Top 56 predatory fish for an aquarium: list with photos and descriptions

Peculiarities

In most cases, these are large aggressive creatures with a strong hunting instinct. They will be happy to enjoy not only a piece of fresh meat delicacy served, but also to hunt for their neighbors. Some breeds eat only self-caught food, i.e. they need to be provided with constant natural floating food.

Predatory fish include several families. It is not entirely correct to classify this or that phenotype as completely carnivorous.

Predators require the presence of plant foods in their diet, from which they obtain vitamins and nutrients, just as any herbivorous fish eats protein foods of animal origin (bloodworms, tubifex, etc.).

Considering that predatory fish are massive specimens, they will need a large living area, which must be equipped with cleaning systems and special equipment, as well as finding a suitable place in the room.

Caring for carnivores is a labor-intensive and costly process. The decision to purchase such breeds should be well-informed and very responsible.

The exception is the red parrot, an attractive fish with a bright orange color. The variety was bred artificially and is distinguished by its comparative simplicity of maintenance. The color ranges from light yellow to rich orange. To prevent the color from losing its brightness, parrot fish in the aquarium are fed with food containing carotenoids.

Feeding aquarium predators

Aquarium predatory fish need to be fed well and variedly. Hungry predatory fish always attack their fellow fish and other representatives of the aquatic world. The best food would be live food, meat, freshwater fish, and shrimp. Some predatory breeds need to include poultry, live fish, and tadpoles in their diet.

Live food is provided for exactly one meal. There is no need to leave excess food and small fish in the aquarium until the next feeding. Live fish used for food must be smaller in size than the predator so that the predatory fish can swallow it. Predators love to hunt, so they will not be interested in floating food.

If you decide to have predatory fish in your aquarium, be careful about your surroundings. When repopulating, consider which species can exist peacefully with each other, so as not to lose some of the inhabitants. Barbs, sharks, piranhas are representatives of the aquatic world that are not compatible with other fish. They can be housed in flocks, but respect the size and color of the individuals. Do not mix herbivorous and carnivorous fish. For herbivorous fish, the biological environment in the aquarium of carnivorous representatives can be destructive. When keeping predators, the main golden rule applies - timely feeding.

Popular types

The most popular varieties of such unusual aquarium fish include the following.

Aravana

An ancient aquarium predator, dating back about 25 million years. It lives in South American reservoirs and has a massive, elongated and laterally flattened body. Length - up to 1 meter, weight - up to 5 kg, covered with large scales of silver-beige or silver-pink tint. It can jump high out of the water column after prey and is very aggressive. It feeds on mollusks, small fish, frogs, arthropods, insects and even small birds and reptiles.

Aravana is an ancient aquarium predator, dating back about 25 million years.

Astronotus

Astronotus auratus is an oval-shaped cichlid native to Venezuela, which is very popular due to its variety of colors: multi-colored spots or scales on a dark background, creating intricate patterns. The phenotype reaches 35 cm and is known for its aggressiveness. For two astronotuses you will need a housing with a capacity of 350-400 liters. It feeds on animal food, but will not refuse fruit.

The phenotype reaches 35 cm and is known for its aggressiveness

Astronotuses get used to their owner, recognize him and greet him, swimming up to the wall of the dwelling. They love to dig up soil.

Auratus

The cichlid fish, which has the second name Melanochromis golden, comes from Africa (Lake Malawi). Bright yellow on the belly with alternating white and black stripes on the back. Despite its tiny size (no more than 10 cm), it has an aggressive character, attacking neighbors.

Auratus has an aggressive character

Bryzgun

A perch-like representative of a silver color with vertical stripes. Prefers marshy areas of Asia and Australia. A distinctive feature of the splasher, which determined its name, is its method of hunting: the animal releases a stream of water 1.5 meters in order to disorient or knock the victim from its home. Eats shellfish, insects and other prey.

Perch-like representative of silver color with vertical stripes

Pseudotropheus

These are small (up to 15 cm) African predators of bright color: blue-black vertical stripes are located on a yellow or blue background of the body. Along with meat foods, they also prefer plant foods.

Females are especially aggressive, capable of attacking even large cohabitants. A harem of 1 male and at least 3 females would be optimal.

