hardcore.

[@wuling2646]

I have 4 tanks, one with loaches that prefer 80 F. Been using the standard heaters but wondering why no one seems to use a pad heater underneath the tank with thermostat?

[@ultramaximusreviews]

Doggo wants to play with the goldfish

[@sillyheadphone]

in Texas, we only have super hard water PH 8.5+. 😢

[@tomdelisle8955]

I love cardinal tetras but unfortunately the zebra danios were aggressive towards them and my tetras did not survive. My red eye tetras are doing much better.

[@rod2508]

Catfish should be at the top of your list. They are indestructible. This is also why releasing catfish into the wild is very very bad.

[@albino658]

While the Giant Danio is a hard to kill fish, it gets along with basically no other species. Do not put them in a community tank with other, slower, mid-level species. They’re large and aggressive and they know how to use both those traits.

[@MrGlitch76]

If I may suggest putting the name of the fish in on of the corners during the discussion of each one.

[@kfdugdsjksedokqdlfdnh2620]

What lights do you use?

[@katesmiles4208]

Hillstream loaches survive at 15C. You have a sale 😂👍 Im building a no heater tank. Winter water temperatures inside get to 15C. Hillstream loaches sound ideal. One question. Do you think a golden chinese algae eater would tolerate them in a 4ft planted tank?

[@Grammarlings-cf8yw]

Chinese Algae eaters are tropical, they're not good tank mates parameter wise.

[@KristiBodin]

White cloud minnows are illegal in Massachusetts because they have been dumped and become invasive. 😢

[@ollielloyd-scott9988]

My barbs arent messy, this, this and that

[@benc3214]

I have terrible luck with Cardinals i seem to have to replenish the stock on a yearly basis. I very rarely see them die they just vanish. It may be the stock im getting but the last lot i got from my LFS were terrible i shouldn't have bought them.

[@ebinom8112]

Me too. Cardinals & neons are not easy for me to keep.

[@Lookforthelight01]

"today we'll be giving you guys 11 fish'' Why? Thanks!! Sure, where do I send my address to?😂

[@RobDouglas3]

Thanks!

[@KeepingFishSimple]

Thank you 🙏

[@OliverStarr-n9w]

When are you going to sell some sterbai cory on the website

[@neill-g8b]

Gourami fish are the armoured tank of fish

[@zebedeemadness2672]

Why albino Cory's i would say most cory's in general are good just that Bronze Cory's and Peppered Cory's are typically the cheapest. Albinos as with most mutations you possibly have to deal with genetic weakness due to intensive interbreeding, line breeding, because the foundation stock is typically derived from one fish. Cory's are pretty bulletproof but higher temperatures for the most part can turn them belly up. The only typically agreed Cory species for higher temperatures aquariums is the Sterbai Cory, these are the only go to Cory species that are put with say a Discus, Butterfly ram aquarium, two cichlid species that seem to prefer higher end temperatures.

[@mr.navorski7501]

Cool video! Few months ago I saved some fish from an aquarium which was on sale because owner had no time for it. He had a huge cardinal tetra in it but super skinny, the Fish looked very bad. Now this tetra is in my tank and it is healthy and fat😂

[@Ishan.patel.]

Its been a while since you made this type of video

[@AmberMaymon]

Will pea puffers attack them?