Live-bearing Fish for the Freshwater Aquarium

Good Choice for Beginners in the Fishkeeping Hobby

Apr 15, 2009

Live-bearing fish do very well in a community freshwater aquarium because they are generally not aggressive and are easy to breed.

Live-bearing fish are also commonly known as livebearers. Most species belong to the Poecilliidae family, which includes the swordtail, guppy, mollie, and platy. This family is the largest of the livebearer family and takes in over 200 different species of fish.

History of Livebearer Fish

Livebearers are not native to all continents and are only found in Asia, and the Americas. These fish came along late in the evolutionary chain, about 35 to 40 million years ago, which was known as the Oligoscene period.

Livebearers have been in the aquarium hobby for over a hundred years. The common livebearer was introduced as early as the 1890’s to Europe but the rarer species were only introduced in the late 1960’s. In addition, these fish were introduced into other sub tropical and tropical areas to help keep the mosquito population down, thus helping in malaria control.

Most species of livebearers are commonly bred in large commercial farms or by small local breeding operations so that makes them widely available. Rare or wild caught species of livebearers can sometimes be found through members of livebearer societies or tropical fish stores that import fish from abroad.

Aquarium Compatibility for Livebearer Fish

All fish in the livebearer species are considered strong and can adapt to varied water conditions. The hardiness of these species make them a great starter fish for the beginner hobbyist. Livebearers are a great community fish and are generally not aggressive. They can be put in an aquarium with other fish of the same size.

Do not place livebearers with larger fish or fish that are known to be aggressive like cichlids. They tend to do better in small schools of three or more. With live bearers, it is best to keep more females than males. By doing this, the aggressiveness of the males is spread out and not confined to just one female.

Aquarium Conditions for Livebearer Fish

Up to four teaspoons of aquarium salt can be added if the species' natural habitat is brackish water. Most of the common varieties of livebearers can tolerate salt but it’s best to do some research. If catfish are in the aquarium, it is strongly recommended to check out what types of catfish can tolerate brackish water.

Some livebearers in the molly and platy family can tolerate cooler water so a heater in the tank may not be necessary. It is still advisable to research every type to fish to determine its tolerance to cold water. If in doubt, use a heater.

Breeding Livebearer Fish

Breeding livebearers is very easy. There should be at least one male and two or more females in a well-planted tank. The ideal ratio of females to males should be at least 5 to 1 in order to avoid bullying of the female by the male.

There should be a mixture of fine-leafed plants in the substrate and floating plants at the top of the aquarium. As soon as the livebearer fry are born, the parents or any other type of fish in the tank want to eat the fry. Although the plants provide hiding places for the fry, a separate grow-out tank for the fry is better. They should be scooped out of the tank as soon as possible.

A female is capable of giving birth to well over a 100 fry at one time. In addition, female livebearers have the ability to store sperm and can actually give birth up to seven or more times from one pairing.

Of all the community types of fish, livebearers seem to be the best choice for the beginner in the aquarium hobby. They are colorful, compatible, hardy and easy to breed.

The copyright of the article Live-bearing Fish for the Freshwater Aquarium in Aquariums is owned by Douglas DuHamel. Permission to republish Live-bearing Fish for the Freshwater Aquarium in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.