Jul 3, 2026 · 37 min · 11 segments
Freshwater fishkeeping is where most hobbyists begin — but for many, it becomes a lifelong obsession. In this episode of Collecting Fish, James Hepworth explores the beauty, accessibility, and…
James HepworthHost
But what I like to call freshwater fishkeeping is the beauty of simplicity, and as I like to say it, the river in your own living room.
So, freshwater tropical fish, they come from small rivers, large rivers, small lakes, large lakes, waterways within the world.
So any waterway from South America, Central America, Africa to Southeast Asia, there are a big variety of freshwater fish that you're able to keep in your own living room.
And the great thing about freshwater is there's so many different fish that you are able to keep.
You're able to go into any reputable fish shop and come away with freshwater fish.
We do realize, and this will be a big talking point in the last episode that we have within this series, about the affordability of fish keeping.
The cost of living is expensive these days, but fish keeping doesn't need to be expensive.
And this is why I like to say keeping fresh water is a fantastic entry into the hobby.
And as a young boy, there were many fish shops that I went to go in with my own parents, and I used to buy a big array of different fresh water for my own aquarium.
For those of you who listened to the first episode, you are thinking of picking up this fantastic hobby for the first time.
You would have no doubt seen many different fish that you can keep within a freshwater aquarium.
As I say, you can have everything from a tiny little neon tetra that grows to one and a half inches, all the way to a red-tailed catfish or an arapaima that grow to the size of a small Ford Fiesta.
But what I like to call freshwater fishkeeping is the beauty of simplicity, and as I like to say it, the river in your own living room.
So, freshwater tropical fish, they come from small rivers, large rivers, small lakes, large lakes, waterways within the world.
So any waterway from South America, Central America, Africa to Southeast Asia, there are a big variety of freshwater fish that you're able to keep in your own living room.
And the great thing about freshwater is there's so many different fish that you are able to keep.
You're able to go into any reputable fish shop and come away with freshwater fish.
We do realize, and this will be a big talking point in the last episode that we have within this series, about the affordability of fish keeping.
The cost of living is expensive these days, but fish keeping doesn't need to be expensive.
And this is why I like to say keeping fresh water is a fantastic entry into the hobby.
And as a young boy, there were many fish shops that I went to go in with my own parents, and I used to buy a big array of different fresh water for my own aquarium.
For those of you who listened to the first episode, you are thinking of picking up this fantastic hobby for the first time.
You would have no doubt seen many different fish that you can keep within a freshwater aquarium.
As I say, you can have everything from a tiny little neon tetra that grows to one and a half inches, all the way to a red-tailed catfish or an arapaima that grow to the size of a small Ford Fiesta.
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