Freshwater Aquarium Fish - Types, Names and Photos

Author: Laura McKinney
Date Of Creation: 9 August 2021
Update Date: 6 November 2024
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ALL FRESHWATER AQUARIUM FISH SPECIES
Video: ALL FRESHWATER AQUARIUM FISH SPECIES

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Freshwater fish are those that spend their entire lives in waters with a salinity of less than 1.05%, that is, in rivers, lakes or ponds. More than 40% of the world's fish species live in this type of habitat and, for this reason, they have developed different physiological characteristics throughout evolution, allowing them to adapt successfully.

So much is the diversity that we can find a wide variety of sizes and colors within the freshwater fish species. In fact, many of them are used in aquariums due to their spectacular shapes and designs, they are the well-known ornamental freshwater fish.


Do you want to know what the freshwater fish for aquarium? If you're thinking about setting up your own aquarium, don't miss this PeritoAnimal article, where we'll tell you all about these fish.

Aquarium for freshwater fish

Before incorporating freshwater fish into our aquarium, we must keep in mind that they have very different ecological requirements than those in saltwater. Here are some of the features that should be considered when setting up our freshwater fish tank:

  • Compatibility between species: we must take into account which species we are going to have and find out about compatibility with other species, as there are some that cannot live together.
  • Ecological requirements: find out about the ecological requirements of each species, as they are not the same for an angelfish and a puffer fish, for example. We must take into account the ideal temperature for each species, if it needs aquatic vegetation, the type of substrate, water oxygenation, among other factors.
  • food: Find out about the foods that each species needs, as there is a wide variety and formats of foods for freshwater fish, such as live, frozen, balanced or flaked foods, among others.
  • Space needed: you must know the space that each species needs to ensure that the aquarium has enough space for the fish to live in the best conditions. Too little space can reduce the lifespan of freshwater aquarium fish.

These are some of the questions to consider if you are looking for freshwater aquarium fish. We also recommend that you read this other article from PeritoAnimal with 10 plants for freshwater aquarium.


Next, we will know the most outstanding species of freshwater fish for aquarium and their characteristics.

Freshwater Fish Names for Aquarium

Tetra-neon fish (Paracheirodon innesi)

Tetra-neon or simply neon belongs to the Characidae family and is one of the most common types of aquarium fish. Native to South America, where the Amazon River inhabits, the Teatra-neon needs temperatures of hot water, between 20 and 26 ºC. In addition, it has physiological characteristics that allow it to adapt to waters with high levels of iron and other metals, which for other species could be fatal. This, added to its very striking coloring, its calm personality and the fact that it can live in schools, makes it a very popular fish for the aquarium hobby.

It measures about 4 cm and has transparent pectoral fins, a phosphorescent blue band that runs all over the body on the sides and a small red band from the middle of the body to the tail fin. Its diet is omnivorous and accepts very well balanced fish rations, both of animal and vegetable origin. On the other hand, as it does not eat foods that fall to the bottom of the aquarium, it is considered a good companion to live with others. aquarium fish that inhabit precisely this part of the bottom, since there will be no dispute for food, as the fish of the genus Corydoras spp.


To learn more about this favorite among aquarium fish, read the neon fish care article.

Kinguio, goldfish or Japanese fish (Carassius auratus)

The kinguio is, without a doubt, the first place in the ranking of most famous aquarium fish, as it was one of the first species that man domesticated and began to use in aquariums and in private ponds. This species is in the Cyprinidae family and is native to East Asia. Also called goldfish or Japanese fish, it is small in size compared to other carp species, measuring approximately 25 cm and adapts very well to different environmental conditions. However, the ideal temperature for your water is around 20°C. Also, it is kind of very long-lived as it can live around 30 years.

It is a very appreciated species within the aquarium industry due to its large color diversity and shapes it can have, despite being better known for its gold, there are orange, red, yellow, black or white fish.Some varieties have a longer body and others more rounded, as well as their caudal fins, which can be bifurcated, veiled or pointed, among other ways.

