When you?re trying to figure out a stocking plan for your first aquarium, it can be quite difficult to find the right fish. There?s just so many choices! Should you go for schooling fish? Big fish? Small fish? Silly looking fish? Popular species? Uncommon species? You can?t see the forest any more because the trees are in the way, as us Dutchies say!
A lot of the most popular fish are surprisingly bad choices for beginners, and some of the least noticed species are actually very easy to care for, which makes the whole thing even more confusing. That?s why I compiled a list of some the best and worst beginner fish for all the aquarists out there who have trouble seeing the forest. This week:
Surprise, surprise! These popular species are often marketed as great beginner fish while they?re actually not.
Goldfish are considered to be a ?beginner pet?, even though they?re actually not.
Photo by me.
Carassius auratus ? common and fancy goldfish: everyone had one as a kid: a 40 cent feeder goldfish in a bowl. Mine was named Leon and I loved the little guy, until I realized that the Leon I?d had for three years was actually 20 Leons that my parents kept replacing after they died. Goldfish are one of the most popular aquarium fish species, but they are pretty hard to properly care for. Neither common goldfish nor fancies can live in a bowl, which is exactly why Leon kept dying. Commons need about 30 gallons (115l) per fish, and those funny googly eyed fancies need at least 20 gallons (75l) for the first one and 10 extra gallons (40l) for every next one. Why? Because they can grow up to the size of your underarm or foot. And that?s not all. Goldfish are little poop machines, so a big aquarium isn?t enough to keep them healthy. You?re also going to need heavy filtration. For example, if you want to keep fancy goldfish in a 50 gallon aquarium, you?re going to need either two filters meant for a 50 gallon, or one filter that?s meant for a 100 gallon. Even though they?re great pets with lovely personalities, goldfish definitely don?t make good beginner pets. Don?t try to win one at the fair. Don?t keep one in a cup. Don?t buy one just to take hipster pictures of it. Respect is the key to succesful fishkeeping!
Angelfish need a lot of room to grow to their full potential.
Photo by Dennis Slangen.
Pterophyllum scalare, Pterophyllum altum, etc. ? freshwater angelfish: angelfish can be a gorgeous centerpiece in a tropical aquarium. Few things are more beautiful than a group of these beauties swimming alongside each other, foraging for food and showing their natural behaviour. Sadly, I often see angelfish being kept in conditions that prevent them from growing to their true potential and that can even cause them to get growth deformities. First and foremost, please, please don?t keep just one of these fish. Try to get at least six of them so they can form breeding pairs and feel safe together ? for 6 angelfish, I?d recommend an aquarium of at least 80 gallons (300l). You can also get one ?true? breeding pair in at least 40 gallons (150l). This doesn?t just mean a male and a female, but a male and a female that have laid eggs together before. Because of the height they can reach (20-25cm, or 8-9 inch!), angelfish are best kept in an aquarium that?s at least 20 inch (50cm) high. This will prevent deformities and gives them space to swim and grow.
A group of clown loaches.
Photo by Dennis Slangen
Chromobotia macracanthus ? Clown loach: even though a lot of websites try to warn beginning aquarists about these fish, they?re still sold on a huge scale. When given the right care and enough space, clown loaches will show very interesting behaviour, but unfortunately most of them will never get this lucky. Because they?re usually sold when they?re still very small, it?s kind of hard to imagine that these cute little striped creatures can grow to up to 12 inch (30cm!). Because of their need to live in groups of at least five, they will need an aquarium of at least 75 gallons (285l) with lots of filtration. Keeping the water extremely clean is a must for these guys, as they are very sensitive.
Bala sharks are usually sold when they are still young and cute, but outgrow most tanks very quickly.
Photo by Lerdsuwa
Balantiocheilos melanopterus ? Bala shark, Shark minnow: another one of those cuties that is sold in your average pet store around the corner, where they accidentally ?forget? to tell you they can grow to a size of 12 inch (30cm). And that they like to live in groups. And that they will try to jump out of the tank when they get scared. And that they are endangered. Hm. So a no-buy? Well, like clown loaches, this species is very interesting (and beautiful!). If you have a 100+ gallon (400+l) aquarium with a width of at least 60 inch (150cm) lying around, go for it! Be sure to try to find captive bred Bala sharks though, and remember, think before you buy.
Photo by J?n Helgi J?nsson.
