Here are some of the most popular freshwater fish species that are commonly kept in aquariums, each with unique characteristics and care requirements.
A common rule of thumb for how many freshwater fish you can keep in an aquarium is to allow about 1 inch of fish per gallon of water; however, this can vary depending on the specific fish species, their adult size, activity level, and bioload, with heavily planted or densely stocked tanks often needing more filtration and swimming room.
Overview One of the most popular and recognizable aquarium fish. Lives in acidic forest streams, often stained with tannins (blackwater), with leaf litter and roots. Has a bright blue lateral stripe. The red pigment does not extend forward past the pectoral-fin base....
Overview The Bala Shark (Balantiocheilos melanopterus), also called the tricolor shark minnow, is a silver, black-edged cyprinid, not a true shark. Native to rivers and lakes of Borneo, Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia. Grows to about 14 in (35 cm) standard length, so...
Overview The Banded Archerfish (Toxotes jaculatrix) is famous for shooting jets of water to knock insects off overhanging plants. Widespread from India through Southeast Asia to northern Australia and the western Pacific. Grows to about 12 in (30 cm). Lives mainly in...
Overview The Black Molly is a black, captive-bred form of the common molly (Poecilia sphenops). Wild mollies range from Mexico south to Colombia and Venezuela. Grows to about 3.1 in (8 cm). Many black mollies in stores are hybrids with other molly species. Feeding...
Overview The Black Phantom Tetra (Hyphessobrycon megalopterus) is a peaceful, smoky-gray tetra with a black shoulder spot and large fins. Native to the upper Rio Madeira basin in Bolivia and western Brazil, and the Rio Paraguay basin. Grows to about 1.4 in (3.6 cm)...
Overview The Black Skirt Tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi), also known as the Black Widow Tetra, is a hardy, deep-bodied tetra with black vertical bars and a dark rear half. Native to slow creeks and streams with overhanging plants in the Paraguay and Guaporé basins of...
Overview The Bloodfin Tetra (Aphyocharax anisitsi) is a silvery tetra with bright red fins. Native to the Paraná River basin in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Grows to about 2.2 in (5.5 cm) standard length. A hardy beginner fish that adapts to a wide range of...
Overview The Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus) is the familiar bristlenose catfish sold in most stores. Males grow fleshy bristles on the snout. Grows to about 5 in (12.5 cm) standard length, much smaller than the common pleco. Mass-bred commercially. Its...
Overview The Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) has a neon-blue stripe above a red lower body that runs the full length of the body. Native to forest streams in the Rio Negro and upper Orinoco basins of Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. Grows to about 1.4 in (3.5...
Overview The Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) is a bright orange loach with black bands. It is very popular, but often bought without knowing how big it gets. Native to rivers of Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia. Can reach about 16 in (40 cm), though it grows...
Overview The Colombian Tetra (Hyphessobrycon columbianus) is a robust tetra with a blue-silver body and red fins. It is also sold as the blue-red or Colombian red fin tetra. Known only from the Río Acandí area in northern Colombia, near the Panama border. Grows to...
Overview "Common Pleco" is a trade name for several large suckermouth catfish, most often the Amazon sailfin catfish (Pterygoplichthys pardalis). Store fish may be a related species or Hypostomus plecostomus. P. pardalis is native to the Amazon basin in Brazil and...
Overview The Green Swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii) is the wild-type form of the familiar swordtail. Males grow a long "sword" on the lower tail fin. Native to southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. Grows to about 6 in (14 cm) standard length. The sword...
Overview The Glowlight Tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) is a small, peaceful tetra with a glowing orange-red stripe. Known only from the Rio Essequibo in Guyana. Grows to about 1.6 in (4 cm) standard length. All fish sold are commercially farmed. An albino form is...
Overview The Endler's Guppy (Poecilia wingei) is a tiny, brilliantly colored livebearer related to the common guppy. Native to lagoons in northeastern Venezuela, such as Laguna de Patos. Males grow to about 1 in (2.5 cm) standard length. Females are larger. Hybridizes...
