Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Other animals

PawTracks may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The 5 easiest fish to take care of for clueless newbies

What are the easiest fish to take care of? Here are 5 species you should consider

Rebekkah Adams
By

Fish often wind up at the top of the best first-pet list. But while lots of swimmers are good for beginners, some species don’t belong on there at all. In fact, many salt-water tanks involve very specialized and dedicated care. If you’re just starting out, you need to stick to the simple ones who will thrive even when their owner forgets to drop in the flakes every now and then. A few, in particular, can help you learn how to care for an aquatic animal without any harm coming to them. If you want to dive into keeping tanks, start with one of these, the easiest fish to take care of.

Neon tetra school swims in tank
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The easiest fish to take care of

Neon Tetras

These beauties are well known for being hardy and easy to bring into your aquarium. Carefully source your pet because you don’t want to wind up with an illegal wild-caught animal. Instead, seek out one of the 1.5 million that are imported into the U.S. every month. A few good things about neon tetras: they’re colorful, small, and social. You should keep a little school in a tank with other animals. Lastly, don’t bring this tetra into a new tank since they won’t do well while they’re settling in (changes in things like pH and nitrates will hurt them).

Recommended Videos

Plecos

These little janitors eat up the garbage that no one else wants, like algae and sometimes leftover food. Plus, it’s not too difficult to care for them, but they do require a lot of space – at least a 20-gallon tank. Carefully select tankmates too since you don’t want to introduce a large, predatory beasties to scare away this gentle creature. Lastly, and most fun of all, plecos want extra snacks and you can drop in a few veggies to satiate them. Try spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, and zucchini once or twice a week. 

Guppies

Guppies come in all sorts of colors and sizes, allowing you to pick whatever type you want. You can mix them with other types of water-lovers or create one aquarium just for them. And you might need all the space you can get. This fish reproduces like bunnies and can fill a tank with their babies quickly. Get a big aquarium if you plan to allow this to happen or separate out males and females once they reach maturity (you can spot the boys because they have an extra fin on the bottom). Still, taking care of them will be a breeze and help you gain confidence in your skills. 

Danios

Another schooling fish, this excitable species prefers slightly cooler temperatures and so will work well for a newbie who hasn’t graduated to heated tanks yet. They can even live with neon tetras to help get the tank ready. However, danios like to hang out at the surface and you should plan your setup accordingly. Keep a few tall and a few floating plants around for them to enjoy and hide in. While easy to care for, they’re tricky to breed and you might not have much luck raising the babies. For best results, separate the fry right after they hatch. 

Goldfish

We’re hesitant to even include this because goldfish really do need certain care to live happily and healthily. First off, don’t bring home a fish you won in the fair if you actually want something that will last. Search out a good local store and examine the animals before bringing him into the fold. Secondly, don’t be fooled by the small goldfish bowls. Remember, these guys can grow to six inches in length and need plenty of room to move about. They also really need a filter because this not-so-little fish produces lots and lots of waste. 

Fish swimming all around a tank
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Final thoughts on fish for newbies

All fish require hard work and dedication, even the easier breeds. Set up strict feeding and cleaning schedules and stick to them. A dirty tank will quickly spread disease and wind up killing all of the inhabitants. Once you’ve got these guys down, consider trying out needier fish by setting up a saltwater tank. Lastly, even the best aquarist loses a new fish sometimes – don’t despair. Check your chemical levels and try again.

Editors' Recommendations

Rebekkah Adams
Rebekkah Adams
Contributor
Rebekkah’s been a writer and editor for more than 10 years, both in print and digital. In addition to writing about pets…
Add rainbowfish to your tank – these beauties will brighten up any aquarium
There are a few things you need to know before you get a rainbowfish
A colorful rainbowfish swims in front of plants in an aquarium

You might know of rainbowfish from the beloved children's book, but these are real animals that you can keep in your own home. As the name suggests, this group of swimmers is well regarded for being beautiful to behold. Many also get along nicely with other fish and can be handled by beginners. This is what you need to know before bringing home a rainbowfish.
What are rainbow fish?
It's a bit of a catch-all term because there are at least 50 species that all fall under the rainbowfish umbrella. Some work better as pets than others, and you'll probably be looking at boesemani rainbowfish, turquoise rainbowfish, featherfin rainbowfish, or red neon rainbowfish. If you're adding to an existing tank, research carefully to ensure you only get ones that will make friends with your current animals.
What conditions do they need to live in?
These are all freshwater fish, but their exact temperature and pH balance needs vary depending on which species you bring home. You can use your existing tank specs to narrow it down or do the opposite — pick the prettiest fish and then build your ecosystem around it. One thing to note right away is that you shouldn't keep males together and no rainbowfish wants to live on its own because they like to school. Consider keeping a group of six females if you want to prevent expansion.

Why should you add them to your tank?
Here are four excellent reasons to keep rainbowfish as pets.
They look beautiful
You can find just about any gradient you want in a rainbowfish. Some incorporate many colors, more like a traditional rainbow, while others skew toward blue, such as the turquoise rainbowfish, or red, such as the aptly named red rainbowfish.
They get along with other fish
While you want them to have friends of their own species, they'll also do great with others. Female rainbowfish can sometimes live with female bettas if you want to create a color explosion. Otherwise consider catfish, gouramis, and loaches as tank mates.
They're good beginner fish
The care level of most rainbowfish sits at about the same as a neon tetra (in fact, they can live together). Make sure your tank stays clean and that you change and test the water frequently, but they don't have any specialty needs.
They live a long time
Many tank dwellers have short life spans, and rainbowfish won't be any different if not properly cared for. However, boesemani rainbowfish, in the right environment, regularly make it to 5 years and sometimes even t10 years!

Read more
Bunny care 101: If Easter inspires you to adopt a rabbit, read this first
These are the things you need to think about before you bring a rabbit home
Brown bunny sits in the grass

Around this time of year, you'll spot bunnies everywhere — in the yard, the grocery candy aisle, and on TV. You may suddenly find yourself thinking about owning one of these cute small pets, and before you know it, you've adopted and brought home a hoppy and floppy pet.

We generally don't recommend impulse purchases when it comes to animals, but if you find yourself walking away from a shelter or pet store with Peter Rabbit in hand, you'll need to brush up quickly. It takes a lot: housing, food, cleaning, playtime, grooming, and vet bills. Understanding each piece of the puzzle will allow you to flourish as a pet parent and help your four-legger to live their best life, too. Keep reading to learn more about owning a bunny.

Read more
Are female betta fish worth it? Here’s why you should consider getting one of these pretty fish
Unlike males, female betta fish can live together, and get along with other fish, too
A blue female betta in a tank

Betta fish (also known as Siamese fighting fish) rocketed to fame and took a spot as one of our favorite swimming pets for their beautiful color and elegant fins. They, too, are recognized for being aggressive toward each other and will even flare (a display) to you, their owner. However, many of those characteristics only apply to the males of the species, whereas the female versions look and act a little differently. Here's why you should consider bringing one of these lady bettas home.

What are betta fish?
These underwater beauties come from Thailand and live in rice paddies in the wild. It's a myth that they only need a small tank, but bettas often do make great solitary pets that can thrive in an aquarium by themselves. They can also live with many other fish, just not other bettas. One fun thing about these swimmers is that they learn to recognize their owners and will get excited when you come to feed them every night.
How do female bettas differ from males?
You probably know that you can't keep male bettas with others of their kind, as they will fight males and sometimes aggressively mate with females (we recommend only experts breed them). Female bettas won't likely be building any bubble nests though, as that's a job for the males.

Read more