10 Freshwater Aquarium Fish For Beginners

Having an aquarium or any other water feature can elevate not only your home’s overall appearance but your mood as well. Creating a beautiful aquarium can be a rewarding and long lasting experience. However, if you have just started with your aquarium hobby you may be wondering what kind of fish you should start with. We have selected for you 10 beautiful freshwater aquarium fish that are easy to take care of.

10 Freshwater Aquarium Fish For Beginners

Goldfish

Care Level Difficulty: Easy

The most common freshwater aquarium fish has always been the goldfish. This freshwater fish has various colors, patterns, shapes, and sizes. They are great for beginners who do not wish to have a heated aquarium, as they prefer temperatures between 64°F and 75 °F.

The hardest part of taking care of goldfish is easily the water changing since it has to occur weekly. Changing 10% of the water every week will help you keep your fish tank clean, as goldfish are known to be quite messy.

Goldfish are extremely adaptable but they do better with the following chemical balance:

• pH – above 7, preferably around pH 7.5
• GH (water hardness) – soft water around 5 – 12
• KH – from 4 to 12 and important in order to keep the pH stable.

*Other parameters should be:
ammonia – 0
nitrite – 0
nitrate – low (less than 0.55 ppm)

Betta

Care Level Difficulty: Medium

The Siamese Fighting Fish, known as Betta are possibly the most popular freshwater aquarium fish. With their brilliant colorful patterns, the bettas have won the hearts of many.

This temperamental aquarium fish has its own personality and maintenance needs. Bettas have a bit more strict of needs when it comes to water conditioning. They prefer low lighted aquariums with a temperature of 76 to 82 °F. Changing betta’s water should be done often, and at least 20% of the water if you have a good water cycling system. If you don’t, then 100% of the water should be changed with treated water weekly.

The water parameters advisable for a healthy betta fish are:

• pH – neutral (7.0) or slightly acidic
• GH – soft water  around 4 to 8
• KH – from 4 to 12 and important in order to keep the pH stable

*Other parameters should be:
ammonia – 0
nitrite – 0
nitrate – low (less than 50 ppm)

Cichlids

Care Level Difficulty: Moderate

There is a considerable variety of Cichlids but not all of them are suitable for beginners. However, South American and African cichlids are very beginner friendly.

You must remember that these are also very territorial tropical freshwater aquarium fish with specific water condition requirements that are not suitable for most other freshwater fish. Cichlids need a well-cycled aquarium and at least 25% of the water changed bi-weekly and a consistent water temperature between 75 to 80 °F.

For African cichlids, the best water conditions are the following:

Chemical balance depending on species:

• pH – 7.8 to 8.5
• KH – 10 to 18 KH
• GH -hard water around from 12 to 20

*Other parameters should be:
ammonia – 0
nitrite – 0
nitrate – 0 or low (less than 50 ppm)

Most South American cichlids that are beginner friendly like the Apistogrammas, Severums, and German Blue Rams need the following water conditions:

Chemical balance depending on species:

• pH -4.0 to 7.0
• KH –  10 to 18 KH
• GH -hard water around from 12 to 20

*Other parameters should be:
ammonia – 0
nitrite – 0
nitrate – 0 or low (less than 50 ppm)

Tetras

Care Level Difficulty: Easy

Tetras are beautiful and peaceful fish that vary in shapes and colors. They love eating and swimming in schools. These fish are ideal for a community type fish tank and many first-time keepers begin their aquatic journey with Tetras. They are easily adaptable to the water conditions and do not need too much hard work on the maintenance side of things. Tetras thrive in temperatures from 72 to 78 °F and prefer weekly water changes (around 20%).

Chemical balance depending on species:

• pH -5.5 to 7
• KH – around 4 to 8kH
• GH -soft water around 6 – 12

*Other parameters should be:
ammonia – 0
nitrite – 0
nitrate – 0 or low (less than 40 ppm)

Swordtails

Care Level Difficulty: Easy

The swordtail is an important part of any community type of freshwater fish tank. Their peaceful nature makes them compatible with a number of different large and small freshwater aquarium fish. The swordtails vary in colors and patterns and will add a splash of brilliant color to your aquarium.

The fact that their diet includes eating algae is quite helpful for any aquarium keeper. The swordtails are very hardy and can tolerate significant temperature differences, but as always it is not advisable to make sudden temperature changes.

Their temperature tolerance is between 64-82° F, for which they are often added to outdoor ponds as well. Nevertheless, they will thrive best in temperatures between  76-80° F.  Weekly water change (around 20%) is desirable as for any other fish tank. They also have a high salinity tolerance.

