TankBud

Beginner freshwater fish

A good first fish is hardy, forgiving of small mistakes and easy to feed. Everything here is rated beginner or easy in our catalog, stays under 6 inches, fits a 30 gallon tank or smaller and is peaceful enough for a community. Marine fish have their own list under beginner saltwater fish.

At a glance

Tank size
5–30 gal
5 gal (20 L) to 30 gal (115 L); half the list needs 20 gal (75 L) or more
Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C, most of the list
pH
6.0–7.5
Most of the list
Temperament
173 peaceful
80 mostly peaceful

253 species and 54 varieties

Shortlist

Good first fish

If you want a shortlist rather than a catalog, start here. Guppies and platies are hardy livebearers that eat anything and breed in your tank whether you want them to or not. Zebra danios and harlequin rasboras are tough schooling fish that ride out a new tank's swings. Bronze corys clean the bottom in a peaceful group of six, and the honey gourami is a calm, colorful centerpiece for a 20 gallon (75 liter) tank. Neon tetras, cherry barbs, White Cloud minnows and Endler's livebearers round out the usual first-tank shopping list, and all of them are below.

The rule

What makes a fish beginner-friendly

A beginner fish forgives mistakes, which in the catalog means a beginner or easy rating. It stays small, under 6 inches (15 cm), so it does not outgrow the tank you bought. It fits a 30 gallon (115 liter) tank or smaller, so the first tank does not have to be a big one. And it is peaceful or mostly peaceful, so a mixed tank stays a mixed tank. A snowflake eel and a common pleco are easy to keep alive and fail the other three tests, which is why they are not here.

  1. 01

    Forgives mistakes

    Beginner or easy rating

  2. 02

    Stays small

    Under 6 inches (15 cm)

  3. 03

    Fits the first tank

    30 gallon (115 liter) or smaller

  4. 04

    Peaceful

    Or mostly peaceful

10 gallon

Beginner fish for a 10 gallon tank

A 10 gallon (40 liter) tank holds one school of small fish, not a community. Endler's livebearers, neon tetras, ember tetras and celestial pearl danios all list tanks of 10 gallons or under, and medaka do too without a heater. Pick one species, buy six to eight, and let the tank be theirs.

20 to 30 gallon

Peaceful community fish for a first tank

For a 20 or 30 gallon (75 to 115 liter) community, build from the middle out. A pair of platies or a swordtail for the top and middle, a school of small tetras or rasboras for the middle, a group of panda or bronze corys for the bottom, and one pearl or honey gourami as the centerpiece. Mollies fit the same plan and appreciate a little more room. Everything in that list is marked peaceful.

Schooling

Beginner schooling fish

Schooling fish need numbers to feel safe, so plan on six or more of one kind before you plan on variety. Cardinal and rummy-nose tetras, black neons and glowlights, White Cloud minnows and cherry barbs are all rated beginner or easy and stay under 2 inches (5 cm). A tight school of one species looks better than three fish each of four.

Watch out

Fish beginners should think twice about

A short list of fish sold to beginners that make a first tank harder. The common pleco reaches 16 inches (40 cm). Bala and iridescent sharks are schooling fish that need tanks measured in hundreds of gallons. Oscars grow big, dig and eat their tank mates. Chinese algae eaters stop eating algae as they grow and start scraping the sides of other fish. Tiger barbs nip. And a goldfish is a coldwater pond fish that has no business in a heated 10 gallon tank. All of them have profiles in the catalog that say so.

By the numbers

Smallest

  1. 01
    Exclamation-point rasbora (Boraras urophthalmoides)

    Exclamation-point rasbora

    Boraras urophthalmoides

    0.6 in (1.6 cm)
  2. 02
    Celestial Pearl danio (Danio margaritatus)

    Celestial Pearl danio

    Danio margaritatus

    0.8 in (2 cm)
  3. 03
    Ember tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae)

    Ember tetra

    Hyphessobrycon amandae

    0.8 in (2 cm)
  4. 04
    Green neon rasbora (Microdevario kubotai)

    Green neon rasbora

    Microdevario kubotai

    0.8 in (2 cm)

Largest

  1. 01
    Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)

    Angelfish

    Pterophyllum scalare

    5.9 in (15 cm)
  2. 02
    Banjo catfish (Bunocephalus coracoideus)

    Banjo catfish

    Bunocephalus coracoideus

    5.9 in (15 cm)
  3. 03
    Firemouth cichlid (Thorichthys meeki)

    Firemouth cichlid

    Thorichthys meeki

    5.9 in (15 cm)
  4. 04
    Green swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii)

    Green swordtail

    Xiphophorus hellerii

    5.9 in (15 cm)

Most peaceful

Fits a 20 gallon tank

  1. 01
    Medaka (Oryzias latipes)

    Medaka

    Oryzias latipes

    9 gal (35 L)
  2. 02
    Jellybean tetra (Ladigesia roloffi)

    Jellybean tetra

    Ladigesia roloffi

    10 gal (37 L)
  3. 03
    Flame tetra (Hyphessobrycon flammeus)

    Flame tetra

    Hyphessobrycon flammeus

    10 gal (38 L)
  4. 04
    Golden lyretail killifish (Aphyosemion australe)

    Golden lyretail killifish

    Aphyosemion australe

    10 gal (38 L)

Fits a 30 gallon tank

  1. 01
    Black band cory (Osteogaster zygata)

    Black band cory

    Osteogaster zygata

    21 gal (80 L)
  2. 02
    Bluefin notho (Nothobranchius rachovii)

    Bluefin notho

    Nothobranchius rachovii

    21 gal (80 L)
  3. 03
    Peppered cory (Hoplisoma paleatum)

    Peppered cory

    Hoplisoma paleatum

    21 gal (80 L)
  4. 04
    Rosy bitterling (Rhodeus ocellatus)

    Rosy bitterling

    Rhodeus ocellatus

    21 gal (80 L)

FAQ

Common questions

What is the best fish for a beginner?

For a small tank, a school of guppies, Endler's livebearers or neon tetras. For a 20 to 30 gallon community, platies, zebra danios, harlequin rasboras, bronze corys and a honey gourami. All of them forgive the mistakes a first tank makes.

Is a betta a good first fish?

Yes, on its own. A single betta in a heated tank of 6.6 gallons (25 liters) or more, the profile's minimum, is one of the best first fish there is. It is missing from this list only because the catalog marks it aggressive toward other fish.

How many fish can I put in a 10 gallon tank?

One species in a school of six to eight small fish, such as neon tetras or Endler's livebearers. The stocking calculator will check any mix against the tank before you buy.

Which beginner fish can live together?

Everything on this page is marked peaceful or mostly peaceful, so most combinations work if the tank is big enough and the schooling fish have their numbers. Match the temperature ranges on the profiles, since White Clouds and medaka like it cooler than tetras.

Do beginner fish need a heater?

Most do. The tetras, rasboras, livebearers and gouramis here list tropical ranges around 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C). White Cloud minnows and medaka are the exceptions and prefer an unheated tank.

How long should a new tank run before adding fish?

Until it has cycled, which usually takes a few weeks with a source of ammonia and a test kit showing nitrite back at zero. Add a few fish at a time after that. Hardy fish like danios and platies are the ones to add first.

Index

All beginner freshwater fish

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