Top Ten Carnivorous Aquarium Fish

Carnivorous fish are popular with many aquarium enthusiasts who find them interesting and fun to own. Some of them can adapt to eating flaked food, pellets and even vegetable matter, but in general they prefer to eat live foods. Carnivorous fish can be messy eaters and experts recommend that you use powerful filtration systems and frequent water changes in order to keep your fish healthy.

  1. Piranha

    • One of the most famous carnivorous fish, the piranha has an appeal that is greatly enhanced by its savage reputation. These fish typically live in schools and require about 15 gallons of water per fish, though that number can vary based on the size of the fish. There are many different kinds of piranhas for enthusiasts to choose from.

    Freshwater Pufferfish

    • The Nile pufferfish is a large puffer that has a reputation for being aggressive and typically does best on its own. It can grow to as much as 18 inches long so it needs plenty of space. This fish consumes all kinds of live food, and when kept in an aquarium should be fed snails and mussels in order to keep its teeth worn down. Another popular puffer is the Brazilian puffer, a much more peaceful fish that does well around other fish. This fish eats worms as well as snails and brine shrimp, and rarely gets more than 4 to 5 inches long.

    Discus Fish

    • Discus fish are attractive aquarium specimens and generally do best when kept in a group with others of their kind. They eat brine shrimp, worms and feeder fish, and may eat smaller fish that are kept with them. Three of the more popular types of discus fish are the blue discus, the green discus and the brown discus, all of which have round, flat bodies and grow to about 6 inches long.

    Oscar

    • The oscar is a very striking fish and one that many owners become very attached to. Oscars eat many different kinds of live foods, such as smaller fish, insects and shrimp. These fish are highly intelligent and will allow you to pet them, will eat from your hand and can tell different people apart. Although they are carnivorous in the wild, in captivity you can often feed them vegetable matter as well as meat.

    Arowana

    • The arowana is an impressive fish that can quickly grow to almost 3 feet long and needs to be kept in an aquarium that is at least 150 gallons in order to thrive. There are several types of these fish that are popular as aquarium specimens: the super red Asian arowana, the cross back golden Asian arowana and the silver arowana. These fish prefer live food such as shrimp, crabs, frogs and smaller fish. They need to be kept in covered aquariums so that they don̵7;t jump out.