While there are endless names of popular freshwater fish domesticated as pets in home aquarium, some remain the most commonly accepted such as the goldfish, discus, livebearers species such platy, guppy and swordtails including other aggressive types like the oscars and betta.
Goldfish has always been the favorite and can be easily identified even by kids. With its round body and other various shapes with some interesting varieties having a nice trailing fin coupled with beautiful colors, no doubt they become the most popular choice for every freshwater fish enthusiast.
Discus at one time during the early year 2000 became a craze especially among hobbyist around Southeast Asia. They were appreciated for their delicate slow gentle movement and odd thin discus shape body which allow them to be easily recognizable and stand out from the rest. In fact, with their popularity, this has somehow lead to tremendously high demand and thus drives up the price for a healthy breeding pair, which could easily fetch a few thousand dollars.
Platy, guppy and swordtails will always be every kid favorite freshwater fish because they are cheap and can be easily kept in bowls. All these species are hardy types, which could tolerate poor water condition especially when the aquarium has yet to be fully cycled and they are also less susceptible to disease. Because of that, they are often bought and used as starter fish and until today, remain a popular choice among beginners to freshwater aquarium fish hobby.
Oscars are selected and became well-known because of their aggressive trait, which attracts the attention of fish hobbyist. In fact with their huge size and appetite and the way they approach their food, no wonder this has garnered a number of followers. The fish is also intelligent and could recognize the owner who feeds them. However, if you are a hobbyist who loves peaceful loving fishes that could get along well with each other forming a small aquarium pet community, then I would suggest you forget about having oscars.
Betta can be as exciting as the other freshwater pet fish. Although they are small and often stuffed in jars and hanging fish bowls, their ease of care has made them a favorite. They are also popular as fighting fish and those who like to see them engage in a duel will definitely find this species interesting.
