State of the Aquarium Hobby 2026: FishyHub Annual Report
The US aquarium hobby in 2026, as FishyHub's marketplace sees it, is broad and growing. Freshwater fish make up the larger share of listings, but reef fish, corals and marine invertebrates are unusually well represented, and new listings are rising in every US livestock category FishyHub tracks. Community fish, shrimp and livebearers fill the entry-level price tier, while arowanas, flowerhorns, monster fish, marine angelfish, tangs and LPS corals form the collector tier.
Because the US side of FishyHub is new, this report describes what independent merchants list, how it is priced and what US shoppers show interest in, rather than completed orders.
Key Findings
- FishyHub data shows freshwater livestock holds the larger share of US listings, with marine livestock a smaller but substantial share.
- FishyHub marketplace activity shows new listings rising across every US livestock category with a trend signal, from tetras and guppies to corals and reef fish.
- On FishyHub, US supply is very high for discus, American cichlids, goldfish, guppies, plecos, catfish, shrimp and tetras, and for clownfish, gobies, tangs, wrasses and LPS, SPS and polyp corals.
- FishyHub data shows guppies, tetras, rasboras, danios, shrimp, corydoras, loaches and livebearers sit in the US entry-level price tier.
- FishyHub data shows arowanas, flowerhorns, datnoids, dwarf and large marine angelfish, tangs, seahorses and LPS hard corals sit in the US collector / premium price tier.
- FishyHub data shows halfmoon plakat bettas draw very high buyer interest in the US, and demand for giant halfmoon plakats clearly outpaces supply.
- FishyHub search data shows bettas, discus, guppies, plecos, shrimp, tetras and tanks are among the terms aquarium shoppers search for most.
The US Hobby at a Glance
The table below summarises the main livestock groups on FishyHub in the US. All tiers are relative to other categories on the marketplace.
| Group | Supply | Typical price tier | Listing trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tetras | Very high | Entry-level / budget | Rising |
| Guppies | High | Entry-level / budget | Rising |
| Freshwater shrimp | Very high | Entry-level / budget | Rising |
| Bettas | High | Mid-range | Rising |
| Goldfish | Very high | Mid-range | Rising |
| Discus | Very high | Upper mid-range | Rising |
| Plecos | Very high | Upper mid-range | Rising |
| Monster fish | Moderate | Collector / premium | Rising |
| Arowana | Limited | Collector / premium | Rising |
| Clownfish | Very high | Upper mid-range | Rising |
| Tangs & surgeons | Very high | Collector / premium | Rising |
| LPS hard corals | Very high | Collector / premium | Rising |
Two things stand out. Growth is broad rather than concentrated in a single trend, and the marine side is far deeper than many people expect from a general aquarium marketplace.
Freshwater: Still the Core of the Hobby
Freshwater tanks remain the way most Americans enter the hobby. They cost less to set up, tolerate mistakes better and suit almost any room. FishyHub's US listings reflect that: tetras, guppies, barbs, catfish, plecos, goldfish and shrimp all have high or very high supply, and most of them sit at the affordable end of the price range.
Cichlids are the other freshwater pillar. American cichlids, discus and the broad "other cichlid" group have very high supply, and African cichlids and angelfish high supply. Discus sit in the upper mid-range because they are slow to raise to size and need warm, soft, very clean water, which limits how many breeders produce them.
Goldfish deserve a mention of their own. They have very high supply in the US and a very wide price spread, because a pond-type comet and a show-grade oranda or ryukin are completely different purchases even though both are "goldfish".
Marine and Reef: A Strong Second Pillar
Marine livestock is the smaller share of US listings, but its depth is striking. Clownfish, gobies, tangs, wrasses and butterflyfish have very high supply, and so do LPS, SPS and polyp corals. Anthias, blennies, damselfish, dwarf angelfish, eels, mushroom and soft corals, marine shrimp and tridacna clams all have high supply.
Why is reefkeeping so visible in the US? Coral fragging has turned many hobbyists into small-scale producers: a healthy colony can be cut and grown on, so home reefers and small farms list frags alongside fish. Captive-bred clownfish, gobies and dottybacks have also made marine tanks more accessible than they were a generation ago.
Prices on the reef side run higher overall. Most marine fish and corals sit in the upper mid-range, and tangs, marine angelfish, seahorses, eels, groupers, sharks and rays reach the collector tier, reflecting import costs, specialist care and, for seahorses, the need for captive-bred stock that eats prepared food.
Prices: What Sets the Tier
On FishyHub in the US, four broad forces decide where a species lands:
- Ease of breeding. Livebearers, danios, rasboras, tetras and Neocaridina shrimp breed readily on farms, which keeps them in the entry-level tier.
