Home > Total cleaning of ornamental fish bowl > Freshwater aquarium fish species
Freshwater aquarium fish live in freshwater and are easy to raise. There are a number of freshwater species available for keeping as pets at home.
Freshwater aquarium fish species are broadly divided into two types by the hobbyists namely livebearers (giving birth to live babies) and egg layers.
The most common of the freshwater fish species suitable for home aquarium are:
Livebearers
- Common names
- Guppies
- Mollies
- Platies
- Swordtails
- Scientific names
- Poecilia reticulata
- Poecilia sphenops
- Xiphophorus maculatus
- Xiphophorus hellerii
- Family: Poeciliidae and a few more genera under it
Anabantoids (Labyrinth Fishes)
- Common names
- Siamese fighters
- Gouramis
- Scientific names
- Betta splendens
- Sphaerichthys osphromenoides
- Colisa fasciata
- Trichogaster chuna
- Family: Osphronemidae and some genera under it
Carp family
- Common names
- Goldfish
- Danionins
- Rasborines
- Barbs
- Scientific names
- Carassius auratus
- Danio kerri
- Epalzeorhynchos frenatum
- Trigonostigma somphongsi
- Family: Cyprinidae and several genera under it
Cichlids
- Common names
- Angelfish
- Oscar
- Discus
- Convict cichlid
- Scientific names
- Pterophyllum spp.
- Astronotus ocellatus
- Symphysodon spp.
- Amatitlania nigrofasciata
- Family: Cichlidae and several genera under it
Characins
- Common names
- Tetras
- Hatchetfish
- Pencilfish
- Silver dollar
- Scientific names
- Nannostomus spp.
- Metynnis argenteus
- Family: Many genera under family Characidae, Gasteropelecidae, and Lebiasinidae
Corydoras
- Common names
- Adolfo’s cory
- Bronze cory
- Spotted cory
- Banded cory
- Scientific names
- Corydoras adolfoi
- Corydoras aeneus
- Corydoras ambiacus
- Scleromystax barbatus
- Family: Callichthyidae
Arowanas
- Common names
- Golden Arowana
- Red tail Arowana
- Super red Arowana
- Green Arowana
- Scientific names
- Scleropages spp.
- Family: Osteoglossidae
Loaches
- Common names
- Zebra loaches
- Yoyo loaches
- Clown loaches
- Dojo loaches
- Scientific names
- Botia striata
- Botia almorhae
- Chromobotia macracanthus
- Cobitis taenia
- Family: Cobitidae
Catfish
- Common names
- Glass catfish
- Pangasius catfish
- Suckermouth catfish
- Scientific names
- Kryptopterus bicirrhis
- Pangasius spp.
- Hypostomus spp.
- Family: Siluridae, Pangasiidae, Loricariidae
The above list is a short-list of most common freshwater aquarium fish species. Navigate to individual types for more information.