Overview The Platinum Guppy is a metallic white strain of the common guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Wild guppies come from northeastern South America and the southern Caribbean, including Venezuela, the Guianas and Trinidad. Females grow to about 2.4 in (6 cm). Males...
Overview The Rainbow Shark (Epalzeorhynchos frenatum) is a dark-bodied cyprinid with red fins. An albino form is common. Reportedly native to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, in the Mae Klong, Chao Phraya and Mekong basins. Grows to about 6 in (15 cm) standard length....
Overview "Pencilfish" covers several slim Nannostomus species. This profile follows the most common one, the golden pencilfish (Nannostomus beckfordi). N. beckfordi is found in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and parts of the Amazon basin. Grows to about 2.6 in (6.5...
Overview "Otocinclus" or "oto" covers several small algae-eating catfish. The one sold most often is probably Otocinclus macrospilus. Shipments are often mixed species. O. macrospilus comes from the upper Amazon in Peru, and possibly Colombia and Ecuador. Grows to...
Overview The Kuhli Loach is a slender, eel-like loach with orange and dark bands. It is sold as Pangio kuhlii. Most trade fish are actually Pangio semicincta from Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. True P. kuhlii is from Java and is rarely exported. Grows to...
Overview The Mexican Tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) is best known in its blind cave form, the blind cave tetra. The species ranges from Texas and New Mexico through Mexico to Guatemala. The eyeless form lives only in Mexican caves. Grows to about 3.7 in (9.5 cm) standard...
Overview The Red Wagtail Platy is a red strain of the southern platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus) with black fins and tail. Wild platies live in streams and rivers on the Atlantic coastal plain of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Nicaragua. Grows to about 2 in (5 cm)...
Overview The Red-tailed Black Shark (Epalzeorhynchos bicolor) is a velvet-black cyprinid with a bright red tail. Native to central and western Thailand. It is critically rare in the wild. Grows to about 5 in (12.5 cm) standard length. Fish in the trade are farmed....
Overview The Zebra Loach (Botia striata) is a small botiid with fine yellow and dark stripes. Native to the Western Ghats region of southern India, described from the Tunga River. Grows to about 3.5 in (9 cm) standard length. Probably the best Botia for general...
Overview The Yoyo Loach is usually sold as Botia almorhae. Its pale body has dark markings that can look like the letters "YOYO." Many trade fish may be B. lohachata or related species. The true appearance of B. almorhae is unclear. Native to northern India and Nepal....
Overview The White Cloud Mountain Minnow (Tanichthys albonubes) is a small coldwater cyprinid with a gold stripe and red fins. Named for White Cloud Mountain near Guangzhou, China. It is very rare in the wild. Grows to about 1.6 in (4 cm) standard length. Long-finned,...
Overview The X-Ray Tetra (Pristella maxillaris) is a semi-transparent tetra with black, yellow and white fin markings. Native to coastal waters of Venezuela, the Guianas and northern Brazil. Grows to about 1.8 in (4.5 cm) standard length. Commercially bred and one of...
Overview The Siamese Algae Eater (Crossocheilus langei and close relatives, long sold as "C. siamensis") is a slim cyprinid with a black side stripe. Found in Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, southern and western Thailand, and possibly Myanmar. Grows to about 6 in (15 cm)...
Overview The Serpae Tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques), also called the jewel or callistus tetra, is a red tetra with a black shoulder spot. Found through much of the Amazon and the Río Paraguay. Grows to about 1.6 in (4 cm) standard length. Feeding Likely omnivorous....
Overview The Sailfin Pleco (Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps) is a large suckermouth catfish with a tall dorsal fin and a leopard-like pattern. Native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Can reach around 18–20 in (45–50 cm). Feeding An...
Overview The Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna) is a large molly. Males have a tall, sail-like dorsal fin. Native to the southern United States and Mexico, from the Carolinas to Veracruz, often in coastal and brackish waters. Grows to about 5 in (12.5 cm) standard...
Overview The Yucatan Sailfin Molly (Poecilia velifera), also called the giant sailfin molly, is the largest of the sailfin mollies. Mature males carry a huge, sail-shaped dorsal fin. Wild fish come only from southeastern Mexico, in the Yucatán and Quintana Roo region...