Fish That Don't Need Filter Updated

Fish That Don't Need Filter

Are there any fish that don't need a filter?

The short answer is: Yes!

But equally a responsible fishkeeper, you lot'll desire to read our listing of suggested fish that don't demand a filter and learn more most how to add oxygen to a fishbowl.

Why were no-filter fish bowls so popular in mainstream pet shopping? What are the advantages of setting-upward a fishbowl for your fish?

Let'due south run across:

Fishbowls are typically smaller than total-sized tanks, making them easy to move around in a small-scale home. Their modest size also makes h2o changes a cakewalk.
And that'south a big plus because when housing fish without a filter, you'll be doing plenty of h2o changes.
Fishbowls are affordable, accessible, and easy to manage, even for younger family members.
That's not to say that children can be solely responsible for maintaining a healthy fishbowl environment for pet fish. Developed supervision is a must!
Fishbowls make excellent single-species tanks for small-scale fish, kept in reasonable groups, or every bit a solo fish, depending on the species.

The mutual fish species that are suitable for life in an aquarium without a filter are: Bettas, Guppies, White Clouds, and a few others, sometimes joined past ghost shrimp or snails.

Here are the v main guidelines to follow when choosing a fish species that don't demand a filter:

Pocket-size fish that don't demand lots of open up space for swimming;
Solitary fish that typically don't do well in community tanks;
Coldwater fish so they can withstand the often shifts in temperature afterward water changes;
Hardy fish that do well even when h2o parameters fluctuate oftentimes;
Avoid overcrowding as a minor tank without a filtration organization can feel smaller if overcrowded.

Top 8 Almost Popular Fish That Don't Demand A Filter

Fish that don't need a filter are not automatically low-maintenance fish, but there are some truthful beauties that are piece of cake to care for, even in a no-filter fishbowl.

These viii popular fish species are recommended by aquarists that have gone filter-less with their aquariums and accept managed to go on salubrious & active fish with just a few adjustments to their tank setup.

We'll touch on the more than specific questions nigh how fish tin can live without a filter, and how to add oxygen to a fishbowl a bit later.

Kickoff, yous should become to know the potential inhabitants of your filterless aquarium. These quick intendance guides will help you plan your bowl's setup and give y'all a heads up on annihilation else you should know virtually the 8 near popular fish that don't need a filter.

1. Betta Fish (Betta splendens)

Betta Fish (Betta splendens)
Care level	Medium
Size	3 inches
Lifespan	3 to v years
pH range	six.v-7.v
Temperature	76-81°F
Temperament/Behavior	Peaceful with the right tank mates Aggressive with other Betta males May be aggressive with other fish with large fins
Culling names	Siamese Fighting Fish

Family

Osphronemidae

Appearance

Betta fish are famous for their extravagant tails, with intensely pigmented colors that get even brighter and more than saturated during mating season.

See merely how wide-ranging a betta fish tail's shape tin be.

Habitat

Naturally drawn to shallow low-oxygen water streams and rice paddies, the betta fish volition put on the bear witness of a lifetime in any aquarium.

Information technology needs enough of infinite to motion, and a big h2o surface area, as it "breathes" past using its labyrinth organ to gulp air at the h2o's surface.

Beliefs

Male betta fish are notoriously ambitious towards each other, so you should avoid giving them a reason to follow their territorial instinctive behavior.

They are solitary fish that tin entertain themselves with the right aqua-scaping setup in a fishbowl.

Nutrition

Bettas are carnivores, so they need a protein-filled diet to thrive.

They typically feed at the water's surface and will accept meaty freeze-dried or live food.

In their natural habitat, they will munch on insects and their larvae.

Tank mates

Although female person betta fish can live in groups of five in some circumstances, a fishbowl should only house 1 betta. 2 males in the aforementioned aquarium are a "hard no" in any setup, as they will fight to the death.

Platonic Tank Mates	Not recommended
Mystery Snails	Fish that accept large flowing tails
Cory Catfish	Oscars
Feeder Guppies	Killifish
Neon Tetras	Acaras
Ghost Shrimp	Parrotfish

2. Guppy Fish (Poecilia reticulata)

Guppy Fish (Poecilia reticulata)
Care level	Very easy
Size	0.half-dozen-two.iv inches
Lifespan	Upwardly to 2 years
pH range	v.v-8.five
Temperature	75-82°F
Temperament/Behavior	Peaceful
Alternative names	Million Fish Rainbow Fish

Family

Poeciliidae

Appearance

Also known as "the rainbow fish", guppies come in a wide range of dazzling colors. Their coloration and naturally active beliefs make them perfect for a fishbowl.

