5 Aquarium fishes that make amazing pets for your children

                                      Fishes make great pets for your child and today they are the third most popular pets in the world after dogs and cats. Aquarium fishes have many benefits for your home, especially your children. From Feng shui experts to Vastu principles, fishes have been strongly recommended for your home and productive areas to bring prosperity and good luck. In our previous article, we covered the points on why aquarium fishes make amazing pets for your child. It encompassed giving your children invaluable companionship, enhancing social skills, keeping kids healthy and germ-free, make them responsible and independent at a tender age, etc.

Once you have decided to get pet aquarium fishes for your child, the next point to consider would be which fishes are ideal as pets for them. Are they gentle or aggressive in nature, are they easy to maintain or fussy with surrounding conditions, will they fit inside your chosen aquarium size or outgrow it upon reaching their maximum size, are they commercially or captive raised fishes, are some of the factors to consider before investing in aquarium fishes for your child. It is important to bear in mind that although your child will learn ownership and responsibility by playing the role of the fish owner, not all fishes are a great choice as pets. In this article we have narrowed down to the 5 best aquarium compatible fishes that will prove to be great pets for your child. Let’s take a look:

1) Danios: The most commonly used aquarium species of Danios are Pearl Danios, Zebra danios, and Giant Danios. These active fishes are best suited in longer aquariums that are about 18 to 20 feet long because they need enough room to swim around. Danios are extremely social and schooling in nature, hence they are happy under the company of 8 or 10 more of their species. They are fast breeders and inexpensive aquarium fishes. The Zebra danios exhibit phosphorescence traits and glow when subjected to the optimum conditions.

2) Angelfish: Angelfish is an undemanding fish and a great choice for beginners. Native to South America, the angelfishes are usually peaceful and docile in nature. These bright and beautiful fishes are a delight to watch and kids definitely enjoy observing their antics in the aquarium. When a male and a female angelfish pair up, they display true companionship for life.

3) Guppies: Peaceful and playful, guppies are tiny fishes that get along well with other fishes in the tank. The colorful ones are usually males while the females are silvery white in appearance. Their docile nature goes well with live plants inside the aquarium. They are not fussy eaters and consume flake foods, live or frozen dried food with equal gusto. Care must be taken that they are not put inside tanks with bigger carnivore fishes as they might eat the small guppies.

4) Dwarf Gourami: Dwarf Gouramis typically come in 2 kinds; the regular dwarf gourami and honey dwarf gourami. The regular ones may be a solid red or blue in color and the dwarf varieties can either be flame red or golden hue. Males are usually more colorful and attractive than the females.

5) Bettas: Due to its beautiful colors and flowing long fins, Bettas are one of the most commonly used aquarium fishes worldwide. These freshwater fishes are hardy and can survive in a wide variety of conditions. Bettas are friendly fishes as long as you don’t keep two males inside the same aquarium. They are not fussy eaters. Fin nippers like serape tetras and tiger barbs should be avoided in the same tank because they can tear off the long fins of bettas.

There are more fishes that can be used as pet aquarium fishes for your children. This article listed the most common ones that demand low maintenance and are quite inexpensive. In case you are keen on having fish bowls, Goldfish is another great option because they do well in solitary. Take advice and tips from local fish stores and fish magazines with regard to the water and temperature conditions of your area before investing in pet aquarium fishes.