Along with meat foods, they also prefer plant foods.

Tropheus

Endemic to Lake Tanganyika from the cichlid family. Small fish (up to 15 cm), changing their color depending on age. Young specimens are dark, with blue spots, adults are black with a yellow stripe and a blue-blue head. They eat both algae and small animals.

Tropheuses change color depending on age

Apteronotus white-bordered

Apteronotus are distinguished by a large (up to 50 cm) body with an elongated shape. In appearance, they resemble a well-fed snake, the body of which is compressed laterally and narrowed in the direction from the head to the tail.

This species has no scales, and the protective function is performed by mucus, which is abundantly secreted by the skin.

With an average size of 30 - 35 cm, Apteronotus can show aggression even towards larger brothers. Especially if they begin to lay claim to their territory. An aquarium for such inhabitants should be purchased at the rate of 200 liters for each individual.

Apteronotus are natural hunters who react to various living creatures (fish, crustaceans, freshwater shrimp). But you can also offer them finely chopped squid meat.

Other types

In addition to the above, there are other equally attractive predatory fish for the home aquarium.

Common swordmouth (Khudzhet's pike)

An aggressive representative of characins, native to South America. Outwardly it resembles a European pike, has small silvery scales and a characteristic small black spot at the base of the tail. In captivity it reaches 25-30 cm, in nature it is 2-3 times larger. It feeds on any animal food, including bloodworms, earthworms, fry, pieces of fish fillet, shellfish and meat.

The common swordmouth in captivity reaches 25-30 cm

Piranhas

World-famous “live eaters” of the Amazonian rivers of the characin family with a very terrifying appearance: a flattened dark gray body with light inclusions, a forward lower jaw with many sharp long triangular teeth. At home, they grow up to 30 cm. Piranhas are school creatures; they are kept in a group (from 6 pieces) in a tank with a volume of at least 500 liters.

The bloodthirsty “crushers” are fed protein foods, giving pets raw meat, shellfish, fresh fish and squid.

Piranhas are school creatures, they are kept in groups of 6 or more

Polypterus

One of the few representatives of ancient lungfishes that preserved ganoid scales and a serrated dorsal fin. Lives in muddy reservoirs of Africa and India. Able to crawl from one water area to another during drought. It reaches up to 90 cm, does not show aggression, is leisurely and phlegmatic. They are fed any food: earthworms, squid, shrimp, bloodworms, as well as pieces of beef, special granules and flakes.

Grows up to 90 cm, does not show aggression, is leisurely

Snakehead

A true predator, both in nature and in captivity, is the snakehead.
In its natural habitat, the snakehead eats all the fish it can handle. It has the unique ability to breathe atmospheric oxygen. The head of the fish is covered with snake-like scales, and the body is elongated. For these qualities it received the name snakehead.

Conditions of detention:

• constant access to the surface of the water for breathing;
• soft and neutral or acidic water is recommended (5.0-7.0 pH)
• It is better to use gravel as a soil; sand is not the most suitable covering for the bottom, since snakeheads often make sharp throws and stir up the substrate;
• Shelters in the form of underwater trees and above-water vegetation are required.

Feeding is carried out mainly with live food, but it is permissible to feed with earthworms, shrimp, and fish meat.

There are 3-4 species of snakeheads in total, the most popular in the aquarium hobby are the following:

• golden cobra or orange-spotted;
• red;
• dwarf;
• imperial;
• rainbow;
• jar;
• luxurious;
• chevron;
• African;
• ocellated.

All species differ not only in appearance, but also in the requirements for the conditions of their detention.

Compatibility

A species aquarium is the best option for keeping carnivores. However, there are often clashes within the species, for example, over territory or during spawning. Crookshanks also attack each other out of hunger.

Under no circumstances should you add small fish, otherwise they will simply become live food for “meat eaters.” Large herbivores can be added to some varieties so that they do not become prey for hunters.

Some species prefer solitary living, while others are kept only in groups.

