Keeping an aquarium at home offers many health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and stress levels. Also, the room you place it in automatically begins to look more attractive and lively.
If this is your first time having an aquarium, freshwater species will be an ideal choice. They are easier to care for and these critters are more forgiving of mistakes you might make as a beginner.
There are many freshwater species that you can keep in your tank, but few of them are a better choice for first-time aquarium keepers. Without waiting any further, let’s learn about the top 10 aquarium fish that are a perfect choice for beginners.
Neon Tetras
Known for their blue bodies with bright red stripes, Neon Tetras are one of the most popular freshwater species. They are thin, small, and very easy to care for.
Neon Tetras do not even grow very large, reaching only about 2.2 cm in length. They are calm and peaceful by nature and do best when you keep them in groups and aquariums with plants, rocks, and other accessories that they can use for hiding.
Mollies
Mollies are quiet and small and you won’t have to do much to care for them. They grow around 3-4 inches long and look quite attractive.
Mollusks are omnivores and therefore also feed on other animals and plants. What is immensely attractive about these fish is that they are carriers of life. Their eggs develop in their own bodies and hatch as live fry.
Since these fish love to breed, you should have only one gender if you have a small tank and don’t want too many of these fish.
Guppies
Guppies are also a great choice for beginners. They are not fussy, but they can breed with each other quite quickly if you don’t keep the genders separate.
You can find Puppies in many colors, and the males look more attractive than the females. These fish have lively personalities and can easily adapt to many water conditions. In fact, this is what makes them so popular with novice aquarists.
Goldfish
This is another extremely popular freshwater fish. They can grow almost 14 inches long in the wild and 5 inches long in aquariums and look very attractive. Some goldfish are even known to live for more than 25 years.
You need an aquarium of at least 20 gallons if you want to house these fish. But since they are low maintenance, you have nothing to worry about. All you have to do is use a good filter and change the water weekly.
Betta Fish
Also called a Siamese fighting fish, Bettas are another good choice for your fish tank. You can find them in different colors and most of them are easy to carry.
However, Betta fish are aggressive and territorial by nature when kept with other species, particularly males. It will be a good idea to only keep Bettas in your aquarium, or if they are peaceful, you can also house them with other fish.
Golden Dwarf Barbs
Although these fish are not very well known, they are a good choice for beginners. They grow almost up to 1.5 inches long and you can easily recognize them due to their golden-colored body with black markings.
Golden Dwarf Barbs do best in aquariums with plants. Just one thing to remember is not to put more than 5 of these fish in your aquarium.
Angelfish
Angelfish, a part of the cichlid family, can grow up to 8 inches tall. They are gorgeous and you can find them in many different patterns and colors.
Angelfish can eat other animals such as shrimp and insects and also plants. It will be better to keep them away from small fish. In fact, you should not have too many fish with them, since they have an aggressive and territorial character.
Platies
Platys are freshwater fish that you will find in many exotic colors. They are generally peaceful fish and can thrive in most communities.
You can easily keep Platies together with Mollies and Guppies. Feeding them is not very difficult either. You can give them a combination of protein and plant-based foods. Meat-based foods are good for them too, so feed them too.
Zebra Danios
Zebra Danios is another ideal inhabitant for your first aquarium. They are low maintenance, small, and only grow about 5 to 7 cm. Since they are found in schools of fish, you must keep them in groups, or else they can easily become stressed.
These little fish love to eat insects, crustaceans, and worms. You can even feed them normal fish flake food. One important thing to remember is that Zebra Danios can easily jump out of their tanks, so be sure to always keep them covered.
Rainbow Fish
Rainbowfish are also quite common among beginners because they are easy to care for. They come in vibrant colors, but you won’t be able to tell until rainbow fish reach adulthood.
These fish are quite shy and generally peaceful around other fish such as Tetras and Barbs. Therefore, you will not have any difficulty placing them in your community aquarium for the first time.
To Conclude –
Fish are not as expressive as other pets like cats and dogs, but they are certainly beautiful and precious. Once you have an aquarium in your home, you can’t help but see your beautiful fish swimming here and there and rejoicing. It will bring a lot of positivity and completely change the aura of your home.
