Best Tropical Fish for Beginners

Visiting the pet store to select fish for your new tank can become confusing. The shop may have 50-100 different species of fish. From Saltwater fish, to Freshwater fish, to coldwater fish.

For your first endeavor, it is suggested to focus on tropical fish that are hardy, affordable and community dwellers, that is they readily co-exist with other species or members of their own species.

After you’ve had your tank set up for approximately a week, with the filter running and the heater set to the proper temperature, it’s finally time to go shopping for your new pet(s)!

Here is a list of Five tropical fish that are recommended for beginning fish keepers.

1. The Cory Catfish (Corydoras)is just the right size for most tanks, is not shy and doesn’t hide, is energetic, cute and seem to be always hungry and scavenging the bottom gravel for bits of food. There several different species of Cories to choose from.

2. The Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is a hardy and colorful addition to passive community aquariums. Guppies are livebearers, meaning they give birth to live babies and don’t lay eggs. Guppies are small fish averaging up to 2 ½ inches in length. A wide variety of colors are available.

3. Oscar Fish (Astronotus ocellatus) is a very fun fish to keep. They can get quite large, up to 18” in length and 3.5 lbs, so if you start with a 10 gallon tank, do expect to expand to an aquarium of at least 20 or 30 gallons. This is my favorite fish species. Our Oscar used to come to the top and open his mouth for us to throw his food pellets right in his mouth. This species should not have any small tankmates, other mates could include smaller chiclids or another Oscar.

4. Dwarf Gourami (Colisa lalia)is a peaceful and hardy fish, with an average size of 3” in length. It is recommended to house this species in a community tank of 20 gallons.