Tetraodon

A representative of the four-toothed family is distinguished by a large head with large eyes and a body shaped like an egg.
Tetraodon has no fins on its belly, and each scale has a prickly spine at the tip. This aquarium predator is quite a rare species, which has an amazing ability to protect itself and a daring character. Tetraodon, with sharp and strong bone plates in the oral cavity, is capable of crushing the shells of oysters and clams, which are its main food. And strong pectoral fins allow them to overtake prey with lightning speed. Tetraodon has the most powerful defense mechanisms:

• he is able to inflate like a balloon;
• spines on the scales rise in case of danger;
• the muscles and gonads contain a strong poison that paralyzes the enemy who wants to eat it.

It is better not to keep tetraodons in an aquarium with other types of fish. Predators in an aquarium can be aggressive even with their own relatives.

The genus Tetraodon has more than a hundred species, differing in conditions of detention and temperament. In captivity, only 10 representatives of the genus feel well. The most famous are the following:

• figured;
• green;
• red-eyed;
• Thai;
• tetraodon mbu;
• red;
• leopard print

Conditions of detention:

• when keeping a school of fish in a species aquarium, you should provide shelter for each;
• thermal regime – 22-26°C;
• change water every week by 20% of the volume;
• the lighting is not bright, close to natural;
• feeding is carried out exclusively with meat foods (live food, liver, beef).

Shellfish should definitely be included in the diet. Tetraodons not only eat their meat, but also wear down their ever-growing dental plates in their mouths.

Growing conditions

Keeping predatory breeds requires certain skills and compliance with rules.

Aquarium

There are special requirements for an aquarium for predatory fish:

• The vessel is placed in a well-lit place, carefully monitoring its cleanliness. The water must be enriched with oxygen, and a filter and aerator must be installed.
• The volume of the dwelling is determined based on living conditions, the size of pets and their number, but not less than 50 liters per specimen. The larger and more aggressive the breed, the more space is required.

The volume of water for predatory fish must be at least 50 liters per individual

• The home is decorated with driftwood, stones, caves and algae, and natural vegetation with wide leaves and strong roots is planted.
• Small fish other than those intended for food are not added to meat-eaters.

Safety precautions must be observed. It is forbidden to immerse a hand with injuries or wounds inside a tank with predators - this will provoke them to attack.

Temperature

The average ambient temperature for live swallows is 24-27 degrees. The value of the indicators is determined depending on the specific breed of the pet. Most of them are inhabitants of tropical waters and require constant maintenance of heat. They cannot tolerate temperature changes. Cohabitation of cold- and heat-loving phenotypes is unacceptable.

Filtration and aeration

An aquarium with carnivores must have a powerful filter. Leftover meat food quickly decomposes in a warm environment, releasing ammonia that is dangerous to fish. And they themselves emit a considerable amount of waste.

Powerful aeration is also important. It helps to enrich the water area with oxygen, as well as reduce the concentration of harmful impurities.

An aquarium with carnivores must have a powerful filter.

Nutrition

Feeding pets is done taking into account their needs. Regardless of the chosen method of feeding, the best food for live swallows will be meat, fish fillets, shrimp, shellfish, worms, bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp and other protein foods. Real hunters are given the opportunity to catch their prey on their own by throwing live fish into a container.

Species that swallow prey whole are fed 2-3 times a week. The rest - a couple of times a day. If the feeding mode is set incorrectly, hungry individuals will begin to eat each other.

Features of reproduction

During the breeding season, the aggressiveness of predators is maximum. Therefore, a pair of future parents are placed separately two weeks before spawning. After fertilization, the male is returned back, otherwise he may be eaten by the partner.

Most predatory cichlids incubate their eggs in their mouths. Having laid out the eggs, the female releases the babies, after which she is removed. The fry are fed live dust, daphnia, brine shrimp and cyclops, sorting the fry as they grow.

Caring for aquarium predators is incredibly difficult. They require large habitat areas, expensive food, modern equipment, regime and maintenance of clear water parameters. Many of them are poisonous, bloodthirsty and dangerous to humans. However, if all rules and regulations are observed, carnivorous pets will become the real pride of their owner.

Have you kept predatory fish in an aquarium? What kind was this? Share life hacks based on its content with beginners.

How to keep predatory fish in a tank

If you decide to have predators, take care of the correct selection of the tank and the conditions of detention.

