Types of Freshwater Aquarium Fish - Selection of Best Fish
Posted: Thursday, November 05, 2009
by Brian Wong
If you're not sure which types of freshwater aquarium fish you should get, this handy guide should give you a few tips on how to make the best selection. Fish should be chosen by using specific criteria. Choose according to hardiness, health, ability to socialize with other types of fish, aesthetics, and finally cost.
One of the most popular among fish hobbyists is the betta splendens. Among the males, these fish, also known as the Siamese fighting fish, are a beautifully, vivid fish that garner a lot of attention due to their brilliance of color. The female of the fish have more subdued colors. In an aquarium, hobbyists can allow the female bettas to reside together as they won't fight one another. However, the males do not tolerate the inclusion of other male bettas. They will fight until one or the other is killed.
The silver dollar fish is popular among hobbyists for it's appearance. This fish gets its name from the thin, rounded appearance that resembles a silver dollar. Silver dollar fish average about five inches in length though some have been known to grow larger. They get along well with other fish and need to be in schools in order to thrive. One downside to the fish is that they will eat live plants.
Tinfoil barb fish, so called because it resembles aluminum foil, is a fish that should not be purchased by beginners who aren't sure if they want to raise fish long term as they do have a long lifespan. Tinfoil barb fish grow to be a large size and although they're helpful to tanks because they eat algae, they have hearty appetites and will eat small fish. For those who decide they do want this type of fish, the tank must be no smaller than fifty-five gallons. These fish need to be with other fish in their species as it is a schooling fish.
For more experienced fish hobbyists, the clown loach is an ideal choice. This colorful striped fish can grow to be a foot in size and needs to be with other loaches. The reason this is not a good fish for beginners is because this fish will succumb to poor water quality and it does take practice to keep the water at the balance needed for these fish.
Brian Wong is a freshwater fish enthusiast, and enjoys helping others get started in this amazing hobby. His newest book, "The Ultimate Guides To Freshwater Aquariums" teaches aquarists everything they need to know about starting and maintaining a thriving freshwater aquarium. For more great information on freshwater aquarium fish, visit http://www.freshwateraquariumguides.com
This Article has been viewed 236 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Hi Brian,Thanks for writing this article. It's kinda funny, because when I went to my hair salon to get a haircut today, the owner was putting in a fish aquarium!Welcome to SearchWarp.Mark
Excellent post welcome
Welcome to SearchWarp. I've been thinking about getting some fish as pets, and found your article helpful.
Thank you for the encouragement. I have more articles to share. Enjoy.
Having an aquarium is a great way for anyone to relax and relieve stress, plus fish are a pleasure to watch. Everytime, when I back from office, I will spend 10 minutes watching the fishes in the aquarium and really is a kind of relaxation and you could forget about what stress or problem in the day. After that, you can enjoy time with your family.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.