In this other PeritoAnimal article you will discover how to set up an aquarium.

zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Native to Southeast Asia, zebrafish belongs to the Cyprinidae family and is typical of rivers, lakes and ponds. Its size is too small, not exceeding 5 cm, with females being slightly larger than males and less elongated. It has a design with longitudinal blue stripes on the sides of the body, hence its name, and it appears to have a silver color, but it is practically transparent. They are very docile, live in small groups and can coexist very well with other quiet species.

The ideal temperature of the aquarium should not exceed 26°C and a detail to be taken into account is that these fish venture, from time to time, to jump on the surface, so it is vital to keep the aquarium covered with a mesh that prevents it from falling out of the water.

Scalar fish or Acara-flag (Pterophyllum scalare)

The Bandeira Acará is a member of the Cichlid family and is endemic to South America. It is a medium-sized species and can reach 15 cm in length. It has a very stylized body shape. For this reason, in addition to its colors, it is much sought after by lovers of aquarium hobby. On the side, its shape is similar to a triangle, with very long dorsal and anal fins, and have a wide variety of colors, there may be gray or orange varieties and with dark spots.

it's kind very sociable, so it usually coexists well with other fish of similar size, but being an omnivorous fish, it could consume other small fish, like Tetra-neon fish, for example, so we should avoid adding them to this type of species. The ideal temperature for the scalar fish aquarium should be warm, between 24 to 28°C.

Guppy fish (reticulata Poecilia)

Guppies belong to the Poeciliidae family and are native to South America. They are small fish, females measuring about 5 cm and males about 3 cm. They have great sexual dimorphism, that is, there are big differences between males and females, with males having very colorful designs on the tail fin, are larger and colored blue, red, orange and often with brindle spots. Females, on the other hand, are greenish and only show orange or red on the dorsal and tail fin.

You must take into account that they are very restless fish, so they need a lot of space to swim and with a ideal temperature of 25°C, although they can withstand up to 28 ºC. Guppy fish feed on both live food (such as mosquito larvae or water fleas) and balanced fish feed, as it is an omnivorous species.

Pepper choir (paleatus corydoras)

From the Callichthyidae family and native to South America, it is one of the most popular types of fish for freshwater aquariums, as well as being very beautiful, they play a very important role in the aquarium. They are responsible for keeping the bottom of the aquarium clean due to their eating habits, as, thanks to their ventrally flattened body shape, they are continually removing the substrate from the bottom in search of food, which would otherwise decompose and could cause health problems for the rest of the aquarium's inhabitants. . They also do this thanks to the tactile sensory appendages they have under their bearded jaws, with which they can explore the bottom.

Furthermore, they coexist perfectly with other species. This species is small in size, measuring about 5 cm, although the female may be slightly larger. The ideal water temperature for the pepper coridora aquarium is between 22 and 28 ºC.

Black Molesia (Poecilia sphenops)

Black Molinesia belongs to the Poeciliidae family and is native to Central America and part of South America. sexual dimorphism, since the female, in addition to being larger, measuring about 10 cm, is orange, unlike the male who measures about 6 cm, it is more stylized and black, hence its name.

It is a peaceful species that coexists very well with others of similar size, such as guppies, coridora or flag mite. However, need a lot of space in the aquarium, as it is a very restless fish. Its diet is omnivorous and accepts both dry and live food, such as mosquito larvae or water fleas, among others, in addition to eating plant-based foods, especially algae, which they look for in the aquarium, preventing their excessive growth. As a tropical water species, it is one of the ornamental freshwater fish that need an ideal temperature ranging between 24 and 28 °C.

Betta fish (betta splendors)

Also known as Siamese fighting fish, the betta fish is a species of the Osphronemidae family and originates from Southeast Asia. It is without doubt one of the most impressive and beautiful ornamental freshwater fish and one of the favorite types of aquarium fish for those who practice aquarium hobby. Medium in size, its length is about 6 cm and has a wide variety of colors and shapes of their fins.