The tank must be placed in a lighted place. The dimensions of the container are selected according to the type of fish you plan to keep. The water for the aquarium must be enriched with oxygen; it is necessary to install an internal filter to purify the water from contaminants.

The aquarium can be decorated with driftwood, pebbles, and algae plants. Choose vegetation with large roots so that predators cannot dig them up.

If this is your first time encountering predators, buy cichlids. The cichlid, which is very popular, is less demanding in food and care than other representatives of predatory aquarium fish.

Spotted Indian knife

The fish, which has such an unusual name, is quite large, by aquarium standards, in size and has an evil character. Often its victims are relatives who have encroached on “foreign” territory.

The lifestyle of this predator is nocturnal, so it should be fed in conditions of minimal illumination of the reservoir. The diet of the Indian Knife may include tadpoles, small fish, and fry. Its size reaches 30 cm, so the capacity should not be less than 150 - 200 liters for each individual.

So that the fish can hide somewhere during the day, the bottom of the aquarium is equipped with grottoes, driftwood, and ceramic pots.

Reproduction

Aggressive attacks towards others in predatory fish intensify during the spawning period. To reduce the intensity of passions, the couple is placed in a separate container.

The diet of future parents should include more protein foods.

The birth of fry can be expected after 1 – 2 weeks. At the same time, some types of fish can show aggression towards their offspring, so they are immediately placed in a common aquarium.

What is the taste of char, how is it useful and what is its commercial significance?

The taste qualities of char are truly widely appreciated among many people who have become acquainted with this fish at least once. Due to their impressive size, northern Arctic char, Kamchatka and river char are of great commercial importance and are caught in large volumes.

In addition, the juveniles grow very quickly and make it possible to replenish the population of the species by spawning after some time. Let's take a closer look at what is the beauty of char meat and why it is so valued among many people.

• meat helps to avoid ophthalmic problems;
• it helps improve the functioning of the heart muscle;
• increases immunity;
• reduces the chance of hormonal imbalances;
• char meat contains saturated fatty acids;
• Meat contains a huge amount of B vitamins, as well as K, E, A and PP.
• contains copper, iron and manganese;
• Char meat contains magnesium, phosphorus, sodium and calcium.

Char is a healthy and tasty dietary fish

Krenicichla cordis punctata

This is a predator from the Cichlid order that is not too demanding in terms of living conditions, capable of growing up to 24 cm. Its favorite food is small live fish, tadpoles, worms, and fresh beef.

A pair of Crenichl feels comfortable in a container of 400 liters or more. These are quite angry and very active representatives of their species, who require a lot of space for games and chasing prey. In a cramped aquarium, there is a danger of injury to fish, which during the hunt often crash into decorative elements of the reservoir.

How to cook char - several simple and tasty recipes

Char baked in foil

1. You need to take several small carcasses of char from 400 to 800 grams and cut them, getting rid of the fins, heads and cutting them into layers along the ridge.
2. After this, you need to mix salt and ground pepper and carefully coat the fish with them in acceptable quantities.
3. Then you need to make a creamy zest dressing. Take a good piece of butter and rub about a couple of teaspoons of zest into it, and then mix everything together.
4. After this, take foil, place the fish on it, and then carefully rub it on all sides with oil and zest and put it in the oven, covered with foil, for 20 minutes at 180 degrees. After 20 minutes have elapsed, you need to remove the fish and remove the top layer of foil, and then put it in the oven for another 10 minutes to get a golden brown crust.

How to cook char in the oven - a delicious recipe step by step:

Char soup

Recipe for making char fish soup:

1. It is necessary to cut several carcasses of char into medium or small pieces in advance and put them in a saucepan, fill them with several liters of cold water and first add salt, pepper and throw in a bay leaf. After this, you need to put it all on the fire and bring to a boil.
2. After everything has boiled, you need to strain the broth from the seeds and spices. Next, you need to get the fish, cut it, get rid of the bones and cut the fish fillet into small pieces.
3. Next, you need to put the purified fish broth on the fire and add pre-diced potatoes, onions and a little carrots, bringing it all to a boil.
4. After the vegetables are cooked, you can throw in the boned fish again and bring to a boil. Then the greens are added and the salt is checked to taste.

