In this blog, we’ll talk about the best fish for beginners who are starting out with a fish tank. These will be freshwater fish that are easy to keep, have good temperaments, and don’t require special care.
Best Fish for Beginners: Your Fish Tank
Below is a list of what we think are some of the best fish for people who are new to the fish keeping hobby. Some fish can be overly-aggressive or require special care, the fish below are relatively easy to care for and have, for the most part, good temperaments—meaning they can be kept in community fish tanks.
Good Beginner Fish
- Neon Tetras
- Danios
- Hatchetfish
- Rasboras
- Mollies
- Betta Fish
- Guppies
- Mexican Dwarf Crayfish
Having said that, it’s always important to consider the size of a fish tank when selecting fish. The general rule is one inch of fish per gallon of water in a tank. Remember, this is just a general guideline.
In short, just make sure that your fish tank is big enough to hold all of your fish and allow for a healthy fish tank environment. Personally, I suggest a 20-gallon fish tank minimum when getting started.
1. Neon Tetras
Neon tetras are easy to care for and fun to watch. They have great dispositions and are great for community fish tanks. It’s recommended that they are kept in small schools of six or more. Tetras are also very pretty fish, iridescent blue and red. However, you can also buy these fish in neon colors.
These fish can live off of regular ol’ fish flakes with no complaints. But, it’s also a good idea to feed Tetras brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, and other live food every now and then. Would you like to eat the same thing every day?
Neon tetras grow a little over an inch and live for up to five years. This is definitely one of the best fish for beginners in my opinion.
2. Danios
Danios are another great freshwater fish pick for the beginning aquarist. These beautiful fish are from Eastern India. They are hardy fish and easy to take care of.
Danios are omnivores, so you don’t have to feed these guys anything fancy. Just some fish flakes get the job done. Danios will usually grow to be roughly two inches long and live to be around five years old.
As a side note, if you plan on having a pet crayfish, the danio will work as a tankmate. That is because danios swim near the middle and top of the fish tank, which makes their chances of evading the aggressive crayfish much higher.
3. Hatchetfish
Since day one of having my aquarium, I’ve always had a hatchetfish. These fish are pretty cool, in my opinion. They just hang out near the top of the tank and well, chill out.
Hatchet fish are from South and Central America. These fish are easy to care for, like most on this list and can be fed fish flakes. However, in the wild, you might find these guys jumping out of the water to catch bugs for dinner.
Hatchetfish also come in many different colors like black, silver, and even some bright colors. This is another great fish selection if you plan on keeping a cray as it swims near the top of the tank.
These bad boys live to be about five years old and get to be about two and a half inches.
4. Rasboras
Number four on my list of best fish for beginners is the rasbora. These fish are in close relation to barbs. They come from Southeast Asia and can be found in several different colors such as orange, red, black, and silver.
Rasboras have great temperaments and this is what makes them such great fish for community tanks. Also, this type of fish is not a picky eater and can easily live off of fish flakes. Although switching up the diet with live food from time to time is also a good idea.
Note: Rasboras do best in schools of seven or more.
5. Mollies
Mollies come from both North and South America. Their name actually comes from the Greek word, “Poecilia,” which means “many-colored.”
These fish are great for community tanks and have good temperaments. They are also omnivores and do best when they are fed both plant matter and protein-based food.
Mollies live for about one to two years and grow to be about three inches long.
6. Betta Fish
The Betta Fish’s name literally means, “Siamese fighting fish.” But, this fish can be a great fish for beginning aquarists because they are so easy to take care of.
Bettas are beautiful fish that come in all sorts of different colors. They can be kept with other fish, but you have to be very careful about what types of fish you select to keep with bettas. Peaceful fish and fish like tetras work best. More aggressive fish tend to nip and the big fins of bettas, which just isn’t nice.
Bettas like meat and feeding them betta pellets, frozen bloodworms, and small floating foods work well.
These fish live for about five years and grow to be about three inches long.
7. Guppies
Guppies are another fish that is easy to care for. They come from the Northeastern regions of South America. They are some of the most popular fish around when it comes to fish for freshwater fish tanks.
Guppies come in many different colors and have great temperaments, which make them great for community fish tanks.
These fish are omnivores and do well being fed fish flakes. However, it’s a good idea to change up their diets by feeding them both flakes and vegetable matter.
These fish live for about three years and can grow to be roughly one and a half inches long.
8. Mexican Dwarf Crayfish
You probably won’t see this one on many lists for first-time fish keepers, maybe because it’s not exactly a fish. However, unlike blue crayfish and other pet crayfish, Mexican dwarf crayfish aren’t as aggressive. They can be territorial sometimes, though.
As you would guess, the Mexican dwarf cray is native to Mexico. These crayfish are a vibrant orange color, although sometimes they come in brown and tan.
Like all crayfish, these guys are omnivores, and they love to eat. They do fine on sinking algae pellets. But keepers of these beautiful types of crayfish will want to feed them a combo of live food such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, and snails.
Crayfish also love to hideout and burrow, so be sure to get these little guys some hideouts.
Wrap Up: Best Fish for Beginners
When starting out as a beginning fish keeper, it’s often a good idea to select fish that are easy to care for as you learn the hobby. Otherwise, the hobby can just get frustrating and become something that is stressful and not enjoyable.
Fish that are hardy, don’t require special diets and have good temperaments often do well for first-time fish keepers.
