Complete List of Cold-Water Fish Species: Which Ones Are Suitable for Beginners?

Cold-water fish refers to fish that cannot survive when the water temperature is above 20 degrees; they are called cold-water fish. There are many species of cold-water fish, so what species of cold-water fish are there exactly? Let's find out below.

What species of cold-water fish are there?

Cold-water fish are mainly divided into loaches of the family Cobitidae, flathead loaches of the family Balitoridae, catfish of the family Sisoridae, and some fish of the subfamily Gobioninae in the family Cyprinidae. The main cold-water fish species include salmon, rainbow trout, lenok, naked carp of Qinghai Lake, schizothoracin, sturgeon, Ya fish, spotted cucumber fish (stone fish), naked cucumber fish (stone fish), silver scale fish (yellow fish), Ili scale fish (bighead), Baikal roach (small white strip), black-spotted loach (pike), black-backed loach (pike), taimen, black-and-white spotted pike, northern pike, roach, five-barred perch, zander, Oriental bream, Irtysh silver crucian carp, Amur sleeper, Huazi fish, and more.

Characteristics of cold-water fish species

1. Cold-water fish are short-day fish. In autumn and winter, when natural daylight hours shorten day by day and water temperature drops day by day, their gonads mature.

2. The breeding season is from October to February of the following year, and the breeding peak for most species is from December to January. Cold-water fish breed in the wild, mostly at water temperatures below 8°C.

3. The upper limit water temperature for gonadal development, maturation, fertilization, embryonic development, and fry hatching is 13°C. Above 13°C, gonadal development becomes abnormal and the fry deformity rate is high.

4. There is no obvious lower limit temperature for gonadal development, maturation, fertilization, embryonic development, and fry hatching and development. They can still develop and hatch normally at a water temperature of 0.5°C.

5. The suitable water temperature for growth is 8-20°C. The further above or below this range, the slower the growth. At 22°C, metabolic intensity, feed efficiency, and disease resistance decrease, and above 25°C they die quickly.

6. There is no obvious lower limit water temperature for growth; as long as the water does not freeze, they can feed and grow.

7. They live their entire lives in flowing water environments with high transparency, high dissolved oxygen, and clear, cold water.

Cold-water fish species suitable for beginners

Some cold-water ornamental fish are relatively suitable for beginners, such as koi, grass goldfish, northern pike, hillstream loach, white cloud mountain minnow, Chinese betta, goldfish, back-view black carp, Oriental bream, pearlscale goldfish, and more.

There are many species of cold-water fish, and everyone can choose the species they want to keep according to their own preferences. Generally speaking, the most commonly kept one is goldfish. Is there anything else you would like to add about cold-water fish?

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