Astronotus ocellatus ? Oscar cichlid, Velvet cichlid: though not considered extremely difficult to care for, these fish just don?t seem to get what they deserve. Some sites list 30 gallons (115l) as a minimum, but I?ve read about people actually keeping them in smaller tanks. Am I the only one that wants to flip tables and ?because of stuff like this? Oscars can reach a size of 13-14 inch (35cm)! I?d recommend about 120 gallons (450l) for one pair, and don?t go easy on the filtration. Don?t house them with smaller fish, because they might just consider those a quick easy meal ? kind of like the drive-through at McDonald?s, but with a lot more blood. Like Bala sharks, Oscar cichlids can be kept by beginners, but I?d recommend starting out with a smaller tank with smaller fish to gain some experience first.
Kissing gouramis have a mouth that allows them to spar by pushing each other around.
Photo by Daniel Ahlqvist.
Helostoma temminckii ? Kissing gourami, Kissing fish: these gouramis are very popular aquarium fish because of their funny ?kissing? behaviour. I can imagine how easy it is to impulse buy them ? I wonder how many are sold every Valentine?s day? What most starstruck lovers don?t realize, though, is that those adorable little fish with their kissy mouths they just put into their brand new 10 gallon aquarium can actually grow to up to 11 inch (25cm). Maybe not such a good idea for that 10 gallon after all, but unfortunately most people don?t realize this until they do a Google search to find out why their kissy fish died. The adorable kissing behaviour seen in these gouramis is actually how they fight, not a display of affection; they meet mouths and push each other around the tank to determine which one is stronger. Unfortunately, they will also try to defend their territory from other fish species ? they can literally bully their tankmates to death by attacking and chasing them all day long. Aquarium plants won?t be treated any better, because kissing gouramis are omnivorous and love to nibble at any plants they can find. Kissing gouramis are best kept in a large tank ? at least 85 gallons (300l) would be a good idea. If you want to keep them with other fish, don?t go for calm, small or defenseless species.
Even the tiny Dwarf Puffer is not suitable for most community aquariums.
Photo by me.
Carinotetraodon & tetraodon varieties ? Puffer fish, puffers: their intelligence, interesting behaviour and odd looks make puffer fish great pets that can be just as much fun as a cat or dog. There?s one problem though ? these guys need very specific everything. Their aggressiveness, need for bigger tanks, sensitivity and their specific diets make it very difficult to set up an aquarium for them. There are many different kinds of freshwater and brackish puffers, but they are all very messy eaters and most species won?t tolerate any tank mates whatsoever ? something that has caused many a fish to be brutally slaughtered. A lot of people put puffer fish in their community aquarium to deal with a snail problem, but after all the snails are eaten, problems start to arise. Before you decide to get any kind of puffer, do your research! Check out the Dutch Puffer Forum (they have an international forum) or the Puffer Forum, they can help you choose which puffer is right for you and help you figure out how to care for it.
Hypostomus plecostomus,?Glyptoperichthys?gibbiceps etc. ? Large Pleco varieties:
when it comes to people buying fish and being absolutely shocked when doing research afterwards, these guys probably take the prize. Often sold as ?great algae eaters and yes they will do fine in your 10 gallon?, Pleco varieties like the Sailfin Pleco and Common Pleco can actually grow to an adult size of about 20 inch (50cm), which means they require an aquarium of at least 150 gallons (~570l)!
Common Plecos are often sold to beginning aquarists as great algae eaters that grow to the size of the aquarium they?re in.
Photo by Karelj
Obviously not a very good choice for that 10 gallon after all, and to make matters even worse, most varieties aren?t even that effective at removing algae nor are they suitable for a planted tank ? plants will be dug up and sometimes eaten.
Although very hardy and fairly peaceful, I would definitely not recommend these fish for beginners because of the reasons listed above. Ancistrus varieties (Bristlenose Plecos) make a much better choice for beginning aquarists when it comes to Plecos, as they only grow to about 6 inch (15cm); one Bristlenose can comfortably live in a 40 gallon (150l) aquarium.
Please remember that surviving is not thriving. If you?ve kept Oscars in a 30 gallon tank before and it went well, that?s great! It still doesn?t mean that 30 gallons is an ideal environment, though.
Some may think the guidelines I provide here are too ?strict?. This is because I wrote them from a Dutch fishkeeper?s point of view; to us, keeping the aquarium as close to nature so the inhabitants can show their natural behaviour is more important than owning as much fish as possible. If you want to achieve something similar, going the extra mile is key. Read before you buy!
Have any more fish species to add to the list? Have something to say about the list? Experiences to share? Leave a comment!
Don?t forget to subscribe if you don?t want to miss the list of surprisingly good beginner fish, which will appear soon!
Happy fishkeeping!
xoxo, Mari
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