These Are The Best Fish For Your Nano Tank

Nano tanks are always the best aquarium set-up to keep on your study table, work desk, or any compact space in your living room. But the issues arrive when we are not sure as to what fish to add into your Nano tank aquariums. Some of the best fishes for your Nano tank aquariums would include Rasboras, Otocinclus, Neon Tetras, Betta fish, Borneo Sucker Loach, Clown Killifish, Pygmy Corydoras, Rummy Nose Tetra, guppy fish.

What is Nano Tank?

An aquarium setup that is less than ’30 Gallons’ or ‘110 liters’ in size capacity can be considered a Nano Tank Aquarium. Nano Tanks are one of the greatest ways to ease our path towards Fish Keeping and experience new challenges for an experienced aquarium Hobbyist or Fishkeeper.

Why do I recommend keeping Fish in your Nano Tank?

Setting up a Nano tank is very interesting and fun, but when it comes down to deciding what to add to the tank, we fail. I had personally experienced this issue when I first started setting up ‘Nano Tank’ aquariums. I used to put in fishes that were not suitable for the Nano tank environment and end up killing a lot of fish down the line. Therefore, it’s very important that we know what fish to put into the tank and which fish is suitable for our ‘Nano tank Setups’. 

In my experience, these are the 5 Best Fish suitable for your Nano Tank set up,

HARLEQUIN RASBORA 

These guys are a tiny variety of freshwater Fish that is a ton of fun to watch! They prefer to stay in large groups and form a school of Rasboras. It’s a simple calculation to know how many Rasboras to keep in your tank, for every 1 Gallon can hold ‘2 Harlequin Rasboras’.

But however, they feel safer when they are kept in groups of ‘6-8’. 

Most importantly, Harlequin Rasboras are very easy to take care of within a PH Scale between ‘6.5 -7′ as per my experience. 

Maximum Size	2 Inches (5.08 CM)
Difficulty Level	Beginner
Minimum Recommended Tank Capacity	5 to 10 Gallons (20 to 38 liters)

OTOCINCLUS

Otocinclus are also known as the ‘Dwarf Suckered fish’. They are an essential addition to any Nano tank Aquariums. They are pretty interesting to watch and ‘Play an essential role in clearing algae and maintaining a stable ecosystem’.

I always found them clinging onto large Amazon leaves, or driftwood, scavenging for algae. But however, don’t forget to feed them as they enjoy ‘Algae Wafers’. 

Maximum Size	2 Inches (5.08 CM)
Difficulty Level	Beginner
Minimum Recommended Tank Capacity	5 to 10 Gallons (20 to 38 liters)

NEON TETRA

Everyone’s had a Neon Tetra before. We’ve also seen them in big groups, or in some large tanks, living happily. These guys are named after the coloration. Neon Tetras have a bold stripe of vibrant blue and red color throughout the body. But however, the males are more vivid, than the females. 

Another reason I would suggest you keep them is that they are ‘Super easy to care for. I always kept them in schools of at least ‘16 – 24’. You can simply have them in any tank that has a PH Scale of 7 or a little less and a water temperature varying between ’70-81°F’. 

Maximum Size	1.5 Inches (3.81 CM)
Difficulty Level	Beginner
Minimum Recommended Tank Capacity	10 to 20 Gallons (38 to 76 liters)

BETTA FISH

Well, isn’t it obvious? We have seen these guys in the times of the containers and fish bowls in the fish stores. But this ‘DOES NOT MEAN’ that you keep them in such an enclosed space. They need a minimum space of up to ‘5 -10 Gallons’. Betta fishes are really ‘Beautiful’ to look at and they love to show off their colors to whoever stares at them. 

Betta fish come in various varieties and several colors, but most often, you will only see males Betta fish in your nearest stores due to their beauty. Betta Fish are hardy and can survive under most of the water parameters and temperatures like other ‘Nano Tank fish mates’. 

Maximum Size	3 Inches (7.62 CM)
Difficulty Level	Intermediate
Minimum Recommended Tank Capacity	5 to 10 Gallons (20 to 38 liters)

CHILI RASBORA

Chili Rasbora can be considered one of the best vibrant additions you can add to your Nano Tank. Chili Rasboras have a colorful shade of Pink and Red, making these guys stand out against the color of the live plants.

