Commonly Traded Species of Brackish Water Fish

Although brackish water aquaria are less frequently created than either fresh or marine ones, brackish water fish are far from uncommon and in fact include some of the hobby’s staples. A few of the commonest and most desirable inmates for the general brackish water aquarium are:

• Sailfin and other mollies
• Monos
• Scats
• Archerfish
• Pufferfish
• Cichlids

Less frequently seen, but very desirable for the aquarist eager to try something a bit different, are the predators of the coastal swamps, estuaries and mangroves, such as:

• Gar
• Shark catfish
• Sleeper gobies
• Spiny eels

And a few oddballs quite unlike anything else:

• Anableps
• Mudskippers

Even the aquarist with only minimal space can enjoy the fishes which are happy in small tanks (24 inches in length or less):

• Killifish
• Gobies
• Glassfish
• Pipefish

All these fishes and more are covered in later parts of the FAQ.