Fish Care Guides

Use these fish care guides to research an animal’s adult size, social behavior, water conditions, diet, compatibility, and long-term housing before bringing it home. A fish that fits in a store tank may require a much larger aquarium, specialized filtration, or a pond as an adult.

Start with the group that interests you, then read the complete species guide. Care ranges are starting points: stable, cycled water and an enclosure suited to normal movement and behavior matter more than chasing one exact number.

Browse Fish Care by Group

Freshwater Fish

Community fish, cichlids, catfish, loaches, livebearers, rasboras, tetras, and large specialist species.

Betta Fish

Housing, filtration, temperature, feeding, behavior, health, and breeding considerations.

Koi & Goldfish

Adult size, pond planning, filtration, seasonal care, feeding, spawning, and temporary indoor housing.

Shrimp, Snails & Crabs

Water stability, minerals, molting, feeding, compatibility, and safe filtration for invertebrates.

Marine Aquariums

Saltwater fish, corals, reef compatibility, aquarium setup, and specialist equipment.

Turtles & Frogs

Species-specific enclosure size, basking, lighting, filtration, diet, and long-term care.

Before Choosing Any Aquarium Animal

  1. Confirm the scientific name. Common names are reused for different animals with very different needs.
  2. Research adult size. Do not plan around juvenile size or assume a small aquarium will safely restrict growth.
  3. Check social requirements. Some species need groups, some form pairs or territories, and others should be housed alone.
  4. Match water conditions. Temperature, hardness, pH, salinity, flow, and oxygen must overlap for every tank mate.
  5. Cycle the aquarium. Ammonia and nitrite must remain at zero before routine stocking.
  6. Plan maintenance. Filtration, water changes, feeding, and veterinary access must remain realistic for the animal’s lifetime.
  7. Check local law. Ownership, transport, sale, and release rules vary by species and location.

Selected Freshwater Care Guides

Dwarf Cichlids

Compare seven popular dwarf cichlids by adult size, temperament, aquarium footprint, water conditions, and compatibility. “Dwarf” does not mean every species belongs in a tiny community tank.

Ram dwarf cichlid in a planted freshwater aquarium
Dwarf cichlids need species-specific territories, water conditions, and compatible tank mates.

Amano Shrimp

Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata) are active scavengers and algae grazers, but they do not replace aquarium cleaning. Research stable water conditions, mineral needs, molting, feeding, intake protection, and fish compatibility.

Amano shrimp grazing on Java moss
Amano shrimp benefit from mature aquariums, stable minerals, cover, and shrimp-safe filter intakes.

Tiger Shovelnose Catfish

Tiger shovelnose catfish become extremely large predators and are unsuitable for ordinary home aquariums. This is a specialist fish requiring pond-scale dimensions, heavy filtration, secure housing, and careful planning for adult life.

Large tiger shovelnose catfish
Tiger shovelnose catfish require specialist, pond-scale adult accommodation.

Eel-Shaped Freshwater Fish

Many animals sold as “freshwater eels” are unrelated eel-shaped fish. Adult size, escape prevention, substrate, diet, temperament, and salinity requirements differ widely. Electric eels are dangerous specialist animals and are not appropriate recommendations for typical home aquariums.

Eel-shaped freshwater aquarium fish
Confirm the exact species before buying any fish sold under the broad name freshwater eel.

Breeding Betta Fish

Betta breeding is not an easy beginner shortcut. It requires conditioned adults, supervised introductions, separate housing, live or appropriately sized fry foods, water-quality control, and a realistic plan for numerous juveniles.

Male and female betta fish during a controlled breeding introduction
Betta breeding requires preparation, supervision, separate housing, and a plan for the fry.

Platinum Arowana

Arowanas are large, powerful, jumping predators. Color and market value do not change their welfare needs. Prospective keepers must research legal ownership, adult enclosure dimensions, a secure lid, filtration, feeding, and responsible sourcing.

Arowana swimming near the aquarium surface
Arowanas need very large secure enclosures and should be researched as specialist fish.

Care Guidance Is Not Veterinary Diagnosis

Test water immediately when a fish changes behavior, stops eating, gasps, develops lesions, or swims abnormally. Ammonia, nitrite, temperature, oxygen, and recent changes can produce signs that resemble disease. Do not combine medications or add salt without identifying the problem.

For serious injury, rapid decline, unexplained deaths, or suspected infectious disease, contact a qualified aquatic veterinarian or fish-health professional. Use the Contact Us page to report an error in an Aquarium Hunter guide.

Our Care-Guide Standard

Aquarium Hunter is renovating older care guides to improve scientific names, adult-size and housing advice, source quality, image presentation, internal links, and search descriptions. We remove claims that present survival as good care or recommend animals primarily for novelty or price.

Read more about our sourcing, corrections, commercial relationships, and animal-welfare priorities on the About Aquarium Hunter page.