How to catch char - selection and collection of gear, fishing tactics

When it comes to catching such a rare and beautiful fish, you need to understand that preparation before fishing is more important than ever.

When catching salmon, due to the fact that they are predators, spinning tackle is most often used.

But we should not forget that among the char there are also smaller ones of the lake or small river type, which show much less interest in the fry and, due to their size, are forced to eat smaller food such as insects.

That is why for catching many salmon and char, including, two main gears are used: spinning and float. Let's consider each of them separately and in more detail.

Spinning tackle

When fishing for char, spinning gear is the main one and more effective than float gear.

With the help of spinning gear, you can fish considerable distances from the shore and at the same time, with the proper equipment, you can easily catch large fish.

This type of fishing is also relevant when fishing for other salmon, and therefore will be useful and applicable in any case and for almost any fishing for any type of salmon. Let's take a closer look at what gear is needed for catching char.

1. The spinning rod (blank) must be chosen soft, with a slow action. You can find an alternative in the form of a medium action, but at the same time you will lose a little in the sensitivity of the gear. Salmon may be a lively fish, but some of its bites can be extremely cautious. This is why you need to choose softer spinning rods. The length is selected according to convenience. For longer casts, it is recommended to consider a length from 180 cm to 250 cm.
2. reel . The spinning reel is a classic that is easy to use and reliable when fishing. Of course, you can choose a multiplier, but it is much more difficult to manage and you need to have at least some experience for this. It is desirable that the spool of a spinning reel can accommodate more than 80 meters of fishing line.
3. Fishing line It is better to take medium diameters, but not too thick and not too thin. It is recommended to consider a diameter between 0.18 mm and 0.30 mm. But at the same time, braid remains a classic. It is much thinner and less noticeable, but at the same time stronger. You can choose a braid from 0.14 mm to 0.22 mm in diameter.

   
   Braided pros and cons

4. Most often, char are caught using spinners and wobblers . It is clear that when feeding, the char will stay near the surface of the water, and therefore, ideally, a wobbler that sinks slowly will be useful. It is better to choose helicopters that are light, but loaded enough to fly at least 20-30 meters. For spinners, the ideal weight would be 10-20 grams and a length of 3-6 cm. For a wobbler, you should take a length from 5 to 8 cm and a weight of 10-15 grams. It is recommended to choose aggressive, bright colors. Red, yellow, silver and light green are suitable.

Catching large char on ratlins - fishing features:

Float tackle

Now it’s time to similarly consider the float gear used to catch char. Here, some positions by type of fishing line and reel will coincide with spinning ones.

1. Rod for float fishing, it is chosen either as for spinning gear (200-250 cm), if an inertia-free reel will be used and its length will not affect the casting distance, or it is recommended to take a length from 5 to 8 meters when fishing with an inertial reel.

   
   The float rig is also suitable for small char

2. The reel should be chosen according to your own taste. Either you can stick to the classic version in the form of an inertial one, or experiment and install a non-inertial one in order to fish large areas of the reservoir that are possible for casting.
3. For fishing with float tackle, you can choose either fishing line or braid . The size range is the same as for fishing with spinning tackle. For fishing line it is 0.18-0.30 mm in diameter, and for braid it is 0.14-0.2 mm in diameter.
4. With equipment , everything is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. As a standard, this is a small or medium-sized float, with a carrying capacity of 2 to 8 grams; just below there is a triple swivel, to the two ends of which leashes cling. The bottom one is made longer and, in addition to the hook, there is a small sinker located approximately in the middle, often an olive or a standard ball shape, and then a hook. There is simply a hook on the top leash, and the leash itself is shorter. It is important that these hooks are equipped with special feather-type baits, which make them more attractive to the fish and look like some kind of small insect or fry.

Float tackle when fishing for char

Sacbranch catfish

The size of this fish can reach 28–30 cm. It has a brown–gray “camouflage” color, although there are also albinos bred through selection.

Catfish have 4 pairs of whiskers located on their muzzle as a kind of “radar” for searching for prey (small fish) among rocky soil.

The bites of this predator are poisonous and can cause anaphylaxis, so contact with it should be done with extreme caution.

To keep one catfish you will need a container of 150 liters.