Read About Freshwater Fish Species

If you're starting or expanding a freshwater aquarium, the vast selection of fish species can be confusing. Here's what you need to know about some of the most popular freshwater fish.

How Many?

When you're Imagedeciding how many fish to purchase, you need to consider more than just how many gallons your aquarium holds. Capacity will depend on how large the actual fish are and if they are a particularly messy species. Besides the typical community tank, which holds a variety of fish, you may also like a species-specific tank or even a single-fish tank for a large, showy fish. Here's a rundown of some of the most common freshwater fish for aquariums.

  • Neon tetras are the most popular aquarium fish. They're easy to feed with standard flake food and they like to be in groups of 3 to 5.

  • The long and graceful fins of the Angelfish make it another popular choice. Although they're generally peaceful they do stake out a territory so don't crowd them. They eat flake and live food.

  • The male members of the Fantail Guppy species have attractive, Imagecolorful tails. Guppies are very hardy and easy to feed.

  • Goldfish come in lots of varieties, are easy to maintain and eat almost anything. They often damage aquatic plants with their enthusiastic digging, however.

  • Mollies are another peaceful fish good for community tanks. They're avid algae eaters and prefer tanks with live plants. They eat flake and live food

    Do some homework before you stock your aquarium and you're much more likely to have a healthy, beautiful tank.