There is sexual dimorphism in this species, and the male is the one with the most striking colors ranging from red, green, orange, blue, purple, among other colors that appear iridescent. Their caudal fins also vary, as they can be highly developed and veil-shaped, while others are shorter. You males are very aggressive and territorial with each other, as they may see them as competition for females and attack them. However, with males of other species, such as tetra-neon, platys or catfish, they can get along well.

Betta fish prefer dry food and you must take into account that there is a specific food for them. As for the ideal aquarium for betta fish, they need warm water, between 24 and 30°C.

Platy fish (Xiphophorus maculatus)

The platy or plati is a freshwater fish of the Poeciliidae family, native to Central America. Like other members of its family, such as black Molesia and guppies, this species is very easy to care for, so it is also a excellent company for other fish for water aquarium.

It is a small fish, about 5 cm, with the female being a little bigger. Its color varies a lot, there are bicolor individuals, orange or red, blue or black and striped. It is a very prolific species and males can be territorial but not dangerous to their mates. They feed on both algae and feed. It is important that the aquarium has floating aquatic plants and some mosses, and the ideal temperature is around 22 to 28ºC.

Discus Fish (Symphysodon aequifasciatus)

From the Cichlid family, the discus fish, also known as discus, is native to South America. Laterally flattened and disc-shaped, it can reach around 17 cm. Its color can vary from brown, orange or yellow to blue or greenish tones.

It prefers to share its territory with tranquil fish such as molineses, tetra-neon or platy, while more restless species such as guppies, flag mite or betta may not get along with discus fish as they can cause them stress and lead to illnesses. In addition, they are sensitive to changes in water, so it is advisable to keep it very clean and at temperatures between 26 and 30°C. It feeds mainly on insects, but accepts balanced rations and frozen insect larvae. Keep in mind that there is a specific feed for this species, so you should be well informed before incorporating a discus fish into your aquarium.

Fish Trichogaster leeri

Fish of this species belong to the Osphronemidae family and are native to Asia. Its flat and elongated body measures about 12 cm. It has a very striking coloration: its body is silvery with brown tones and is covered with small pearl-shaped spots, which makes it known in many countries as pearl fish. It also has a zigzag dark line that runs laterally through its body from the snout to the tail fin.

The male is distinguished by having a more colorful and reddish belly, and the anal fin ends in fine filaments. It is a very gentle species that gets along well with other fish. As for his food, he prefers live food, such as mosquito larvae, although he accepts very well balanced rations in flakes and occasionally algae. Your ideal temperature ranges from 23 to 28°C, especially in the breeding season.

Ramirezi fish (Microgeophagus ramirezi)

From the Cichlid family, the ramirezi is native to South America, more specifically to Colombia and Venezuela. It is small, measuring 5 to 7 cm and generally peaceful, but it is recommended that if you live with a female, she is alone, as it can be very territorial and aggressive during the breeding season. However, if there is no female, males can peacefully coexist with other similar species. In any case, it is recommended that they live in pairs, as that is what they do in nature.

They have a very different color depending on the type of ramirezi fish, as there are oranges, golds, blues and some with striped designs on the head or sides of the body. feeds on live food and balanced feed, and because it is a kind of tropical climate, it needs warm water between 24 and 28ºC.

Other freshwater fish for aquarium

In addition to the species we mentioned above, here are some of the other most popular freshwater aquarium fish:

  • cherry barb (puntius titteya)
  • Boesemani Rainbow (Melanotaenia boesemani)
  • Killifish Rachow (Nothobranchius rachovii)
  • River Cross Puffer (Tetraodon Nigroviridis)
  • Acara from the Congo (Amatitlania nigrofasciata)
  • Clean Fish Glass (Otocinclus affinis)
  • Tetra Firecracker (Hyphessobrycon amandae)
  • Danio Ouro (Danio margaritatus)
  • Siamese algae eater (crossocheilus oblongus)
  • Tetra Neon Green (Paracheirodon simulans)

Now that you know a lot about freshwater aquarium fish, be sure to read the article on how fish reproduce.

If you want to read more articles similar to Freshwater Aquarium Fish - Types, Names and Photos, we recommend that you enter our What You Need to Know section.