Maintaining an aquarium can be a very rewarding and fun activity. One of the advantages of the hobby is the fact that with preparation and patience, anyone can possess a beautiful fish tank.
There are numerous types of aquarium freshwater fish, which is both the best thing along with a bad thing. I say bad since there are some fish that either require additional care or they are more temperamental. These fish tend to be more demanding and so are not the very best catch the beginner’s first aquarium. It is sometimes not easy for that beginner who is choosing fish to understand the great (easy) from the bad (temperamental) be responsible for frustration and wasted cash on new fish.
Knowing that, this is a quick starter listing of fish which are ideally suited for the novice. They are beautiful, active, and more importantly, hardy fish. That’s not to say buying these fish is an excuse for lax care and maintenance, it simply implies that minor fluctuations in temperature or pH won’t cause them to be lost.
Guppies – These fish are hardy, inexpensive, and are available in lots of beautiful varieties. The males have long, flowing, multi-colored fins and they’re generally quite mixed up in upper and middle water levels in the tank. As a bonus, they might be one of the easiest fish to breed, to wind up witnessing the sweetness of live-bearing fish with no effort on your part.
Plecostomus – Commonly just known as the pleco, there are actually a number of pleco species that are offered to the aquarium keeper. Most are very hardy fish and fit in with the group of “algae eaters”. They’ll indeed eat algae inside your tank, however they do need to be fed in addition to that. The pleco will occupy the lower level of your tank and with his less than beautiful looks (OK, they’re ugly), he will definitely give a little bit of personality to your tank.
Gouramis – Including the Dwarf, Blue, and Kissing Gourami. These fish give a nice component of size (they Aquarium Freshwater Fish aren’t huge, but a blue could grow to 4+ inches) and color to the community tank. Many people that are interested in aquariums are familiar with the Kissing Gourami and a pair will make a great accessory for most any tank.
Swordtails – Using their deep orange color and also the male’s namesake sword-shaped tail, these fish add well with a community tank.
Cory Cats – Short for Corydoras, this is another number of fish with many varieties. They are fine like a single, but like a group they’ll school together exploring and scouring the bottom of the tank, and they’re a fun fish to possess patrolling your aquarium.
Danios – This is another fish with lots of varieties. I include them since they’re good, hardy fish that are extremely active and not seem to tire out. The zebra, leopard, and giant danios are all popular fish and will give a large amount of activity for your tank, although some people find their constant activity level almost a bit too much, so keep that in mind.
Goldfish – Discuss endless variety! Goldfish get it and much more. Colors, fins, size, eyes, scales…you will find enough to write many books on them. As a result, they’re a well known choice for a species tank, that is an aquarium39 with only various kinds of goldfish. They are very tolerant of a wide range of temperatures but that doesn’t mean they will tolerate bad water. They do produce a lot of waste and may require a little more water changing than another fish, but they still create a great choice for somebody that is simply getting into the fish keeping hobby.
This list is just a small sample of fish that are well suited for the beginner, however it covers a great cross-section. There’s variety colored, size, activity level, and water column level (from surface to bottom). That is certainly an excellent start and hopefully you will be lead toward many other wonderful catch your brand-new aquarium!




