As anyone who knows me would tell you, I am an aquarium enthusiast. I have three aquariums currently and I would love to have more. Through my years of experience in the aquarium trade, I have developed a personal opinion about some of the popular aggressive fish on the market. I have had a lot of experience with all the species in this list and I have had several specimens of each species.
1. The Arowana:
The arowana is one of the most interesting fish I have ever come across in the aquarium trade. This fish is literally a modern day dinosaur. The arowana is one of the most ancient species in the world and is quite similar to it’s dinosaur ancestors. In Asian countries this fish is called the “Dragon Fish” and if you look at one you will know why. This fish is a very active at all times of the day. The fish will actually get very sick or even die if it stops moving because of its anatomy. The reason this fish is number one on my list is because it is active, it is aggressive, and it keeps to itself. The arowana is a top swimming species, spending most of it’s time near the surface of the water. In general, the arowana keeps to itself and doesn’t bug other fish in the aquarium; unless the other fish in the aquarium harm the arowana.
2. The Wolf fish
The freshwater wolf fish is a ferocious predator. This scary looking fish is called a “Piranha eater” in the amazon, and the name seems to fit when you see the size of it’s teeth. Wolf fish are very fun fish to have in an aquarium. They will attack feeder fish as soon as they hit the water, they are more than capable of disemboweling any fish that looks like prey. The good thing about wolf fish is that they don’t really mess with other fish. They are fairly territorial and will nip and any fish that tries to take his spot but nothing serious.
3. Peacock Bass
The peacock bass is one of the most renowned freshwater game fish in the world. The peacock bass’ name comes from the beautiful coloring of an adult. Not only are the beautiful fish, but they are also capable predators. Peacock bass are very active fish and will constantly be meddling around. This is a curious fish that will always be looking for trouble. Peacock bass aren’t essential tank mates because they like to mess around with other fish. Also they never seem to learn their lesson when they get nipped at or chased away. The fish is an awesome fish nonetheless and would make a great addition to any aggressive large aquarium.
4. Sabertooth Tetra
Just from the name you can tell that this is an interesting fish. This fish actually has a bottom pair of fangs that are about two to three times the length of their other teeth. In the wild this fish is a skilled predator that is cannibalistic in nature. The good thing about this fish is that it won’t bother or attack anything that doesn’t look like food. Unfortunately it also bites of more than it can chew sometimes. Another disadvantage of this fish is that it is very hard to get it to accept anything but feeder fish.
5. Red Belly Piranha
Piranhas are one of the most famous fish in history. When you say piranha, everyone starts thinking about these flesh eating monsters that will murder anything that enters the water. There are some truths to that, but the real truth is that they aren’t hunters as much as scavengers. Piranhas in an aquarium are really fun fish to have. The reason they are so low on the list is because they aren’t as much aggressive as just pests. In an aquarium setting, piranhas just nip at fins of any fish. This isn’t because they are aggressive as much as that they just like the taste of fins and scales. So they bug any type of fish that you house with them, even their own kind. With that said, it is still awesome to watch a pack of piranhas strip a fish to the bone.
