Freshwater Fish, Aquarium Fish, Freshwater Tropical Profiles

Anabantids - Bettas and Gouramis
Betta	One of the most beautiful of all freshwater tropical fish, male bettas need to be kept as singles due to aggression.
Blue Gourami	The fairly hardy Blue Gourami gets to be about 6 inches as adults. Can be temperamental with other gouramis.
Dwarf Gourami	The Dwarf Gourami is another beauty that can get aggressive with other dwarf gouramis.
Kissing Gourami	Best to keep only one Kissing Gourami per tank because they will pester smaller Kissing Gouramis.
Mahachai Betta	One of the newest additions to the Betta scene, this species is mostly wild caught.
Pearl Gourami	Male Pearl Gouramis may bicker with each other, but overall this is generally a good community fish.
Sparkling Gourami	A smaller gourami species with very nice colors.
Archerfish
Archerfish	The Archerfish can shoot water out of the aquarium and are really good jumpers. A tank with a hood is needed.
Arowanas
Silver Arowana	The Silver Arowana can get huge and is best left in the wild unless you have a massive tank.
Butterfly Fish
African Butterfly Fish	A unique freshwater fish that has an inconspicuously large mouth. Beware if housing it with smaller species.
Catfish
Bandit Cory	Comes from the rivers of Colombia, South America and has similar care requirements as other corydoras species.
Chinese Algae Eater	Often mistaken for the otocinclus catfish, this algae eater can get big and somewhat aggressive with tank mates as it grows.
Clown Pleco	A smaller pleco that needs driftwood and veggies in it's diet.
Corydoras Catfish	One of the coolest little freshwater tropical fish you can keep. We're biased though since it's one of our all time favorite species.
Iridescent Shark	This "freshwater shark" gets way too big for most home aquariums.
Otocinclus Catfish	Great little catfish that eats algae, may not do well if not acclimated properly.
Plecostomus	Many different species with many that get too big for most home aquariums.
Queen Arabesque Pleco	Beautiful pleco sometimes used as a substitute for the zebra pleco.
Schwartz's Cory	Another little corydoras species that seems to do better when kept in small groups of 3 or more.
Striped Raphael Catfish	This is a medium to large sized catfish (up to 9 inches) that is very active. Being nocturnal, it comes out mostly at night, though they are known for getting adjusted to daylight.
Zebra Pleco	A plecostomus that demands high prices due to limited availability. Populations in the wild are threatened.
Characins - Tetras
Black Neon Tetra	A nice little tetra that can be quite hardy and looks really good in a planted tank or aquariums with darker substrates.
Black Phantom Tetra	A medium sized tetra that does well with similarly sized fish species.
Black Skirt Tetra	A tetra with larger fins so use caution if you plan on stocking them with known nippers.
Bleeding Heart Tetra	Has the signature small red spot (don't think it looks like a heart though) on its sides.
Blind Cave Tetra	These fish live in deep caves in the wild. They range from Texas to Mexico, with the sighted version from Mexico to Panama. There is no need for eye sight in the pitch black caves, so they have evolved to adapt to these conditions.
Bloodfin Tetra	A slim lined tetra with red fins, a fast swimmer that does well in planted tanks.
Buenos Aires Tetra	One of the larger aquarium tetras, they can also be somewhat territorial with other fish.
Cardinal Tetra	Looks very similar to the neon tetra, but the cardinal tetra has more red on its body. This tetra looks fantastic in large schools.
Head and Tail Light Tetra	A peaceful little tetra that also does well in schools like most tetras.
Glowlight Tetra	Has an orange/red strip running horizontally along its sides. Has a good reputation amongst hobbyists as being quite hardy.
Lemon Tetra	A tetra, like others that needs to be kept in schools of 6 or more. A 10 gallon tank but preferrably larger is needed.
Neon Tetra	Has to be one of the most popular of the tetras. This freshwater fish is a very pretty blue and red and appears iridescent.
Piranha	Check with your local laws before getting a Piranha. Some municipalities have banned the sale of this species.
Pristella Tetra	Can be considered a good tetra for the freshwater fish beginner due to its hardy and peaceful nature.
Red Belly Pacu	The Pacu gets way too big for most home aquariums and is then sometimes released into local waterways. Ugh. Do not release fish into your local water ways!
Colombian Tetra	Another medium sized tetra that can get aggressive with other species.
Red Eye Tetra	Another tetra that has been known to nip a fin or two or three. Use caution when selecting tank mates.
Rummy Nose Tetra	These tetras have red heads that can change colors depending on environmental stressors.
Serpae Tetra	Can get a little nippy with other species, keep in small schools to limit the nipping.
Silver Dollar	An old standby in the hobby, the Silver Dollars are known plant destroyers.
White Skirt Tetra	An albino form of the black skirt tetra with long flowing fins.
Cichlids
Afra Cichlid	Cynotilapia afra are brightly colored mbuna from Lake Malawi Africa. They make a wonderful fish for any mbuna tank.
Angelfish	Can be temperamental with other species when they pair off.
Blue Ram Cichlid	Awesome looking cichlid that needs to be slowly acclimated and fed a high quality diet.
Cockatoo Cichlid	Colorful cichlid that likes hiding places and live plants.
Convict Cichlid	One of the most commonly kept cichlids. They are great parents and fairly easy to breed.
Discus	The ultimate freshwater tropical fish species perhaps, it's definitely one of the prettiest and can be considered challenging to keep long term.
