Have ever been scuba diving or snorkeling or visited a large aquarium? If so you have probably encountered all sorts of weird and wonderful fish. Graceful fish that appear to be performing some specially choreographed aquatic dance and fish that play peek-a-boo behind the rocks. Haven’t you ever wished that you too can own one of these exotic aquarium fish?
There are colorful fish and even fish with razor sharp fangs that look like they would not only find Nemo and Dory, but also enjoy feasting on them. There’s something almost ethereal about these underwater worlds, they exude an air of mystery and for many a home aquarium provides a small window into life under the sea. Come dive with us to explore 8 exotic fish for your aquarium:
Featherfin Squeaker
Formally known as Featherfin Synodontis, this attractive member of the catfish family originates from Niger, Africa. Featherfin squeakers were given their name due to the strange sound (like squeaking) they make to protect themselves from an attack.
Two or more Featherfins will generally get on well and they like to play hide and seek, so ensure your tank has rocks, tunnels etc. They also have an awesome party-trick – swimming upside down! Featherfins tolerate fish of different breeds, but they are bottom feeders and prefer to be the only ones dwelling there.
Flowerhorn Cichlid
If you are seeking a bit of a showstopper than the Flowerhorn Cichlid is for you. You can thank Malaysian fish breeders for their work, clever cross-breeding resulted in the arrival of the unique looking Flowerhorn.
As the fish matures, its colourings and markings develop too and they make for interesting pets. Curious and entertaining to watch, these fish are also a little wanton in the bedroom department and will breed with any fish of the opposite sex, they are not remotely fussy! Their appetite extends to plants, so beware – they will probably dine out of any foliage you install in your tank.
African Butterfly Fish
As its name suggests the Africa Butterfly fish resembles a butterfly (it has pretty silvery fins that look like wings) and has its roots in Africa. Some people refer to it as the Freshwater Butterfly Fish and it has a reputation for leaping from the water (in the wild a great way to hunt and capture insects), but in a domestic setting it might be wise to pop a lid on your tank to ensure you don’t have flying fish in your lounge!
These fish like to swim at the top and can live with others (but they can be territorial and prefer the upper space for themselves). Butterfly fish are carnivorous and adore juicy, wriggling insects for tea.
Green Terror
The Green Terror is a member of the Cichlid family and has a tendency to get aggressive – well, with a name like that you do have a reputation to uphold. It may be a hostile fish – but it’s colourful good looks make it a striking pet. They have a blue/green glossy hue and their scales carry a variety of other colors like pink, red and purple. You can also recognize the Green Terror by the large hump on its head.
In the wild you can find them in South America, Peru and Ecuador, in a domestic setting they need large aquariums and equally aggressive (if any) tank-mates who will not tolerate being bullied by these tyrants.
Discus Fish
The Discus Fish has a unique round shape (as its name suggests – a disc shape) and displays a myriad of outlandish colors and patterns. These fish appear quite personable and may even acknowledge your presence if you are near their fishtank. They can grow to be quite big, but are generally gentle creatures.
They don’t mind sharing their watery abode with other small fish (providing they are not too rowdy, aggressive or prone to stealing all of the fish-food)!
The Candy Basslet
The Candy Basslet belongs to the Serranidae fish family and is a resilient fellow, although a little on the small side and quite shy. They like to play peek-a-boo in caves and holes and as time goes on may get braver in terms of venturing out more to meet their tank-mates.
You can’t miss them when they do come out to say hello – they are very bright and colorful – orange, purple and red. In the wild they reside in the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the Bahamas, Caribbean and Florida. They are rare and are not very often available to purchase, which means they come with a hefty price tag.
Peppermint Angelfish
If you have a spare few thousand dollars, why not treat yourself to the Rolls-Royce of fish? That’s if you can even find one to buy. The Peppermint Angelfish is very rare and prices as high as $30000 have been bandied around in the past. This one exotic aquarium fish will set you apart from the crowd.
Inhibiting tropical reefs by the Cook Islands, this little fish is rather shy and prefers deep water (hence it’s rarity). If you do find one, then you can marvel at its exquisite beauty – the “peppermint” red and white stripes are really striking.
Elephant Nose
The Elephant Nose, or as it is formally known, Gnathonemus Petersii is a member of the Mormyridae fish family and originates from Africa. These are very distinctive looking fish (imagine the trunk of an elephant super-imposed on a fish, this gives you an idea of their unique looks).
These fish enjoy worms for lunch but will eat most things, they don’t do well if they have to battle for food, so are better sharing their tank with friendly fish.