- Size and growing time. Arowanas, datnoids and other monster fish take years to reach display size and need very large tanks, so they sit in the collector tier.
- Wild collection and import. Many reef fish are still wild-caught and flown in, which adds cost and risk at every step.
- Selective lines. Flowerhorns, halfmoon bettas and designer clownfish are bred for colour and form, and the best individuals command collector prices.
Where comparing pays
Some categories show a very wide price spread between varieties on FishyHub: flowerhorns, goldfish, plecos, puffers, rasboras and clownfish among them. For clownfish, the gap is between common ocellaris and designer morphs with unusual patterns. For plecos, it is between familiar bristlenose types and rarer numbered species. In these groups, two listings with the same common name can sit in very different tiers, so it pays to read the variety and size carefully.
Bettas: The Clearest Demand Signal
FishyHub's US buyer-interest data, from wishlists, likes and "my tank" saves, is most detailed for bettas. Halfmoon plakats draw very high interest and halfmoons high interest. Demand for giant halfmoon plakats clearly outpaces supply, demand for halfmoon plakats is ahead of supply, and halfmoons are balanced.
Short-finned plakats are hardier and more active than long-finned show bettas, which helps explain the interest. Giants are slower to raise and fewer breeders produce them, so they are the betta most likely to be hard to find.
What US Shoppers Are Looking For
Search terms on FishyHub, which combine the US and Singapore markets, show where curiosity lies. Searches are very high for angelfish, arowana, barbs, bettas, bichirs, catfish, crabs, discus, eels, flowerhorns, gar, gouramis, guppies, koi, mollies, oscars, plecos, puffers, shrimp, snails, tanks, tetras and turtles. Axolotls, isopods, frogs, jellyfish and stingrays are in the high search tier, a sign that interest reaches well beyond fish.
FishyHub Feed videos point the same way. The "Other Animals" category, covering creatures such as frogs and axolotls, sits in the very high tier of Feed content.
Some popular searches do not lead to US listings at all. Snakeheads are restricted under US federal wildlife law, and the Asian arowana is protected under US endangered species law, so US hobbyists keep silver, black and Jardini arowanas instead.
Shipping Across the Country
FishyHub groups US delivery into named zones: Midwest & Central, East Coast & Northeast, South & Southeast, West Coast & Mountain West, and Alaska, Hawaii & territories. FishyHub does not report regional sales data. From general hobby practice, live fish travel by overnight courier in insulated boxes, often with heat packs in northern winters and cold packs in southern summers, and remote destinations such as Alaska and Hawaii usually cost more to reach.
Outlook for the Year Ahead
If current directions hold, expect continued growth in nano-friendly species, shrimp and captive-bred reef fish, steady demand for show bettas, and more listings of oddball animals that shoppers already search for. The collector tier is likely to stay thin and specialised, with supply rather than interest as the main constraint.
Methodology
This report is based on FishyHub marketplace activity in the United States over the period from October 2024 to October 2026. We looked at active livestock listings, listed prices and price spread, wishlists, likes and "my tank" saves, new listings over time, the freshwater and marine share of listings, search terms and Feed video categories. All findings are reported as tiers and directions, not as figures.
The US marketplace is new, so this report does not use US order history, and buyer-interest detail is available mainly for bettas. Search terms combine the US and Singapore markets. FishyHub does not measure how many Americans keep fish or how much the hobby spends, and it does not report data by state or delivery zone. Shipping context is general hobby knowledge, not a FishyHub finding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the aquarium hobby growing in 2026?
On FishyHub, new US listings are rising across every livestock category with a trend signal, which points to an active, growing hobby. FishyHub does not measure the number of hobbyists.
Are freshwater or saltwater aquariums more popular in the US?
Freshwater has the larger share of US listings on FishyHub, but marine fish and corals are a substantial and growing part of the marketplace.
What are the cheapest aquarium fish in the US?
On FishyHub, tetras, rasboras, danios, guppies, mollies, platies, swordtails, corydoras and Neocaridina shrimp sit in the entry-level price tier.
What are the most expensive aquarium animals?
FishyHub's US collector tier includes arowanas, flowerhorns, datnoids, marine angelfish, tangs, seahorses, eels, sharks, rays and LPS hard corals.
How to Cite This Page
Source: FishyHub, "State of the Aquarium Hobby 2026: FishyHub Annual Report" (2026), https://fishyhub.com/us/blogs/blog-detail/state-of-the-aquarium-hobby-2026-fishyhub-annual-report
