Freshwater fishes

These are the fishes from rivers, streams, creeks, lakes, ponds, puddles, swamps, marshes and inland wetlands.  It’s always good to do some research into the types of animals you want o keep to be sure that they share similar water requirements.  Most of the animals we sell prefer warm water (above 75o F), but some can handle cooler water and may even prefer it.  Many of the fishes we sell do well in soft (low mineral content) slightly acidic (pH of 6.4-6.8) water but we do have animals that prefer slightly higher or even substantially higher mineral content and pH.  

Most fishes from South America and West Africa and Southeast Asia prefer soft, acidic water. Examples here would be tetras, rasboras, minnows, and many cichlids catfishes.  Many from northern Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, and any part of North America east of the Cascade Mountains prefer slight hard water with a pH just above 7.0.  Think of goldfish, some cichlids, just about all livebearers, and flagfish.  Fishes from East Africa  prefer very hard water with a pH above 8.0. Usually different cichlids make up the most of what is available from this area, but we sometimes also have catfishes and spiny eels on occasion.

With this being said, with very few exceptions, freshwater fishes are tolerant of a wide range of physical and chemical parameters.  Because many freshwater habitats can vary dramatically throughout the year depending on temperature, rainfall, or nutrient availability the fishes themselves are more resilient.  This is why we recommend that anyone who is new to the hobby or has not been in the hobby for a long time start with a freshwater tank.  The animals are usually more forgiving if they are overfed or a water change is missed and they are cheaper to replace if something does go very wrong (which it hopefully won’t).

Unfortunately, there are a near infinite number of possible combinations for a tank, so it’s best if you come speak to us about what you have and what you want to add.