Top 7 Exotic Aquatics (Fauna) you can get today

Published on October 1, 2016
Top 7 Exotic Aquatics (Fauna) you can get today

What are the most exotic freshwater aquatics that I can get today?

You may already be wondering about this question for a while. But that's great, though, in this article, we are going to discuss some hand-picked fish or fauna that can be categorized as exotic.

But first.. what determines a fauna to be considered as "exotic"? Is it the color? Price? Or merely the appearance?

Cambridge dictionary explains that the word exotic means:

unusual and exciting because of coming (or seeming to come) from far away, especially a tropical country

Ok so.. We are now on the same page. The list below is not going to mention the most expensive freshwater fish or the brightest ones. These hand-picked fish are simply the ones that meet the criteria to be considered as "exotic," which is unusual and exciting.

Let's dig in.

Angelfish

Let's start the list with a member of the Cichlid family.

The fish that is popular for being disk-shaped has a scientific name of Pterpohyllum Altum. In common, they can grow to about 6.5 inches, but if the tanks where they live in are large enough to sustain even further growth, it doesn't close the possibility for them to reach about 10 inches.

Some popular Angelfish species are Golds, Veils, Leopards, Zebras, Half Blacks, and Marbles. But the very first species was actually the silver type which we can find easily.

Discus

discus fish onlineimage source

The native Amazonian fish may already sound familiar to you. The fish that's also known as pompadour fish has developed a reputation for being only the pets of elites in the past 30 to 40 years.

The fish that is famous for its compressed body shape, when fully grown, can grow up to 8 to 10 inches long.

Even though they have tons of color variations, the most popular ones in the market are turquoise, blue, and red.

Freshwater Sting Rays

exotic freshwater stignraysimage source

Are you looking for a peaceful aquatic to fill in your aquarium (or tank to be precise)? Then you can consider buying some freshwater stingrays.

These beautiful freshwater aquatics are known for their calm and peaceful natures.

But you have to be careful, though, some of them can reach the size of up to 1 meter. So, make sure that your tank is big enough in the long run.

Flowerhorn

exotic flowerhornBy Lerdsuwa (Own photo (400D + 50/1.4)) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Also known as Luo Han, the fish that is popular for its distinct vivid colors and heads were first very popular in Asian countries such as Taiwan, Thailand, and Malaysia. Then the hype spread throughout the world.

According to records, the first breeding can be tracked back to 1993. It was then called as Kaloi which means warships in Malaysia.

Until today, hundreds of breeds are flooding the market. In the US, red-colored Luo Hans have a nickname of red dragons, and super red dragons for the ones with higher red intensity.

Arowana

exotic arowana breedimage source

The exotic aquatic has been around for quite some time.

Well.. maybe I should have said, "for a long, long, long time." This fish has been around chilling since the age of the dinosaurs. Some fossils can be traced back to the Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous.

This fish is extremely popular in Asia because of its look that's similar to a dragon (Chinese dragon), especially because of its "metallic" scales that a dragon is also portrayed to have.

The Asian culture firmly believes that Arowana can bring luck, increase health, and wealth.

What's so great about Arowana is its super long lifespan. They can live for 20-50 years. Yeah.. almost as old as humans.

And here is a video of breeding Arowana.

Electric Blue Lobster

electric blue crayfishBy Nathan Daly (Own work) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Raise your hands if you are a huge fan of lobsters!

Not lobsters as foods of course, but as exotic pets!

This species of lobster is actually a native fauna of the Florida state. Some popular names that people usually use to call them are Blue Crayfish, Florida Crayfish, or Everglade Crayfish.

If you are looking for a strong fauna to fill in your tanks, this electric blue lobster can be an option. They are known to be able to live even in aquariums with the harshest conditions. But this doesn't mean that you can leave them out of your care though. 🙂

And talking about the lifespan, these beautiful creatures can live up to 6 years old. A pretty remarkably long lifespan for lobsters.

Axolotl

axolotl - exotic fishimage source

The fauna that is also known as the Mexican walking fish is #1 in this list.

Just as you can guess from its nickname "Mexican walking fish," this salamander is originated from Lake Chalco and Lake Xochimilco in Mexico. But sadly, due to urbanization, Axolotl is now critically endangered in the wild due to population decline trend.

The exotic aquatic can reach up to 12 inches long, but the most typical size is about 9 inches. So make sure to have a relatively large aquarium if you are planning to pet this lovely creature.

And say hi to a baby axolotl!

baby axolotlimage source

Do you have any other exotic fauna aquatics/fish to add to the list? Leave them in the comments below, and I'll update the list 🙂


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