Chemical balance depending on species:

• pH – 7.0-8.3
• KH – around 12 to 30 kH
• GH -hard water around 10 to 20 dGH

*Other parameters should be:
ammonia – 0
nitrite – 0
nitrate – 0 or low (less than 50 ppm)

Plecostomus

Care Level Difficulty: Easy

The plecos are peaceful bottom feeders with beautiful colors and patterns. The reason most people would not prefer to care for a pleco is that this fish will reach up to 18 inches (depending on species), therefore it will do great in larger fish tanks or even ponds.

These hardy janitor fish are omnivore species and would love to eat up algae that is accumulating in your water feature. Their undeniable help with maintenance and their peaceful nature make them ideal companions for most fish communities. They will not create problems even with most of the aggressive fish species. However, it is best to have a single Pleco in your aquarium or pond.

They will do best in temperatures between  72-82° F depending on the species. Changing 20-25% of the water weekly is usually advisable for most fish tanks, but with a Pleco on board, changing some 10-25% of the water bi-weekly will usually be okay, unless you see the tank is getting messy or the water conditions are off the chart.

Chemical balance depending on species:

• pH  – 6.5-7.4
• KH – 6-10
  
• GH- 5 to 19 GH

*Other parameters should be:
ammonia – 0
nitrite – 0
nitrate -0 or low (less than 40 ppm)

Barbs

Care Level Difficulty: Easy

This small freshwater aquarium fish is a good way to start your aquarium. The different barb breeds have amazing color and shapes. Although they are mostly semi-aggressive, some of them, like the cherry barb, are peaceful. Keeping them in a school lowers the aggressiveness and makes them more social. Therefore if you want a community aquarium with fish schools, barbs are ideal for this. The barbs are not very demanding and are a very hardy species. They will thrive in temperatures between  74-79° F, yet these markings vary depending on the species as many of them tolerate significant temperature changes. Weekly water change ( around 20%) is desirable as for any other fish tank.

Chemical balance depending on species:

• pH 6.0-7.0
• KH – 4-10
• GH -soft water around 2 – 10

*Other parameters should be:
ammonia – 0
nitrite – 0
nitrate – 0 or low (less than 40 ppm)

Cory Cat

Care Level Difficulty: Easy

The Cory Cat can be a bit challenging for the first-time keeper, yet it is still a good fish for beginners. They are peaceful scavenger fish that will certainly entertain you with their energetic behavior and are color as well. Most cory cats species do not grow in size that much and reach about 3”. These small “vacuum fish” can live in peace with their own species too and even prefer it.

Essential for any community type fish they will help you with the maintenance since they will search for scraps and algae. Most cory cats are hardy and will thrive in a wide range of water conditions, where the average temperature for most is between  74-82° F. Changing some 10-25% of the water bi-weekly will usually be okay, unless you see the tank is getting messy or the water conditions are off the chart.

Chemical balance depending on species:

• pH -5.8 to 7.2
• kH – 2 to 12
• GH – 2 to 20

*Other parameters should be:
ammonia – 0
nitrite – 0
nitrate – 0 or low (less than 40 ppm)

Gourami

Care Level Difficulty: Easy

The  Gourami is a small peaceful breed, unlike their larger relatives. Gouramis are colorful and have quite distinctive behavior in the fish tank. They swim mostly in the top of the aquarium slowly and gracefully. Their ideal tank mates will be fish that share the same size, therefore if you are looking to raise gourami in a community tank, pick fish that are peaceful and will not scare them.

The Gourami are quite hardy fish when it comes to water conditions, and will do just fine in temperatures between 72 and 82° F depending on the species. Weekly water change, around 10 to 20%, is desirable for any fish tank.

Chemical balance depending on species:

• pH – 4 to 8.5
• KH – 5 to 18
• GH – 2 to 30 dGH

*Other parameters should be:
ammonia – 0
nitrite – 0
nitrate – 0 or low (less than 40 ppm)

White Cloud

Care Level Difficulty: Easy

The White Cloud Mountain Minnow is a very popular fish among beginners. This peaceful and small community type fish are good mates to a number of other fish breeds. They are very hardy and not susceptible to diseases. They will grow up to 1.6” which makes them very good for small tanks. They easily thrive in colder aquariums as their temperature tolerance is between  65-75° F. Changing around 10 – 15% of the water weekly is advisable, as White Clouds need clean water.

Chemical balance depending on species:

• pH – 6.0 – 8.5
• KH -around 10 to 15
• GH – from 6 to 30 dGH,

*Other parameters should be:
ammonia – 0
nitrite – 0
nitrate -0 or low (less than 40 ppm)

Taking care of a freshwater aquarium is not at all hard with these 10 aquarium fish. Each fish have their demands for water conditions, and each fish deserves a clean and balanced aquarium. Regularly cleaning your fish tank, changing the water, and keeping an eye on the ideal parameters for your fish will help you create a balanced freshwater aquarium that will bring life and color to your surroundings.