Firemouth Cichlid	Another great cichlid that is an excellent parent to it's young.
Jack Dempsey	Named after the famous prize fighter, these cichlids need larger tanks.
Jewel Cichlid	The Jeweled cichlid can get aggressive with tankmates (like many cichlids) when they pair off.
Kenyi Cichlid	Use caution when mixing with other kenyi (must only be in ratio of 1 male to 2+ females) and not with other fish from Metriclima group due to aggression. Not compatable with other types of fish, not a community fish.
Kribensis Cichlid	Another one of the easier to breed cichlids.
Oscar	Often sold to new hobbyists that should now better. Oscars need larger tanks than most hobbyists can provide.
Parrot Cichlid	An interesting hybrid cichlid that needs some hiding places and an established tank.
Polit Cichlid	Pseudotropheus Polits are highly aggressive mbuna from Lake Malawi Africa. They stay rather small compared to the others.
Red Devil Cichlid	A large and mean cichlid that needs a large tank.
Shell Dweller Cichlid	Some of the smallest cichlids in the world, the multies can be kept in smaller aquariums.
Yellow Lab Cichlid	Labidochromis caeruleus (yellow labs) are bright colored mbuna from Lake Malawi. These are the less aggressive out of the mbuna.
Zebra Cichlid	A few different varieties of zebra cichlids are out there. Pictured is the red zebra and males can get very territorial. Another African cichlid that is not recommended for a community type tank setup.
Cyprinids - Barbs
Bala Shark	Gets big and likes to be in schools making optimal care conditions difficult in the home aquarium.
Cherry Barb	Males turn cherry red and these make excellent fish for beginning freshwater aquarium fish tank keepers.
Gold Barb	Another barb that is an excellent choice for newbies to the freshwater hobby.
Goldfish	The most popular fish of all time? Our old friend the goldfish.
Harlequin Rasbora	Looks fantastic in a heavily planted and kept in schools.
Koi	This is a pond fish and not suitable for most home aquariums unless you're wintering your koi indoors.
Odessa Barb	A beautiful barb that is quite colorful. Not very common at the local fish store.
Rainbow Shark	Best kept as a single due to aggression with members of the same species.
Red Tail Shark	Another "freshwater shark" that is very territorial and will not do well with other red tails.
Rosy Barb	Also known as the Red Barb, this fish should bring lots of activity to a tank.
Scissor Tail Rasbora	Named for the unique motion of it's caudal fin that moves like scissors.
Tiger Barb	A notorious fin nipper that doesn't do all that well in community tanks.
Tinfoil Barb	Likes to be in schools but gets too big for most freshwater tanks.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow	Can tolerate colder water temperatures and can be very active and easy to breed.
Zebra Danio	Another very popular freshwater fish that used to be used to cycle new tanks. We don't do that anymore, right?
Hatchetfish
Marble Hatchet Fish	The hatchetfish are top level swimmers that do well in schools.
Killifish
Killifish	A fascinating smaller fish species with some killis being very short lived.
Loaches
Clown Loach	A loach with tons of personality that needs to be properly acclimated to your larger sized tank.
Dojo Loach	Also known as the weather loach because of their behavior during low fronts in the weather system.
Hillstream Loach	A somewhat reclusive loach that needs current and highly oxygenated and cooler tank water.
Kuhli Loach	A smaller sized loach that does well in many freshwater setups.
YoYo Loach	The Yoyo Loach (Botia almorhae) is a very active and friendly fish that makes a good addition to any community aquarium.
Livebearers
Endlers Livebearer	This livebearer species might be extinct in the wild. They have very similar care requirements as the guppy and the two are closely related.
Guppy	One of the first species for beginning hobbyist to breed. Prolific breeders that can be quite hardy and colorful.
Mollies	Pictured is the black molly. These livebearers like some aquarium salt in the water and will give lots of fish babies. Be responsible and only breed them if you have a plan for what to do with all the fry.
Platy	Another popular freshwater aquarium fish species and a very hardy livebearer.
Swordtail	Many colorful varieties are available and males can develop their signature "sword" like tail.
Ambassidae
Glassfish	A commonly dyed or tattoed species. Please read the dyed fish article and don't buy these artificially dyed fish!
Freshwater Invertebrates
Crayfish (Crawdad)	Not suitable for community tank setups.
Ghost Shrimp	A smaller shrimp that likes to scavenge. Keep only with smaller sized fish species.
Gold Inca Snail	Freshwater snail that does a decent job grazin on algae. They may also need supplemental feedings.
Red Cherry Shrimp	A small invertebrate that can adapt to a wide range of water conditions.
Brackish Water Fish Profiles
Columbian Shark	A fish that can get large! Only keep them in the largest of aquariums.
Figure 8 Puffer	15 gallons is sufficient for one figure 8 puffer, with 10 gallons more for each additional puffer. Also, they are easier to keep because unlike the GSPs who need high brackish to marine as adults, the Figure 8's only need a low brackish of 1.005-1.008 throughout their lives
Green Spotted Puffer	A good brackish setup is needed for health and longevity of this fish. They should be kept in large aquariums, with no less than 30 gallons per puffer, as they grow to be six inches.
More Fish Profiles
Dwarf Puffer	Freshwater puffer that gets to about 1 inch in size, can be a fin nipper. Not a very long list of compatible tank mates...
Red Eye Puffer	The red eyed puffer is one of the more uncommon types of puffer. It is completely freshwater, with no salt at all being needed. They are small puffers with a big personality and an even bigger attitude.