Buying fish can be so exciting that you can get carried away and buy the prettiest one you see, but often they are the ones that are more delicate. That’s not to say there aren’t any pretty beginner fish, but the fancy guys like bettas and gourami tend to be more delicate, and much easier to kill. Of courses you might get a really hard to keep fish and it works out, but it’s not worth the risk if you pay $40 for a fish and it dies.
I love lists, so I’ll leave one of the best begginer fish for planted aquariums, as suggested in my setting up your aqiarium post.
Guppies
Guppies are a popular small livebearing fish, reaching a maximum size or 4cm, so good and small. They have a very wide colour range and a range of fin sizes and shapes. Some people keep a large number of males in together because they’re much prettier, but I kind of like the natural look of a whole bunch of females and single male. People say you want at least 3 females per male, but I’d say a lot more. I had one male and seven females, but he still loved them so much I had to take him out. But it also depends on inderviduals, as some males are seriously lacking spunk. There are actually many different types, but are often sold as ‘assorted’ in the shops, meaning it’s a bunch of different types mixed together. If you want to look into fancy breeds that’s fine, but I always find mixed breeds to be strong and pretty enough for me.
As well as having longer fins and brighter colours, there is an even easier way to determine what gender you live bearer is, by the shape of it’s anal fin, which lies just bellow the belly at the base of the tail. The females is larger and triangular, while the males is long and thin, often looking a bit shaggy. All the babies will be born looking like females, and develop gender specific characteristics as they age.
Guppies are livebearers, meaning they have live babies instead of scattering eggs. This makes them easier to breed, though you’re certainly kept on your toes when they’re heavily pregnant as they will eat their fry the first chance they get. If you have a densly planted tank then you might get the odd baby survive, as I have had happen before. It’s always a pleasant surprise when you see a half grown baby lingering in the shadows. They are very active fish, always in your face even when you don’t want them there. They are not bullies at all, so much so that they can be victims if kept with more aggressive fish. They get depressed in very small places, or if the plants are getting overgrown and shadoung out the bottom. Depression can have minimal symptoms such as closed fins, or in the worst cases, bentspine. But apart from needing spaces (doesn’t everyone), these fish really don’t have any downsides that I can think of.
Black neon tetra
Black neons are a small tetra maxing out at 3.5 cms, or 4 at the very biggest. You buy them at about 2 cms in the shop, and they grown pretty slowly unless they’re really happy and have a lot of space. They are silver, with a black and white stripe running across their side and up to the base of their tale. I find these fish to be quite striking, with the typical sharp finned tetra shape. They are a spawning fish, meaning the males and females look exactly the same, and their gender is of no consequence. They are peaceful and calm, though can go extremely fast when they want, so geting them out of a planted tank once you’ve put them in is never easy. Strange though it may seem for a schooling fish, black neon tetras can have different personalities, probably more so in a smaller group. I had one which was a hermet, and always hung alone in the greenery, and another which was so bold it always got to the food first. (it became the biggest.) They are a very strong fish, accpet for their one weakness which is white spot. They can recover from it easily in healthy waters, but if your tank is not properly balance then it can end in disaster, so make sure there isn’t one fluffy spot on them before you buy. Also check for solid coloured lumps in their fins, though that is less of a worry. If you find your fish is inflicted then have a look at my parasites and treatments page.
They are a mid to bottom feeder, and like places with shadows and caves where they can lurk. If you give them the option of hiding places they’re more likely to get very friendly. Once they get used to you they become much more in the open, and are just splending to watch while they eat. There is something about the speedy agility of tetras when they eat that I just love.
Widow tetra
Widow tetras, coming in both white and black, are a small fish, with a flat, shiny body, reaching about 6cms. They are sleek and incredibly fast, as well as having the amazing ability to hide by simply looking at you. I fiound it very funny when I first got them, and hard to beleive that an animal could be that flat. But it means they can look quite large when you’re viewing them side on, but still fit in smaller tanks. The white widow tetras are my preference, but the black are quite nice too, with a dark ashy coloured body striped vertically with two thick black lines. The widow tetra, with the black and white varations, are a nice fish to keep, but have also been subjected to genetic modifications since 2012, when they were modified to display fluorescent colors using jellyfish and coral genes. It is just such a demeaning and defacing thing to do to a fish which already has it’s own natural grandure, and turning it into a horrible artificial looking creature is just the most insulthing thing to a fish lover like myself.
Because they look a bit larger than other beginner fish, the widows make a lovely addition to a tank, ading a bit of size difference, and someone to be the definate centre of attention. They are very shy when they’re first introduced, but give them a month and they’ll be glinting in the open water. The way they eat is spectacular, and really shows of their shiny scales especially on the white ones. If you live in the country or at least have a pond somewhere then it’s great fun to scoop out some mosie lavae in the season. The way widow tetras hunt is a pleasure to watch. Only an angel fish could rival them, but apart from that I am yet to see their equal. Strong fish, but may be a bit more susceptible to white spot than something like guppies. (Tetras tend to be in my experience)
Barbs
Rosy barbs; are a strong and fast fish which somewhat resemble a commet goldfish, however they aren’t nearly as destructive. They are pale yellow as juvenilles and darken to a rich orange, with a black spot at the base of the tail. They can grow to around 12 cms, but often come smaller than tetras in a shop, and in their little yellow state. I have never seen mature barbs for sale. These fish like a school of at least four, though more is always better.
Tiger barbs; are a green or light yellow version striped vertically with black. They are all the same in requirements as far as I know, but you might learn something more through personal experience. These are slightly smaller than the rosie barbs, reaching a maximum size of 10 cms. There are also green tiger barbs, which are glossy dark moss green with dark orange fin highlights, and golden tiger barbs, which are light yellow with white stripes. There is also the deep red cherry barb, and the enchanting snakeskin barb which I have never kept, but am quite interested in. There really are so many types that I could go on and on, so I’d better stop here.
It is good to note that barbs come in all different sizes.
Rosie barb max, 15cms; Tiger barb max, 10cms; Cherry barb max, 5cms; Snakeskin barb max, 6cms;
They make a nice centre of attention fish, however have slight aggressive tendancies, so shouldn’t be kept with slow, longfinned fish like guppies. Strangely enough they didn’t bother the female betta I had them with for a long time. It would probably be different with a larger school, as mine was only four at the time. Just note, they are bullies. Very shiny, pretty bullies. The male cherry barbs develoup longer fins, with black rimmings, and a darker toned body. Barbs are very glossy, and even their fins seem to shimmer. I have mostly kept rosy barbs, but did have tigers back when I was a beginner. Considering what they went through I’d say they are extremely tough, just as much as the rosies if not more. They did die, but considering the rotten tank they lived in for a long time, we can say they were amazing. That was when I hadn’t yet learned that not all plants you purchase as aquatic actually are, and they were rotting the water.
Though they are not suited to living with guppies, most other fish are suitable tankmates, and with more places to hide and a larger tank there will naturally be a larger selection of what can live. They might prod catfish a bit, but that should be fine. For more pictures of other types of barb, check out the gallery.
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