Habitat

Native to South America, the guppy fish is a freshwater tropical fish that will capeesh a heavily planted aquarium with live stone and a generous layer of substrate.

Behavior

Guppy fish are agile swimmers that enjoy the company of other guppies, as they observe safety in numbers.
Y'all'll find males doing a fin-wiggle trip the light fantastic trying to impress females when attempting to breed.

Diet

Considered one of the easiest fish to feed, the guppy is an omnivore that will gladly grub down on alive or frozen meaty nutrient (shrimp, bloodworm), peas, cucumbers, and high-quality fish flakes.

Tank mates

Guppy fish do well with most peaceful community fish, but in a fishbowl, your best bet for the perfect guppy tank mates are more guppies.

Ideal Tank Mates	Not recommended
Mollies	Cherry-tailed blackness sharks
Ghost Shrimp	Barbs
Platies	Tetras
Corydoras	Larger aggressive species
Gouramis

3. White Deject Mountain Minnow (Tanichthys albonubes)

White Deject Mountain Minnow (Tanichthys albonubes)
Care level	Easy
Size	i.five inches
Lifespan	5 to 7 years
pH range	6.0-8.0
Temperature	64-72°F
Temperament/Behavior	Peaceful

Family

Cyprinidae

Appearance

The metal body and red tail of the white cloud mount minnow are its most distinctive physical traits, often being mistaken for neon tetras.

Their scales have an iridescent pinkish look, contoured by black lateral stripes.

Habitat

White deject mountain minnows are native to the Pearl River of China, with breeding commonly taking identify in rice fields.

They've also been known to swim along mountain streams, which makes them 1 of the about robust fish species that you can keep in a fishbowl.

Behavior

Mountain minnows have a strong schooling instinct, doing best in groups of at least 5 individuals.

They are shy and peaceful under normal circumstances but can show signs of assailment while mating.

Diet

Natural omnivores, mountain minnows are considered micro-predators.

They will happily feed on zooplankton, algae, micro-worms, and mosquito larvae.

For a varied diet, introduce them to frozen food, fresh fruit, alginate tablets, and dried pellets.

Tank mates

As they are a peaceful bunch, these minnows can share a tank with most aquarium fish.

Ideal Tank Mates	Non Recommended
Zebra Danios	Tiger Barb
Water Loaches	Clown Loach
Black Skirt Tetras	Killifish
Snails & Shrimp
Dwarf Gouramis

4. Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
Care level	Piece of cake
Size	2 inches
Lifespan	Up to 5 years
pH range	6.5-7.0
Temperature	64-74°F
Temperament/Behavior	Peaceful
Alternative names	Zebra Danio Fish

Family unit

Cyprinidae

Advent

The blue/purplish horizontal stripes that run along its torso give the zebrafish an easily recognizable wait. It is a slim swimmer that seems almost torpedo-shaped, looking like a silver bullet when zooming around in a fishbowl.

Habitat

Zebrafish are known to swim in a broad range of waters, considered to be native to Republic of india.

They tin withstand the rapid waters of fast-moving streams but can also thrive in well-nigh stagnant waters.

Behavior

With a strong schooling instinct, the zebrafish form a hierarchy whenever they are kept in groups of v or more than fish. They are very agile swimmers with a peaceful temperament.

You lot'll discover them exploring the entire fishbowl.

Nutrition

Omnivores by nature, zebrafish are far from being picky eaters. You lot can feed them live or frozen invertebrates, and fresh vegetables cut into reasonable pieces.

Tank mates

Zebrafish are generally considered to exist peaceful fish that do well in community tanks, but they may nip at the fins of fish with long and flowy fins.

Ideal Tank Mates	Not recommended
Gouramis	Angelfish
Swordtails	Betta Fish
Barbs	Guppy Fish
Loaches
Corydoras

five. Dwarf Pufferfish (Carinotetraodon travancoricus)

Dwarf Pufferfish (Carinotetraodon travancoricus)
Intendance level	Medium
Size	i.four inches
Lifespan	Up to 4 years
pH range	six.v-eight.5
Temperature	74-82°F
Temperament/Behavior	Territorial
Alternative names	Pea Puffer Fish

Family

Tetraodontidae

Advent

A tropical freshwater fish, the dwarf pufferfish is a fascinatingly small withal feisty fish.

Y'all tin recognize them by their brightly yellow-colored bellies, and they're larger than average eyes for a modest body.

Habitat

Native to the rivers, lakes, and estuaries of Southwest India, the dwarf pufferfish will form a strong preference for hanging out in the heavily planted areas of a fishbowl.

In the wild, they volition feed, mate, and breed in irksome-flowing areas, where plants tin can go along them sheltered.

