Instructions
Select a large or small aquarium. If you are choosing freshwater fish for the first time, start small. Give at least one inch per fish for each gallon of water.
Analyze the health of the freshwater fish. Look to see if the fish is pale or lethargic. Healthy fish are always eager to eat and will move quickly to get the food.
Add some color to your freshwater aquarium. Tetras and danios are colorful freshwater fish that are also easy to maintain, adapting well to new surroundings. Swordtails, platies and mollies are live-bearers that are not only colorful, they are easy to breed.
Choose compatible freshwater fish. Schooling fish such as tetras and danios do best in groups and adapt well to other kinds of fish. Harlequin rasboras and loaches are great freshwater fish that also adapt well to other fish. They all need to be compatible in diet and temperature of water as well.
Look for freshwater fish that will help eliminate a lot of algae. Bristle nose and otocinclus catfish are great for controlling algae in an aquarium and are not aggressive towards other fish. They are bottom-dwellers and can help keep the aquarium clean.
How to Choose Freshwater Fish
Freshwater fish are those that live in rivers, lakes and ponds. Freshwater fish can live in any body of water that contains less than .05 percent of salt. There are many types of freshwater fish such as schooling, bottom dwellers and live-bearers to choose from. If you are starting an aquarium there are several things you want to analyze before choosing fish, including size of the tank, health of the fish and compatibility.