In this blog, I’ll discuss a favorite of mine and what seems to be a favorite for many other aquarists, blue fish for aquariums.
Below, we will look at eight amazing types of blue fish that can really make your tank entertaining and pop.
Okay, so one on this list isn’t exactly a fish, but still a great choice for some aquariums.
8 Beautiful Blue Fish for Aquariums
1. Electric Blue Rams
Absolutely one of my favorite freshwater fish, along with many other aquarists.
The electric blue ram is a dwarf cichlid. These fish are tank bred for their beautiful colors.
Although cichlids, dwarf cichlids like the electric blue ram are much less aggressive than regular cichlids. However, these rams are known for becoming a little more aggressive during spawning.
These beautiful fish grow to be about 2 inches and live for up to 3 years.
Electric blue rams do well being kept in planted tanks and can be fed a variety of foods like cichlid “PeeWee” pellets from Xtreme Aquatic Foods, bloodworms, etc.
2. Electric Blue Acara
The electric blue acara is a stunning blue fish. Electric blue acaras are cichlids and are loved by many aquarists.
Overall, these fish are pretty peaceful. Of course, when it comes to feeding time, electric blue acaras aren’t reserved and have no problem competing for food.
Unlike blue acaras, electric blue acaras will usually grow to around 5 inches max. This is a bit smaller than blue acaras.
These fish live for about 10 years with proper care.
Electric blue acaras are omnivores and can be fed cichlid pellets, blood worms, brine shrimp, and other foods.
3. Powder Blue Dwarf Gouramis
Dwarf gouramis are native to South Asia. However, dwarf powder blue gouramis are selectively bred fish.
These beautiful fish grow to be between 3 to 5 inches and live for about 5 years.
Dwarf gouramis are omnivores and also do well with a variety of foods such as cichlid pellets, sinking algae pellets, and bloodworms.
I’m happy to report that my dwarf gouramis eat the annoying hair algae in fish tanks. Well, they do in mine anyway.
4. Electric Blue Hap
The beautiful electric blue hap is a cichlid that is indigenous to Lake Malawi in Africa.
These fish are highly sought after by many people in the aquarium hobby. However, they aren’t always easy to find.
These fish are on the semi-aggressive side.
The grow to be about 8 inches and live for 7 to 10 years. That’s a pretty long time.
These stunning blue fish for aquariums are carnivores. They’ll do well with frozen brine shrimp, bloodworms, and cichlid pellets.
5. Alien Betta Blue Hybrid
The alien blue betta is one of those fish that will make you do a double take. I mean, look at those colors.
These bettas, or the “royal blue,” are hybrids.
The alien blue will live for about 3 years and grow to about 2 inches.
Alien blue bettas are carnivores and should be fed a combo of frozen blood worms, brine shrimp, and betta pellets.
6. Electric Blue Crayfish
Blue crayfish are native to Florida and are scavengers.
The Blue crayfish isn’t exactly a blue fish for an aquarium, but still, they are a really cool blue crustaceans to keep in a freshwater tank.
However, blue crayfish are very aggressive and can only be kept with certain types of tank mates. Fish that swim near the top of the tank to the middle of the tank work best.
Blue crayfish can live for various periods of time. In captivity, these crayfish can live for 3 to 6 years.
You can feed blue crays sinking algae pellets, blanched veggies, bloodworms, and other types of foods.
Just a little note, although some crayfish keepers will keep blue crayfish in planted tanks, I wouldn’t recommend it. These guys are known for destroying plants.
7. Blue Discus
The blue discus is from South America. There, they are found in tributaries of the Amazon river.
These fish can get a bit aggressive when pairing up. So, you have to be careful about what tank mates you keep with them.
Blue discus live between 10 to 15 years. They also grow to be about 8 inches.
The discus is an omnivore. In the wild, discus eat plant matter, worms, and small crustaceans.
In captivity, these fish can be fed sinking algae pellets, fish flakes, and shrimp pellets.
8. Blue Apistogramma
The blue Apistogramma is native to the Amazon river basin in Peru.
The blue Apistogramma is an aggressive fish and should be provided with plenty of places to hide and take cover. They’ll do best in a planted tank.
These freshwater fish grow to be about 3 inches and live between 2 to 5 years depending on care.
Apistogramma are omnivores. You may catch them nipping at your plants from time to time.
They do well being fed bloodworms, brine shrimp, pellets. And, if you want to switch things up, feed them some blanched cucumber.
Blue Fish for Aquariums: A Recap
Blue fish are popular with many aquarists. There are so many different types of stunning blue fish for people in the fishkeeping hobby. But, some can be very hard to find.
Some of the most popular blue fish are electric blue rams, electric blue acaras, and well, blue crayfish which is not a fish, of course.
With the exception of the blue crayfish, all of the fish on this list do well being kept in planted aquariums.
What’s your favorite blue freshwater fish?
Our Recommendations