Freshwater Aquarium Fish

There are so many freshwater aquarium fish available, that you could write a book just on that subject alone. In fact, many have. So we will just cover some the more common species of fish available for your freshwater aquarium here.

Guppys

But Guppy is perhaps the most prolific fish to be found in an aquarium. The common strains are very inexpensive, party, and omnivorous, eating everything and anything offered to them. They are ideal fish for the beginner, and their collar patterns, fin shapes, and size are so variable that many advanced hobbyist restrict their aquarium to Guppy's alone. Originally discovered in Venezuela, it has been introduced all over the world to help control mosquitoes, for the Guppy can live in the smallest pool of water, under the most adverse conditions, and still thrive and breed. In recent years fanned tail Guppy's have become very popular. If Guppy's are well fed, chances are, they will not cannibalize their fry. Considering that they have as many as 100 Young at a time, you can readily understand why literature has referred to them as the millions fish.

Mollies

The Black Mollie is possibly one of the most popular fish in a freshwater aquarium. Mollies are found in fresh water, brackish water, and even in the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Texas. Though most of the wild forms are plain greenish silver, there are individuals which have been found heavily mottled with black. Mali is freely interbreed with each other. And there are some very interesting strains that have come of this. Low Mali's are very hardy, they do require hard alkaline water with the pH range between 7.6 to 8.6. If they are not properly maintained, they quickly become ill and have a characteristic disease known as the shimmy's. This disease is usually initiated by a sudden drop in water temperature, either while the fish are being shipped from Florida to the neighborhood pet shop, or in the home aquarium or a faulty heater is to blame. The treatment is to raise the temperature of the water to about 80°F, with an aquarium heater. All species of Mali's require some care. All are vegetarians also, so live aquarium plants are particularly a necessity with these fish.

Tetras

One of the largest families of fish and one of the most interesting for the aquarium are the Tetras. These fish are found in North Central and South America, as well as Africa. They range from the bizarre, ferocious. Iran is, the so-called man eaters of the Amazon to the tiny, colorful cardinal Tetra. Nearly all of the Tetra's you'll find in pet shops today come from Peru, Brazil or British Guiana. Every year it seems more and more new varieties are found, one more beautiful than the next. As a group Tetras have certain common characteristics. They all have teeth, though some of the teeth are invisible to the naked eye. Most have an extra fin behind a dorsal fin on the back, known as the adipose fin. This fin has no rays on it and is sometimes called the fatty fin. Tetra's do quite well feeding on regular dried or freeze-dried aquaria in foods and some frozen brine shrimp now and then.

Killifish

You can call then, killifish, minnows, or toothed carps, or whatever you like. This is a fascinating group of fish. They include some of the most colorful of all aquarium fish, some with the most interesting living habits imaginable. This is a group of fish that has so many different varieties that a book could be written on them alone .

Barbs

The barbs is a group of small, colorful, active fish inhabiting the tropical waters of Asia and Africa. In the aquarium. The bards are the clowns. Always moving, chasing other fish, poking among the debris and snapping anything moving through water, the barbs present perpetual entertainment to the casual observer. Being very active, their oxygen requirements are much higher than those of catfish, or live bearers, and their aquarium should be equipped with aeration equipment any heavy-duty filter. Barbs are also voracious eaters in a gorge themselves on dried food.

Catfish

Catfish have always been one of my favorite aquarium fish. The bottom dwelling catfish gets their name from the catlike whiskers, which project from there lips on some the whiskers are longer than the fish. There are now many interesting varieties of catfish available for your aquarium. Some of the more popular catfish are the Corydoras, Suckermouth, Bumblebee Catfish, and the famous Upside-down Catfish.

Loaches

Not all scavengers are catfish. There are some small fish called loaches, which have eellike bodies, which make them ideal scavengers. They are continuously poking about the roots of plants, eating the smallest particles of food in being so peaceful and on unobtrusive that they are hardly ever noticed.

Those are some of the more common fish you can put in your freshwater aquarium. If you go to a well-stocked pet store. You could spend hours just looking at the different fish available for a freshwater aquarium. Other popular freshwater aquarium fish include, the Discus, the Angel Fish, and the Silver Dollar Fish.