Behavior

These miniature pufferfish are notoriously territorial and aggressive.

They volition attack males of the same species just also go after long-finned species in a community tank.

Dwarf pufferfish are a curious bunch, so you'll detect them exploring open areas, every bit well equally finding ideal food scavenging spots.

Nutrition

A natural carnivore, the dwarf pufferfish typically lives off of insects, their larvae, algae, and copepods.

You can feed them algae wafers, pocket-sized shrimp, snails, bloodworms, or brine shrimp.

Tank mates

A dwarf pufferfish is an fantabulous choice for a fishbowl, as they do best when living as a single species.

Platonic Tank Mates	Not recommended
Musquito Rasboras	Big catfish species
Ember Tetras	Long-finned Guppy fish
Leopard Danios
Neon Tetras
Filament Barbs

half dozen. Pygmy Corydoras (Corydoras pygmaeus)

Pygmy Corydoras (Corydoras pygmaeus)
Care level	Easy
Size	one.2 inches
Lifespan	Up to 3 years
pH range	vi.4-7.4
Temperature	72-79°F
Temperament/Behavior	Peaceful
Culling names	Pygmy Catfish

Family unit

Callichthyidae

Appearance

Pygmy corydoras, likewise known every bit pygmy catfish, are one of the smallest fish species you can keep in a fishbowl. Their well-nigh adorable artful makes it sometimes hard to distinguish their coloration, every bit they oft grow to be at most ane inch long.

Habitat

Pygmy catfish tin can be found hiding in the riverbeds of the Madeira River in Brazil, the Nanay River in Peru, and the Aguarico River in Ecuador.

They spend most of their lives exploring heavily planted areas.

Behavior

Typically a bottom dweller, the pygmy catfish will sometimes ascension up to the surface of a fishbowl to employ their intestine to gulp oxygen from the air when a tank'south water becomes poorly oxygenated.

Temperament-wise, they make peaceful companions even in community tanks.

Diet

Pellets, bloodworms, brine shrimp, and insect larvae will keep this omnivore well-fed in captivity.
Nutrient that sinks apace to the bottom of a fishbowl is ideal, every bit that's where pygmy catfish volition scavenge for nutrient.

Tank mates

They are best paired with other small-scale peaceful fish, especially with species that hang out in the middle and upper parts of the aquarium.

Ideal Tank Mates	Not recommended
Zebrafish	Any fish that accept mouths larger than an inch.
Dwarf Gouramis
Cherry Barbs
Neon Tetras
Mollies

seven. Sparkling Gourami Fish (Trichopsis pumila)

Sparkling Gourami Fish (Trichopsis pumila)
Care level	Easy
Size	1.5 inches
Lifespan	4 to 5 years
pH range	half dozen.0-seven.0
Temperature	76-82°F
Temperament/Beliefs	Peaceful

Family

Osphronemidae

Appearance

Sparkling gourami fish resemble shiny bullets darting through the water when exploring an aquarium.

With long and sparse bodies, they are strikingly colored miniature fish, perfect for a fishbowl setup.

Habitat

Stagnant waters with heavy vegetation are a sparkling gourami's safe place in the wild!

They are considered to exist native to Southeast Asia and have a reputation of being hardy fish that do well in near captive habitats, including fishbowls.

Behavior

Sparkling gourami fish volition take a stiff liking to the planted areas of a fishbowl.

Just like in their natural habitat, gouramis volition feel more confident to explore open up waters if they accept plenty of vegetation to use as a shelter when need be.

Diet

In their natural habitat, a sparkling gouramis' diet consists of insects and zooplankton.

These very active omnivores need a poly peptide-rich diet, which yous can enrich with artemia flakes, bloodworms, and alive daphnia, with some veggie flakes thrown in for diversity'due south sake.

Tank mates

Choose peaceful and similarly sized tank mates for your sparkling gourami fish.

Ideal Tank Mates	Not recommended
Neon Tetras	Male person Betta Fish
Dwarf Pencilfish	Tiger Barbs
Dwarf Gouramis	Blackness Tetras
Dwarf Rasboras
Dwarf Suckers

8. Ember Tetra Fish (Hyphessobrycon amandae)

Ember Tetra Fish (Hyphessobrycon amandae)
Intendance level	Easy
Size	1 inch
Lifespan	2 to four years
pH range	v.0-7.0
Temperature	73-84°F
Temperament/Behavior	Peaceful

Family

Characidae

Appearance

Pigmented and brightly red/orangish colored, ember tetra fish are quite a view when pond as a school in a fishbowl. Their coloration has a gradient design, which is difficult to distinguish, as they abound to a maximum length of most 0.eight inches.