I have seen them be very shy at first and spend a lot of time in hiding, while they tend to come out more often once they get comfortable with the Tank mates and the environment. 

Thus, I’d suggest you keep them in groups of ‘ 10-20′ fishes to create a school. Also, adds on a nice show for the viewers. 

You can feed them some dried food or brine shrimps and Daphnia to keep them active and healthy all the time.

Maximum Size	0.7 Inches (1.78 CM)
Difficulty Level	Beginner
Minimum Recommended Tank Capacity	5 to 10 Gallons (20 to 38 liters)

BORNEO SUCKER LOACH

Borneo Sucker Loach tends to be a very peaceful creature and will help you keep the tank clean and healthy. Borneo Sucker Loach has this amazing ‘Miniature Stingray’ kind of shape and texture that simply makes them look more beautiful and interesting to look at.

You will also ways find these guys cleaning and clinging onto ‘Driftwood, leftovers, and hardscape’. You can keep them with other tank mates and they have the ability to tolerate cooler temperatures even in an unheated Nano tank. 

Remember to have only a ‘1-3’ group of them as they are very territorial towards their kind and like their own space. 

Maximum Size	2 Inches (5.08 CM)
Difficulty Level	Beginner
Minimum Recommended Tank Capacity	10 to 15 Gallons (38 to 57liters)

CLOWN KILLIFISH

Personally, Clown Killifish have always been my favorite Nano Tank fishes to keep. I just find them to be very cute and tiny, simply amazing fishes to keep. They are super shy and have vibrant dark bands on their body and a dazzling little tail shaped like a rocket flame. 

These are ‘Top Dwelling’ fishes and you can keep maybe 1 male for every 2 females as they are territorial to their kind and feed those flakes and other floating food. 

Maximum Size	1.5 Inches (3.81 CM)
Difficulty Level	Intermediate
Minimum Recommended Tank Capacity	5 to 10 Gallons (20 to 38 liters)

PYGMY CORYDORAS

Pygmy Corydoras are another range of cute little Cory catfish that are simply adorable and help in maintaining your Nano tank water cycle and cleaning the algae off your aquarium. Pygmy Corydoras will eat any kind of food that is given to them and they will go well if you keep a group of ‘5-6’ fishes together. 

Keep them in your Nano Tank as they help in keeping your plants free from algae and maintaining the tank cycle. They are very cute and you will always see them always on their cleaning duties.

Maximum Size	1.5 Inches (3.81 CM)
Difficulty Level	Intermediate
Minimum Recommended Tank Capacity	5 to 10 Gallons (20 to 38 liters)

RUMMY NOSE TETRA

These guys originated from the Amazon River basin and can be considered a really good choice for your Nano Tank aquariums. They have vividly colored heads that make them stand out against the other fishes in the Tanks. That’s also the reason why it’s called ‘Rummy Nose Tetra’. 

They always do their best in groups, so I suggest you put them in a group of ’15-20′ Rummy Nose. They are omnivores and will basically eat anything they find in the tank. 

Maximum Size	2.5 Inches (6.35 CM)
Difficulty Level	Beginner
Minimum Recommended Tank Capacity	20 Gallons (76 liters)

FANCY GUPPIES

These guys are highly vibrant in color with long and flowing tails that simply make these fishes beautiful to watch. We have all experienced keeping a guppy fish in our aquarium. These are very humble and silent and do not cause any kind of unnecessary harm to the other tank mates. But however, make sure that you don’t add a lot of them in a small Nano tank due to their ability to multiply faster than rabbits. 

Maximum Size	2 Inches (5.08 CM)
Difficulty Level	Beginner
Tank CapacityMinimum Recommended Tank Capacity	5 to 10 Gallons (20 to 38 liters)

Besides the above fish that I recommend for your nano-fish tank, there are other animals or creatures that you could add to your nano-tank such as Shrimp, Mexican Dwarf Crayfish, and a variety of Snails. The shrimp will do just fine and even reproduce easily, however, some of their fries might get eaten by the fish if they do not have sufficient hiding places. To prevent this you could add moss to your aquarium. To know more check out our article on the best tank mates for shrimps.