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.

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: 171 peaceful; 79 mostly peaceful

250 species and 45 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 forage the bottom in a peaceful group of six and need their own sinking food, not leftovers. A group of four to six honey gouramis 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 rated easy and marked mostly peaceful. Both fail the size and tank tests, which is why they are not here. The snowflake eel is also a saltwater fish.

01
Forgives mistakes
Beginner or easy rating
02
Stays small
Under 6 inches (15 cm)
03
Fits the first tank
30 gallon (115 liter) or smaller
04
Peaceful
Or mostly peaceful

10 gallon

Beginner fish for a 10 gallon tank

A 10 gallon (38 liter) tank holds one school of small fish, not a community. Ember tetras, celestial pearl danios, guppies, Endler's livebearers and white cloud mountain minnows all list 10 gallons or under. Medaka do too, without a heater. Neon tetras list a little more, 11 gallons (40 liters). Pick one schooling species, buy six to eight, and let the tank be theirs. Ember tetras want a group of eight to ten. Guppies and Endler's livebearers breed, so start with three or four of either.

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. Use a small group of platies or swordtails, with more females than males, for the top and middle. Add a school of small tetras or rasboras for the middle and a group of panda or bronze corys for the bottom. Keep four to six honey gouramis or a small group of pearl gouramis as the centerpiece. The green swordtail lists 20 gallons (76 liters) and the pearl gourami 29 gallons (111 liters). Both reach 4.7 inches (12 cm) or more, so a group of either does best in the larger tank. Mollies fit the same plan and appreciate a little more room. Everything in that list is marked peaceful or mostly peaceful. The mollies and some tetras are marked mostly 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. All of them stay at 2 inches (5 cm) or less. 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). The bala shark lists 95 gallons (360 liters) and wants a group of four or more. The iridescent shark lists 528 gallons (2,000 liters). 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 fish that has no business in a heated 10 gallon tank. Fancy goldfish list 20 to 30 gallons (75 to 114 liters), and single-tail goldfish belong in a pond or a very large tank. All of them have profiles in the catalog that say so.

By the numbers

Smallest

Largest

Most peaceful

Fits a 20 gallon tank

Fits a 30 gallon tank

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, cherry barbs, harlequin rasboras, bronze corys and a group of honey gouramis. 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 5 gallons (19 liters) or more 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 celestial pearl danios or ember tetras. 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). The coolwater exceptions top out at 72 to 77°F (22 to 25°C) and suit an unheated tank. They include White Cloud minnows, medaka, fathead minnows, rosy bitterlings, zebra danios and rosy and ticto barbs.

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.

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