List of brackish aquarium fish species

This is a list of commonly seen fish that can be kept in a brackish water aquarium.

Cyprinodontiformes[]

Common name	taxonomy	Picture	Max size	Tank Type	Description	Temperature Range	pH range	Water Hardness	Salinity
Guppy	Poecilia reticulata			Community	Many color and tail pattern varieties exist, also can tolerate above ocean level salt. Normally freshwater.
Black molly	Poecilia sphenops			Community
Sailfin molly	Poecilia latipinna			Community	Gold and silver varieties commonly found.

Common name	Taxonomy	Picture	Max size	Tank Type	Description	Temperature Range	pH range	Water Hardness	Salinity
Four-eyed fish	Anableps spp.		12"		These fish can see above and below water.
American Flagfish	Jordanella floridae			Community	May eat hair algae, but also may eat plants.

Catfish[]

Pufferfish[]

Common name	Taxonomy	Picture	Size	Tank Type	Remarks	Temperature range	pH range	Water hardness	Salinity
Common Toadfish, Toado	Tetractenos hamiltoni		4"	Species tank or with other fish too large to bully.	Rarely seen in the aquarium trade, even in Australia, where it is native. Adaptable to a wide range of conditions and habitats, from marginal, polluted freshwater-brackish creeks to fully marine seagrass flats, as long as the habitat is sheltered from strong currents.
Figure 8 pufferfish	Tetraodon biocellatus		4"	Best kept as species only	Requires brackish aquarium conditions with very low Nitrite and Nitrate levels to be kept successfully. Freshwater compromises immune system, harms puffer, and shortens life extremely. Commonly kept in freshwater.
Green spotted puffer	Tetraodon nigroviridis		6"	Best kept as species only	Often sold as freshwater fish, but this species actually thrives in brackish water. As the fish matures, it requires the salinity levels to slowly increase with age. Must be kept in aquarium with very low Nitrite and Nitrate levels to be kept successfully. A highly varied diet is a necessary requirement for this species. Prawns, muscle meat, mysid, squid and aquatic snails are all relished. Provide Shelled food to naturally trim the puffers constantly growing teeth.				1.008-1.018

Gobies[]

Common name	Taxonomy	Picture	Size	Tank Type	Remarks	Temperature range	pH range	Water hardness	Salinity
Bumblebee goby	Brachygobius xanthozonus		1.5"	Community or Species Only	Often a picky eater. Will accept thawed frozen brine shrimp or mysis shrimp. Can be outcompeted for food by more aggressive fish.
			17"
Violet goby, Dragon goby	Gobioides broussonnetii		21"	Brackish community tank	Though pet stores often label as "vicious" this fish is actually quite harmless
Mudskipper (Barred Mudskipper)	Periophthalmus argentilineatus		6"		This fish requires "land" to crawl out of the water.
Mudskipper (Atlantic Mudskipper)	Periophthalmus barbarus		9"		This fish requires "land" to crawl out of the water.
Knight goby	Stigmatogobius sadanundio		3.5"

Cichlids[]

Common name	Taxonomy	Picture	Size	Tank Type	Remarks	Temperature range	pH range	Water hardness	Salinity
Cichlids
Blackchin tilapia			11"
Orange chromide	Etroplus maculatus		3"
Green chromide	Etroplus suratensis		15"
Mayan cichlid or Mexican mojarra	Mayaheros urophthalmus		39.4 cm			28 - 33 degrees Celsius			0 - 40 ppt

Beloniformes[]

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Other fish[]

Common name	Taxonomy	Picture	Size	Tank Type	Remarks	Temperature range	pH range	Water hardness	Salinity
Siamese tigerfish	Datnioides microlepis		18"		These fish must be kept in large aquaria.[1]	22–26 °C (72–79 °F)	7.6–8.0
New Guinea tigerfish	Datnioides campbelli		13"	Keep with other big fishes that can not fit to its mouth	These fish must be kept in large aquaria.[2]	22–26 °C (72–79 °F)	7.6–8.0
Silver moony	Monodactylus argenteus		10"		These fish are also known from marine habitats.
African moony	Monodactylus sebae		10"		These fish are also known from marine habitats.
Indian glassy fish	Parambassis ranga		3.1"		These fish are often dyed.
Targetfish, Jarbua terapon	Terapon jarbua		14"		These fish breed in saltwater and the young return to freshwater.
Banded archerfish	Toxotes jaculatrix		12"		These fish have the ability to shoot water to hit their insect prey.
Green Scat, Ruby Scat	Scatophagus argus		15"	Community, especially with Monodactylus sp. (Monos)	A ravenous herbivore that quickly defoliates any aquatic plants in the aquarium. One of the few common brackish water plants in the trade, the Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus) appears to be toxic to these fish and should not be planted with "scats".
Hogchoker	Trinectes maculatus		3"		Often sold under the misnomers "Freshwater Flounder" or "Freshwater Fluke", but is in fact a brackish water fish

See also[]

• List of brackish aquarium invertebrate species
• List of brackish aquarium plant species
• List of fish common names
• List of aquarium fish by scientific name
• List of freshwater aquarium fish species
• List of freshwater aquarium plant species
• List of freshwater aquarium amphibian species
• List of marine aquarium fish species

References[]

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