What Are the Best Aquarium Fish for Beginners?

Keeping an aquarium is a fun activity that is open to all ages and abilities. Your first fish tank can house a kaleidoscope of colour and add a new friend (or many) to your household. But, if this is the first time you have owned a fish tank, you may be wondering, what are the best aquarium fish for beginners? Here are some of our favourite fish for those starting a fish tank for the first time.

Goldfish

Whilst it may be obvious, these old favourites are a great first fish for beginners as they are extremely easy to care for. They can even be kept in an outdoor pond once they have reached adult size. When keeping goldfish in an aquarium, our tip for beginners is to ensure frequent water changes to keep the tank clean. It is also recommended to keep goldfish in a tank with no other species of fish as they can try to eat smaller fish.

Tetras

The brightly-coloured tetras are a favourite for beginner aquarium owners and experienced fish tank owners alike. Tetras are a small schooling fish that come in a variety of colours and are perfect when kept in numbers for adding flashes of colour to a fish tank. Tetras are the perfect aquarium fish for beginners as they are very simple to care for and can be kept with a wide variety of types of community fish.

Platies

If you are looking for a slightly larger fish than the minute tetras but still want a small fish for beginners, platies are the ideal choice. Extremely easy to feed and care for, those looking for an aquarium fish for beginners won’t go far wrong with a platy and they come in a varied of different breeds to add colour to your new fish tank.

Kuhli Loaches

First-time aquarium owners are often looking for fun additions to their tank and the easy-to-care-for Kuhli loaches are the perfect solution. Kuhli loaches look like tiny striped eels or snakes and have fun hiding underneath gravel and within tank decorations. These loaches are ideal for beginners and prefer being kept in groups of four and above for companionship.

Corydoras

Also known as Cory Catfish, these bottom-dwellers grow up to between one and three inches in length so are ideal for all sizes of fish tank and all levels of beginner fish tank owners. Our tip for beginner aquarium owners caring for these fish is to make sure to feed them a sinking food to make sure they receive the nutrients they need to thrive.

Looking for more information on beginning your aquarium for the first time? Check out our guide to setting up a new fish tank. Looking for supplies to get started? View our aquarium supplies here.