8 Top Aquarium Fish Species for Starters

Here are in my opinion top 8 aquarium fish species that are recommended for starters. They won't cause you a lot of trouble if you provide them with a basic level of care and love.

Zebra Danio (Danio rerio)

Size: 1-1.3 inch (5cm)

Active in the middle and top area of the aquarium, likes to school. He can be kept in water with temperature between 64 - 73 F (18 - 25 C), your ph should be neutral (7)

Harlequin Rasbora(Rasbora Hetoromorpha)

Size: up to 1 inch (4.5 cm)

Need to be kept in group ( preferably 10 or more), temperature 24-30 C, range of ph 5,5-7. The tank need to be well planted. Very active fish.

White cloud mountain minnow (Tanichthys albonubes)

Size: about 3-4cm (1inch)

You don't need a heater to keep this fish, it can survive in water temperature of few degrees Celsius above zero. Recommended is 17-22 C ( 62-71 F).

Sumatra Barb (Puntius anchisporus)

Size: 1.5 inch ( 6cm)

Very active fish, require a large space to swim but the tank should also be well planted
Likes to school, shouldn't be together with fish that have long fins.
Requires: Temperature 23-26 C (73-79 F), ph 6-7.

Albino paleatus catfish (Corydoras paleatus)

Size: 1.8 inch max (7cm)

One of many members of corydoras family. Likes to search the surface of your aquarium for food so you shouldnt have sharp gravel. My advice is to have a group of 6 or more of these.
Temperature 18-24 (64-75 F) ph - 7

Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

Size: male 1inch (4cm) female 1.5 inch (6cm)

Popular fish for beginners, can take a lot and reproduces easily
Preferred temperature is 22-27 degrees (71-80 F) ph-7.
There are many colour variants of this fish, generally males are characterised by colorful fin, females are olive-gray.

Rainbowfish family

Size: up to 3 inches (12cm)

Group of fish that are a little bigger than the ones presented above, but they are peaceful fellas. Optimal temperature varies between particular species but generally it is a range of 22- 27 C (71-80 F), ph 6.5-8.

Neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)

Size: 0.25-1 inch (1-4cm)

This fish presents great in big shoal, minimum size of the group should be 10. In smaller ones neons become very shy. Water temp 22-25 (71-76 F),ph in range of 5-7.

Stay tune more on other aquarium fish species very very soon.

Its Pleasurable to Watch Rivulus Killifish Jumping Happily in the Aquarium

Rivulus Killifish is a freshwater killifish. It grows much larger than the usual killifish family - up to 5 inches, making it a giant. It is a tough South American species and it can live in adverse conditions successfully.

As it does not require much maintenance of pampering, it can be safely bought by the beginners. In the nature, it can be found in many ponds, streams and polls which are located below the waterfalls. Generally it is comfortable in shallow waters.

It is fond of jumping to catch its food. It can easily catch insects which are flying just over the surface of the water. In fact it can travel on land for a small distance especially in the mud to catch insects. It can remain out of water for a long period of time and it can even remain motionless for some time. So it is always a good idea to close your aquarium with a tight lid, otherwise the fish may find its way on your carpet and on your furniture!

It is not an annual killifish meaning its life cycle is not limited to a particular part of the year. About 100 species of Rivulus Killifish can be found in various places of South America and in some parts of North America.

Its body can grow from 1 inch to 4 inches in a very short time. The male is more colorful than the female. It is found in light blue color with red dots and sometimes you can find yellow stripes on its fins. The female is usually found in brown color. However, there is usually no difference in the size of male and female.

It does not require much maintenance. It can survive within a wide range of temperature from 60 to 85° F. It is comfortable in the slightly acidic water with a ph value of around 7.0 and it can tolerate some variations in the condition of water also.

Rivulus Killifish is famous for eating guppy fish. In fact it is called a guppy predator and studies have shown that it can eat guppies very fast. So if you'll keep it in the aquarium, you will need to exclude the guppy fish specifically.

Breeding Rivulus Killifish is not very difficult. To begin with, you should start feeding it with a diet of high nutritional values. It is better to combine live food with the flaked food. Brine shrimp and blood-worms can be a treat for the fish. As its size is large, you should feed both the male and female in large quantities. If you feed them with a variety of live food, you can get large spawns.

During the breeding season, the female will continuously lay eggs. Usually, the females will prefer to lay eggs in the daytime. Rivulus Killifish is not fond of eating eggs so you can keep the adults in the same tank after spawning.

The eggs will hatch within two weeks. The small fry will require food from the very first day and they will grow very fast. Within about four weeks they will start eating like adults.

If you are a beginner, you can certainly start with Rivulus Killifish. If you can manage a bigger aquarium, you can keep the water levels a bit low over and close the aquarium with a tight lid. Then you can enjoy looking at them swimming happily all over the aquarium and jumping frequently. After some time, you can even enjoy feeding them by tossing the food and looking at their elegance while they catch it in the air!

Arowana - A Brief History Of The Arowana Fish

The arowana is a very old fish dating back to the Jurassic age which is roughly between 150-200 million years ago. The middle Jurassic age was known as "the Age of Reptiles" or dinosaurs as we know them, so this gives some indication of how old this fish actually is.

Through out this time the fish itself has remained almost the same making the arowana fish we see in or pet stores today a living fossil.

A lot of people either have or would like an arowana for a pet but they don't know or realise that this fish has become endangered. The fisher man and collectors don't realise that these fish are disappearing. The stocks of arowana have become very low over the last 50 years. The three main areas today where the fish is found, are Asia, Australia and the Amazon. Luckily owners and breeders of this fish from around the world are helping it to make a comeback.

An arowana in the right environment can grow to a size of around four foot and can weigh between 25-35 pounds. They are known as a fiery aggressive fish in the wild reaching speeds of 25 mph in quick shots to catch there prey. In the Amazon they can be seen leaping from the water to catch insects or small birds in low laying branches. This has earned them the nickname "water monkeys". They are classified as carnivores or meat eaters but will eat anything like other fish, insects or small birds.

In the wild arowanas travel, hunt and fight in groups. The male and female arowanas work in unity to defend there area and family group. To defend they nip, bite, body slap and charge at whatever puts them on high alert in there own territory.

In china the arowana is known as a symbol of wealth, luck, strength and power in the feng shui circles and is commonly referred to as the golden dragon fish. In this way the Asian arowana has become expensive and highly collectible.

Hopefully this will shed some light on the mystery and hype that surrounds this ancient bred of fish known as the arowana and hopefully will promote an interest in you to look into this great fish.