An aquarium is, undoubtedly, beautiful addition to the living space. It enhances the aesthetic sense and offers a peaceful and relaxed ambiance, both to you and to the visitors.
Unfortunately, most of us are worried about choosing the proper kinds of fish that would be able to fit in with minimal maintenance in our homes.
This guide is designed to give ideas to beginners who love to have aquariums at home and discusses the kinds of fish that would suit best for this purpose.
Table of Contents
What You Should Know Before Choosing A Fish Type For An Aquarium?
Before going to finalize on your fish selection, it is always wise to talk to a professional aquarist about the following criterion and clarify your concerns:
- Whether the fish is delicate or sturdy and can withstand changing parameters of water in the aquarium?
- Is the fish-friendly with the other fishes or aggressive?
- What would be the maximum size to which the fish may grow?
- How fast would the fish populate and can your probable aquarium size meet that rate?
- What probable signs may be a point of concern about the fish’s health?
- At what frequency you may have to set up a tank, clean up your aquarium and feed the fish?
- What type of aquarium plants you can opt for and when to start with them?
Top Types of Fresh Water Fish You Can Opt For
While the list can be more, we picked the top ten types of freshwater fish that can make you a happy aquarist.
1. Guppies
Guppy is a little fish known for its platinum blue color. Its swordtail being an additional attraction, this is one of the best-chosen types of fish for beginners. Female guppies are larger in size and are in slight dull grey color.
Note that these fishes need a minimum of 20 gallons of water. You will have to feed them with frozen band dried bloodworms and brine shrimp to see them grow happily. These fish can get along with other fish peacefully and hence make a perfect pick.
2. Cherry Barb
Photo: en.wikipedia.org
These fishes, which find their origin in Sri Lanka, are easy to care. They are sleek and delicate in their structure.
This food loves a variety of foods and you can opt for both vegetables and meat to feed them. Brine shrimp and blood worms also go work a great food choice for them.
Note that these fish need a lot of swimming space and the minimum requirement of water would be 30 gallons.
3. Cory CatFish
Photo: en.wikipedia.org
This is another family of fish that requires minimal care. They find their origin in South America. The defined pattern of dots and lines makes them unique in their looks.
They are friendly and can get well along with other fish types.
Note that these fishes love to hide and stay away from light. So if you are opting for them, you may have to use aquarium plants to give them a place to hide and relax!
4. Tiger Pleco
photo: Amazon
Tiger Pleco is a fish that need little care and does not take much of your time for its care. This is also a peaceful type and needs a minimum of 30 gallons of water.
Though it likes freeze-dried bloodworms and carnivore pellets, it can also survive happily on leftover food and algae. This variety of fish needs high aeration and good water movement for healthy growth.
5. Gourami
Photo: en.wikipedia.org
They are peaceful and hence you should note this before giving it a new aquarium mate. Males are slender and female ones are roundish in structure. They prefer to breed in the bush of plants and hence you should keep aquarium plants as dense as possible. Otherwise, you might trouble them. A thick algae mate would also be a nice option to provide them a good breeding environment. Gourami fish appear in blue, clear and transparent variations of shades. When they need air, they rise to the surface of the water and thus give you a cute view as and when they keep coming to the surface.
Notably, these fish need a high volume of water of about 10 gallons and need plants in high number too. They are prone to illness easily and thus you have to keep changing the water at regular intervals.
Remember not to keep them with aggressive fish, as Gourami is peaceful and loves to be with non-nipping fish. They cannot tolerate loud noises, hence keep the aquarium away from TVs and Stereos, before you plan to add Gourami to your aquarium.
You can use both the algae base and meat-based foods to feed them. Besides, freeze-dried blood worms and brine shrimp are also a good idea to impart nutrition to them.
6. Mollies
The good news with mollies is that they thrive well in both saltwater and freshwater. You can find them in two color variations: black and gold. They are playful and show enthusiasm in free movements. Hence they need a lot of space to swim and a minimum of 30 gallons of water with algae added with would be a suited option for their survival.
They are peaceful and hence you should note this before giving it a new aquarium mate. Males are slender and female ones are roundish in structure.
They prefer to breed in the bush of plants and hence you should keep aquarium plants as dense as possible. Otherwise, you might trouble them. A thick algae mate would also be a nice option to provide them a good breeding environment.
Photo: pinterest.com
Mollies like to eat both the algae and the meaty foods. You can use brine shrimp and freeze-dried bloodworms too to feed them.
7. Betta
Betta, though, is not a great option for beginners, but you would definitely its amazingly vibrant shades and hues. Their blue color is mesmerizing and would definitely add a charming appeal to your aquarium.
Remember that Betta is slightly aggressive in nature; thus when you are combining it with other kinds of fish, make sure that the latter is not nipping in nature. A piece of good news is taking care of betta fish is very easy and they need a minimum of a quarter gallon of water. Betta loves quality flake food, frozen and dried bloodworms, and brine shrimp. It would be best if you can prefer Betta always as an independent species in the aquarium rather than mingling it with peaceful ones.
Read more to know How to Find the Best Betta Tank
Author Bio
Maddy is a Betta fish enthusiast. She draws inspiration for her aquascaping from her travels. She likes water sports, photography, traveling and gaming. She writes for nippyfish.net in her spare time.