Habitat

The heavy vegetation and slow-moving waters of the Araguaia River basin are the home of the ember tetra fish in the wild.

A robust and hardy fish that'south resilient enough to thrive even with frequent changes in water weather condition!

Behavior

Ember tetras need a balanced mix of planted areas to hibernate into and enough of open up space for swimming.

This is an active fish that keeps to its ain and has a peaceful temperament even in community tanks.

Diet

You tin feed ember tetras a multifariousness of food, ranging from standard frozen or freeze-dried fish nutrient to live daphnias and alkali shrimp.

They may nibble on plants from time to time, but not enough to cause whatsoever damage.

Tank mates

If feasible for your fishbowl setup, the perfect tank mates for an ember tetra are 9 other ember tetras, as they feel best when in large groups.

Ideal Tank Mates	Not recommended
Neon Tetras	Any larger aggressive fish
Pocket-size Rasboras
Pygmy Catfish
Red Cherry Shrimp
Dwarf Gouramis

How To Care For F ish That Don't Need A Filter

Choose hardy cold-water fish.

The water parameters in your fishbowl/ filter-less tank will modify very often.

An unfiltered aquarium needs hardy fish equally its inhabitants; otherwise, you tin end upward with a lot of casualties.

Common cold-water fish are a skillful selection because it will be hard for you to stabilize the temperature inside the tank subsequently each water modify.

Fish that can sustain lower temperature h2o will do simply fine with up to a 50% h2o modify.

Pick the right fishbowl design.

The main priority when setting up an unfiltered tank is to set yourself upwards for success. And success, in this case, is providing equally much oxygen equally possible without farther crowding the bowl.

Choosing an aquarium design that allows for a large h2o surface expanse to be in direct contact with the air is ideal.

The larger the expanse of contact between water and air, the more oxygen your tank will get, and the more carbon dioxide will escape.

Program for frequent water changes.

Choosing smaller fish and a reasonably-sized aquarium will make this task a lot more manageable.

You should schedule partial water changes once every 3 to v days in social club to make sure that your fish live a healthy and happy life in your unfiltered tank. Fish can live without a filter, only they certainly can't survive in murky oxygen-deprived h2o.

A xxx to 50% water alter will practise the trick, although it might sound similar quite a hassle.

Consider using a water conditioner when topping off your fishbowl with tap water. This actress stride volition neutralize the chlorine, chloramine, and other not fish-safe substances found in tap h2o.

Add oxygen to your aquarium by setting-up a heavily planted tank.

The natural cycle in a planted fishbowl goes something like this:

Fish produce nitrogen-rich waste;
Plants employ nitrogenous matter to grow;
Plants release oxygen into the water while removing carbon dioxide;
Fish employ plants as a nutrient source or as a habitat-enriching element (hiding spots, a refuge during sleep).

If y'all avoid overcrowding by keeping merely a few fish in a tank without a filter, a heavily planted setup will provide more than enough oxygen for your fish to thrive.

Here'south a list of aquatic plants that tin work wonders in oxygenating an unfiltered fishbowl:

Sagittaria subulata	Dusk Hygro	Coffee Moss	Vallisneria
Anubias	Coontail	Rotala rotundifolia	Java Fern
Moneywort	Green Hygrophila	Aldrovanda vesiculosa	Rotala indica

Start off with a well-established substrate base.

A tank's filter does more than just filtrate water; information technology likewise serves equally a breeding basis for beneficial bacteria.

Yous can replicate this "bacterial breeding ground" by planting your aquatic plants in a layer of substrate and letting the fishbowl bike through this necessary bacterial growth.

Post-obit this process, and adding your fish to the unfiltered basin just after having a well-established substrate, volition allow the plants (with the assistance of bacteria) to convert fish waste matter into nutrients.

Consider an alternative sponge filter.

If your only reason for going without a filter for your tank is the bulkiness of information technology, y'all should consider substituting it with a sponge filter.

The sponge filter mimics the typical tank filter, circulating water, oxygenating it, allowing good leaner to develop, and balancing nitrate levels in your fishbowl.

Practice basic aquarium hygiene.

You lot should, of course, still follow the basic cleaning routine of a filtered tank, paying extra attention to make clean the substrate and siphon droppings in less-accessible areas of the fishbowl.

Conclusion – Fish That Don't Need A Filter

Information technology is 100% viable to manage the habitat of fish that don't demand a filter with a few adjustments!

Whether y'all opt for an unfiltered tank as a challenge for your fishkeeping skills, or as an alternative to the large setup necessary for a filtered tank, y'all're in for a treat with any of these 8 resilient fish species.

Come across a stride-by-stride aquascaping setup of a fishbowl for a betta fish here: