Although a long aquarium tank is still the most popular option within the fish keeping hobby by far, taller tanks are becoming more popular.
The issue is, a taller tank can be more difficult to stock so we commonly see people reaching out and asking for advice on the best fish for tall tanks.
There are a number of ways that you can plan out a tall tanks stocking options so we have decided to publish this article to try and help our readers.
We have collected a number of popular fish species that can work well in a tall tank but keep in mind, the rest of the tank setup and other tank mates and water parameters will all come into play too.
Use The Zones Of Inhabitance Method With Different Groups Of Fish!
The best way to stock a tall fish tank is to use a variety of fish that each occupy each level of the tank. This means that you will have surface fish, mid-level fish and bottom-dwelling fish.
This gives each fish the space that it needs to feel comfortable in the aquarium and also provides a more naturalistic look too. It can be difficult to find a good variety of fish that all come from different levels of the water column.
A good example is to have cories for the bottom, a school of tetras or centerpiece like an angel for the middle, and a school of 8 hatchets for the top. This will have a variety of different fish species occupy different levels of your tall tank and keep things interesting for you.
Angelfish
The first fish on our list is the popular and beautiful Angelfish. Growing to around 3 inches depending on the species, these fish are best suited for a taller tank as they spend most of their time in the middle levels of the tank.
They are a very slow-moving fish so a long tank is best suited to them as they need the extra space to be able to swim around and explore their territory. Angelfish are best kept in pairs as they can be quite aggressive towards their tank mates if there is only one fish in the tank.
Discus
Discus are another popular fish that is best suited to a taller tank. Growing to around 6-8 inches depending on the specific type, these fish spend most of their time in the middle and lower levels of the aquarium.
They are very peaceful fish and do best when kept in groups of 5 or more. They are not as active as some other fish on this list so a taller tank will give them the extra space that they need to feel comfortable in their environment.
The best thing about discus fish is the range of colors and patterns that they come in. There are a number of different color morphs available so you can really make your aquarium stand out with these fish.
Tiger Barb
The next fish on our list is the tiger barb. Growing to around 2-3 inches, these fish are best suited for a taller tank as they spend most of their time in the middle to upper levels of the aquarium.
They are best kept in groups of 5 or more and make a great addition to any community tank. They are a very active fish so a taller tank will give them the extra space that they need to swim around and explore their environment.
Tiger barbs are also very cheap to buy so they are a great option for anyone on a budget.
Black Skirts
Black skirts are another type of fish that is best suited to a taller tank. Growing to around 2-3 inches, these fish spend most of their time in the middle to upper levels of the aquarium.
They are best kept in groups of 5 or more with black skirt tetras being good in schools of up to 20 in most tall tank setups. Black skit tetras tend to make great additions to a tall community tank due to the lack of aggression from the species.
Tin Foil Barbs
Tin foil barbs are another type of fish that is best suited to a taller tank. Growing to as long as 14 inches, these fish spend most of their time in the middle and lower levels of the aquarium but do usually need a larger tall tank to thrive.
They are best kept in groups and they can be quite aggressive towards other fish if there is only one tin foil barb in your tank so try to keep six or more.
The issue with tin foil bars is that they have a dull look to them compared to the other fish on our list and they usually need a huge aquarium tank size to keep them correctly.
Mollies
Mollies are usually kept in a long aquarium tank but they can do well in a tall tank too. Growing to around 3-4 inches, these fish spend most of their time in the middle levels of the aquarium.
They are best kept in groups with mollies being good in schools of up to 20 individuals but most people keep far less than this without issue. They are a very peaceful fish and make a great addition to any community tank.
Mollies are also very cheap to buy while also being very easy to find with most local pet stores stocking mollies as standard.
Ember Tetras
Ember tetras are another type of fish that is best suited to a taller tank. Growing to only around 1/2 an inch, these fish spend most of their time in the upper levels of the aquarium.
They are best kept in groups with ember tetras being good in schools of up to 30 individuals but most people keep far less than this without issue. They are a very peaceful fish and make a great addition to any community tank.
Although the traditional ember tetras look beautiful, there are a couple of other tetra species that can also work very well in tall tanks too.
Celestian Pearl Danios
Celestian pearl Danios are another type of fish that is best suited to a taller tank. Growing to only around 1 inch, these fish spend most of their time in the upper levels of the aquarium.
They are best kept in groups with Celestian pearl Danios being good in schools of up to 20 individuals but they can also do well in much smaller schools with as little as 6 Celestian Pearl Danios doing well.
Cories
Cories are another type of fish that is best suited to a taller tank. The smaller species only grow around 2-3 inches making them excellent for the smaller tall aquarium tank setups, these fish spend most of their time near the bottom of the aquarium.
There really are a huge range of cories available that grow to a range of maximum lengths making it easy to find one to meet your needs based on the size of your tall tank.
Silver Dollars
Silver dollars are a type of fish that is best suited to a taller tank. They grow to around 6-8 inches but some species can be much larger with the species spending most of their time in the middle to upper levels of the aquarium.
They are best kept in groups of 5 or more and make a great addition to any community tank. They are a very active fish so a taller tank will give them the extra space that they need to swim around and explore their environment.
Silver dollar fish are also very cheap to buy so they are a great option for anyone on a budget.
Marble Hatchets
The final fish on our list is the marble hatchet these fish spend most of their time in the middle levels of the aquarium. Depending on where you live, marble hatches can be very difficult to find for sale and the ones you do find available will often be over prices too.
This can make them a bad choice for anyone on a budget as some people really do hike their prices up. Thankfully, there are plenty of budget friendly fish for a tall tank on our list above that you can go with instead.
