Smallest Freshwater Aquarium Fish (22)

Freshwater fish differ physiologically from salt water fish in several respects. Their gills must be able to diffuse dissolved gasses while keeping the salts in the body fluids inside. Their scales reduce water diffusion through the skin: freshwater fish that have lost too many scales will die. They also have well developed kidneys to reclaim salts from body fluids before excretion.

Migrating fish

Species migrating between marine and fresh waters need adaptations for both environments; when in salt water they need to keep the bodily salt concentration on a level lower than the surroundings, and vice versa. Many species solve this problem by associating different habitats with different stages of life. Both eels, anadromous salmoniform fish and the sea lamprey have different tolerances in salinity in different stages of their lives.

Classification in the United States
Among fishers in the United States, freshwater fish species are usually classified by the water temperature in which they survive. The water temperature affects the amount of oxygen available as cold water contains more oxygen than warm water.[2]

Coolwater
Coolwater fish species prefer water temperature between the coldwater and the long warmwater species, around 60 to 80 °F (16–27 °C). They are found throughout North America except for the southern portions of the United States. Common coolwater species include muskellunge, northern pike, walleye, and yellow perch

Warmwater
Warmwater fish species can survive in a wide range of conditions, preferring a water temperature around 80 °F (27 °C). Warmwater fish can survive cold winter temperatures in northern climates, but thrive in warmer water. Common warmwater fish include catfish, largemouth bass, bluegill, crappies, and many other species from the family Centrarchidae.

Status
North America
About four in ten North American freshwater fish are endangered, according to a pan-North American study, the main cause being human pollution. The number of fish species and subspecies to become endangered has risen from 40 to 61, since 1989.[3] For example, the Bigmouth Buffalo is now the oldest age-validated freshwater fish in the world, and its status urgently needs reevaluation in parts of its endemic range.[4]

Threats
Habitat Destruction
Intentional anthropogenic reconstruction and rerouting of waterways impacts stream flow, water temperature, and more, impacting normal habitat functionality. Dams not only interrupt linear water flow and cause major geological channel shifts, but also limit the amount of water available to fishes in lakes, streams and rivers [5] and have the potential to change the trophic structure because of these alterations of the habitat and the limitations to movement and connectivity.[6][7]

Dams can create issues for freshwater habitats.
Unnatural water flow below dams causes immense habitat degradation, reducing viable options for aquatic organisms. Upstream migration is hindered by the dam structure and can cause population declines as fishes don’t have access to normal feeding and/or spawning grounds. Dams tend to affect upstream species richness, that is, the number of fish species in the ecological community.[5] Additionally, dams can cause the isolation of fish populations, and the lack of connectivity creates possible problems for inbreeding and low genetic diversity. The loss of connectivity impacts the structure of community assemblies and increases the fragmentation of habitats, which can compound existing problems for vulnerable species.[6]

Temperature alterations are another unintended consequence of dam and land use projects. Temperature is a very important part of aquatic ecosystem stability, and thus changes to stream and river water temperature can have large impacts on biotic communities. Many aquatic larvae use thermal cues to regulate their life cycles, mostly notably here, insects. Insects are a large part of most fish diets, so this can pose a great dietary problem. Temperature can cause changes in fish behavior and distribution habits as well by increasing their metabolic rates and thus their drive to spawn and feed.[6]

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