Tropical fish selection is one of the most important things you need to educate yourself about if you plan on being a successful  at tropical fish keeping.

Super Red Arowana

Out of the hundreds of thousands of fresh and saltwater fish species found around the world, how do you know which ones are adaptable for life in your aquarium?

If you have ever visited your local aquarium you already know that tropical fish come in all sizes, shapes and colors.  Although they are all beautiful, not all fish can be successfully housed in an aquarium regardless of it’s size.

When purchasing your fish online or from your local pet shop, you need to be discerning about which fish you put together in your tank.  So, here are some tips to help you choose just the right mix of fish for.

• Know Your Fish

Tropical fish selection becomes much easier when you know your fish. Your fish tank can be a literal work of art of living colors or a “dead zone” if your tropical fish selection skills are not up to par.  Like any other pet species, tropical fish have different temperaments and “personalities”.

Fortunately many books have been written about freshwater and saltwater tropical fish that can educate you on fish compatibility, heartiness, delicateness, difficulty to keep, feeding, danger to humans, etc.  You should educate yourself enough to be knowledgeable about the type of fish you want for your home before visiting your local pet shop.  Most pet shop owners are happy to guide you in your tropical fish selection but there are some unscrupulous vendors who will sell you any type of fish or a sick fish just to make the sale.

• How healthy are the fish you are looking to buy?

Purchasing tropical fish is a long term investment that can become quite pricey, so you need to be armed with as much information about fish health and fish compatibility as possible.

When you decide to populate your tank with fish, your best bet is to buy them from a fish breeder or a reputable pet store.  These individuals already have the knowledge needed to help you make the right choices for your aquarium.

What signs do you look for?  Do the fish have any discolorations outside of their normal pigmentation?  If so, don’t buy them.  Do the fish have any white spots or fluffy white tufts on their bodies?  If they do they probably are infected with ick or a fungus.  Are the fish wagging and listless?  Don’t buy them.

Watch the fish a little while before you decide to purchase one.  If the fish is aggressively attacking it’s tank mates, it will almost certainly do the same to other fish in your tank when you bring it home.

• Saltwater or freshwater? –

One major decision you need to make before even setting up a tropical fish tank, is if you want to keep freshwater or a saltwater fish.

Freshwater fish are much less expensive than saltwater fish.   And, you can get started keeping freshwater tropical fish for a lot less money.  In addition to their cost, saltwater fish are more labor-intensive when it comes to maintenance.   The temperature, salinity, pH and bacteria levels in a saltwater environment require constant monitoring to maintain the proper levels.   Generally, freshwater fish are heartier than their saltwater cousins and are more tolerant to conditions that would kill saltwater fish in a closed environment.

We recommend  that you start your tropical fish keeping efforts with freshwater fish until you gain the experience to migrate into saltwater fish keeping.

• Fish Size

Fish size is also a factor in tropical fish selection.  –Tropical fish come in a variety of sizes.  They may start out in your tank less than an inch long, but they grow just like any other animal species.   The cute little fish that you selected for you 55 gallon tank may be small  now but could quickly outgrow your tank.  The South American Red Tail catfish is one such fish.  They are beautiful fish and fun to keep when small, but they quickly become aggressive and can reach 50 pounds in weight.

• Overstocking

Another common problem with tropical fish aquariums is overstocking.  When you purchase your fish, keep in mind how big they will grow in your tank.  Buy fewer fish initially and add fish later, if you still care to.  An experienced tropical fish keeper may successfully keep a school of twenty small fish in a ten gallon aquarium, but it could be disastrous for a beginner to try it.

There is some debate over the one inch per gallon rule but it is a good place to start.  We recommend taking 80% of the net gallon capacity of the tank as the minimum number of fish to keep, especially with saltwater specimens.  The 80% number represents the actual amount of water in the tank when displacement from gravel and decorations are factored into consideration.

• Food

Another consideration in tropical fish selection is food.  All tropical fish do not eat flakes or pellets.   Some like “elephant nose” fish need heartier food like tubifex worms.   Baby fry have their own specialized diet until they grow old enough to eat what you feed the rest of your fish.  Many saltwater fish have specialized diets that can put you in the poor house, so if you don’t want the food bill to bust your budget, select fish that have simple tastes.

Before you invest a lot of money in tropical fish, know what to look for when selecting a species and aim for the most peaceful fish.

