Freshwater aquarium fish are a great way to spruce up a living room, perfect for a child’s first ‘responsibility,’ and add happiness and color to your life (and your home). Aquarium fish are fairly easy to care for, some more than others. They come in a large array of colors and sizes. Some even develop their own little quirky personalities.
What Aquarium Fish Are Easiest To Care For?
- Goldfish
- Betta Fish
- Neon Tetra
- Guppies
- Black Molly
- Platies
- Zebra Danio (zebrafish)
- Bloodfin Tetra
- Jack Dempsey
- White Cloud Minnow
I will give you essential information on each of the ten fish listed above. Food, tank size, decorations, water quality, and more. Once you have read through the information, you and your family can decide which fish you would like to have as part of your family.
10. White Cloud Minnow
They will only be about 1.5 inches long, the minimum tank size is ten to twelve gallons, and they are inexpensive to purchase. These fish are omnivorous and do well with other fish that are about the same size.
For the white cloud minnow you want to keep your tank temperature between 64-72 degrees and the pH level between 6.8-7.5 They love rocky substrate, algae, and live plants. You can incorporate larger pebbles, boulders, and cobbles for your fish to hide behind.
The best live plants are; hornwort, Dwarf Rotala, or water sprite. Feed them crushed flake or pellet food, garden fruits, and veggies (as an occasional treat), and remember that they will feed on the algae in the tank.
9. Jack Dempsey
The bare minimum tank size for just one of these fish is 55-gallons. They cost a little extra to keep, but they are so well worth it. Make sure you have an oversized filtration system for these fish.
The Jack Dempsey is used in tropical climates so you need to maintain a water temperature of 72-86 degrees, a pH level of 6.0-7.0, and a water hardness range of 9-20 dGH.
These are carnivorous fish that love crustaceans, insects, other worms, and fish. It is best to stick with a gravel substrate in their habitat. These fish are notorious for “rearranging” the tank.
Choose a couple of floating plants, a large roomy cave, large rocks, and pieces of driftwood. They love to hide. NO live plants, they will be destroyed!
8. Bloodfin Tetra
For a school of 6+, you will want a ten to twenty-gallon tank. The larger the better so that they have ample room to swim around.
These fish will live between five and seven years and reach about two inches long when fully grown. You want to keep the water temperature between 70-80 degrees, with a pH of 6.0-8.0. The Bloodfin Tetra prefers live vegetation, mimicking their natural habitat.
A varied diet is great for this fish (and all aquarium fish). Tubifex, silkworms, brine shrimp, dried food, and daphnia are the perfect foods (occasionally). Feed them two to three times a day, but only what they can consume in about two minutes. A quality pellet or flake food is great.
7. Zebra Danio
These fish would make the perfect tank mate for the Bloodfin Tetra.
The minimum tank size for six to eight fish is ten gallons. But always remember, bigger is better. You always want your aquarium fish to have a good amount of swimming room.
They prefer their water temperature to be between 60-74 degrees and because of this, you can get by without having a tank heater. The water pH should range from 6.5-7.0 with a hardness of 5-12 dGH. They love to swim in the upper region of the tank and prefer to live in vegetation.
The Zebra Danio prefers a darker colored substrate. Not only does it make it feel like ‘home,’ but it will bring out the coloring of the fish.
6. Platies
They will typically hide between the floating leaves. This species of fish love to jump, so make sure you have a tight-fitting lid on your tank. These fish love a heavily planted tank with a gravel substrate.
Platies prefer a water temperature of 72-75 degrees, a gentle water flow, a pH of 6.8-8.0, and a hardness level of 10-20 dGH. You will want to have a minimum tank size of ten gallons (two gallons per fish).
Make sure you have a good quality fish flake and once or twice a week you can give them a treat; brine shrimp, bloodworms, or tubifex. This species of fish will be approximately three inches long and live between three to five years.
5. Black Molly
It is recommended for optimum health that you do the saltwater aquarium, but someone can slowly acclimate them to a freshwater tank. Use one-teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon of water.
You are going to want to have a minimum thirty-gallon tank with a lot of plants; Vallisneria, Java Fern, Anubias, and Sagittaria. The Black Molly prefers algae and meaty foods.
Choose algae-based fish flake and rotate with tubifex, freeze-dried bloodworms, and brine shrimp. Keep the water temperature between 68-82 degrees, H at 10-25, and the pH at 7.0-7.8. They can get to approximately four inches long and live for about five years. Black Mollies are peaceful fish that enjoy community tanks.
4. Guppies
They are also very low maintenance that thrives in a tank with plants and soft decor (as not to tear up their fins). A larger tank is recommended because they are very active fish.
You want the water to be between 68-78 degrees, with a pH of 6.5-8.0, and a water hardness of 100-150 mg/L. Guppies live for two to three years and are only two inches long.
They will dine on a variety of commercial fish foods. Micro-pellets are better than flakes and you can add frozen diets and/or veggies once a week as a treat. Since this fish is so tiny, you can get quite a few in a ten or fifteen-gallon tank. Do your monthly water changes of 25% and they will do great.
3. Neon Tetra
In their natural habitat, they will live to be about eight years old. Kept in an aquarium, their lifespan is about five years. These fish are only 1.5 inches long and love planted tanks.
The substrate should be a darker color; graves, small rocks, or pebbles are perfect. Use driftwood to create more “shade” or darkness and make sure you have a lot of live plants. Then Neon Tetra prefers their water to be between 70-81 degrees and the pH should be below 7.0 but above 6.0.
They like softer water, so you want your water hardness at 10 dGH or lower. The minimum size tank that you will need for a school of fifteen is twenty gallons. Feed them pellets, flakes, live, or frozen foods; they are not picky eaters. Feed them twice a day and only as much as they can eat in two minutes.
2. Betta Fish
Never keep a betta in a fishbowl!! The Betta Fish love to swim around and explore. Fishbowls are nowhere near big enough for them.
Betta Fish needs at least a five-gallon tank, but ten-gallons would be even better. This gives them more room to swim and explore. Their tank needs to be kept at 76-81 degrees, as they are tropical fish.
These species are carnivores that prefer insects and insect larvae. Feed them a balanced pellet or flake food twice a day. They will be between 2.4-3.1 inches long. Never put two males in the same tank.
They will fight! Two females are ok, but keep a close eye on them. Do some heavy research on tank mates, there aren’t many.
1. Goldfish
Fancy goldfish will be a few inches smaller. You can actually teach them to swim through hoops. Keep your Goldfish in pairs or small groups.
Goldfish are omnivores. They eat aquatic insects, small crustaceans, tadpoles, and sometimes smaller fish. A high-quality goldfish flake is perfect. Keep the water between 68-74 degrees, pH level at 7.5, and make sure you have 10-gallons of water per fish.
Bonus: you don’t need many decorations in a Goldfish tank. You just need substrate, maybe a little cave or two, and you are set. They require little at all.
Conclusion
There you have it! The ten easiest fish to care for. It doesn’t matter which one you choose, children love to fish. You can get a 5-gallon tank for their room and still get a larger aquarium for the living room. They will add beauty to any room that you put them in, can be very fun to watch, and add stunning colors and beauty to your home.
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