Here is a simple guide to setting up your first tropical fish aquarium:

Most people eventually tire of watching the same old goldfish swimming around in the bowl that they won at the local Fair and will start looking for something a little bit more exotic.

If you know where to go and what species to look for, you will be able to find many brilliant gems from the deep that will brighten up your home and provide your family with hours of enjoyment.   There are more types of brilliantly colored exotic tropical fish available to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts than you could ever imagine.   Many exotic fish have strange body shapes, weird breeding rituals, odd colorations and are found in sizes that can be kept in an aquarium environment with very little effort.

Exotic fish are hard to define.  There are so many fish species that are different from what we are normally used to seeing that we often refer to them as “exotics”.   Usually fish that are rare or hard to find have this distinction.  But, fish that are interbred to keep certain specific characteristics (like Discus, show Koi, Guppies or Angelfish) are also placed into this category.

Here are a few freshwater species you might want to check out.:

Discus – Discus are a flat, wide, brilliantly colored freshwater fish named after the discus used in the Olympic Games in Greece.  These shy fish come from the Amazon River Basin and easily get along with others of their kind in an aquarium setting.  They come in a variety of colors and patterns and are tank bred to enhance these characteristics.  Discus are sensitive to water quality changes, prefer soft water (pH level of 6) and temperatures at a constant 82 to 86 degrees F.   Discus fish thrive in deep water and because they can grow up to 7 inches long, they are not usually found alone in community tanks but in rather large aquariums.

Betta – Betta fish are beautiful and quite aggressive.  Bettas are VERY territorial toward any fish that they think is another male Betta and they will fight other male betta fish to the death if left unattended.  Their beautiful coloring extends to their feathery fins and as they swim, their fins will open up to an even more beautiful show.   Betta fish come in a variety of colors (primarily blue and red) are because of their coloring, choosing betta fish that are healthy can be a challenge.  Look for fish with no bruising, scarring or white spots which is an indication of ich.

Guppies – People have always loved keeping guppies.  These small hardy fish with brightly colored tail fins resemble a bride in a tight dress with a flared bottom.  The various types (Tuxedo, Cobra, Mosaic, Grass,  Metal, Platinum) come in almost  every color of the rainbow, are easy to care for, easy to breed and do especially well in community aquariums.  Female guppies generally grow larger than the males, sometimes by about two or three inches.   For the fish keeper on a tight budget, they do well in a 10 gallon aquarium, will eat almost any type of fish flake and thrive with minimal care.  Guppies are another exotic tropical fish that have been interbred to achieve specific skin and color patterns.  A true rare beauty from the deep.

Platy – Platys are a hearty tropical freshwater fish that thrive in community tank conditions.  Platy fish have dark colored fins that outline their beautiful red, yellow and orange colored bodies.  Because Platys can tolerate wide changes in nitrate and nitrite levels, they are a good fish to use for stocking and cycling a new aquarium.  They thrive do best with tank vegetation planted to hide their eggs when they breed.

Goldfish –  Goldfish should not be counted out of the exotic tropical fish category just yet.   There are goldfish species that are very exotic and bring a high price, especially in the Chinese and Japanese markets.  Consider the Black Moor, the various types of Koi and other inbred goldfish varieties.  The Black Moor is a round bodied goldfish with bulging eyes and long velvety tail fins.  It is a telescope-eyed variety of fancy goldfish that has a characteristic pair of protruding eyes.  It is also referred to as popeye, telescope, kuro demekin in Japan and dragon-eye in China.  They can grow up to a length of 10 inches and have a lifespan of 6 to 25 years.   Black Moors are a cold water fish and may revert to a metallic orange color when exposed to warm water temperatures.

Angelfish – Angelfish are a tropical freshwater and saltwater species prized by tropical fish keepers.  The freshwater Angelfish is a cichlid that comes from the Amazon Basin of South America and is one of the most commonly kept freshwater aquarium fish.  They are prized for their unique shape, color patterns and behavior.  Angelfish were not successfully bred in captivity in the United States until the late 1920s to 1930s, but now are frequently bred to enhance their distinct fin patterns and unique color markings.

Regardless of what type of exotic tropical fish you like, there is a variety that will liven up your tank for  beginners as well as those more expert in Tropical Fish Keeping.