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Black is such a color that makes everything elegant. If you love black color then you must try to keep some black-colored fish in your aquarium. It makes an aquarium so cool & pretty. 

However, there are thousands of ornamental fish available in the world. So it is kinda overwhelming to find the right black-colored fish for your new aquarium. 

To solve this problem, this article is going to discuss the best 13 black-colored freshwater aquarium fish with pictures. It will help you to know some elegant ornamental fish. So without wasting time let’s dive deep into the topic. 

Best 13 Black colored Freshwater Aquarium Fish

Each & every black-colored fish is not suitable for every tank. If you are just starting a new aquarium then it is not possible to know about every fish species. 

So here we are going to divide those 13 black-colored aquarium fish into two parts. Some are suitable for small/nano tanks & some are suitable for large tanks. Let’s dive into it. 

Small black aquarium fish

Small aquarium fish are such fish that have an adult size in the range of 0.5 inches to 6 inches. All of these fish breeds are suitable for nano tanks & medium-sized tanks. 

1. Black Neon Tetra

Adult size – 1-1.5 inches

Ideal Tank Size – 20-gallon

Tank Mates – Rasboras, danios, gouramis, and other small tetras

Fish to Avoid – Any predatory fish

Aggression Level – Peaceful 

Remarks – They are one of the best for beginner fish keepers

Neon tetras are one of the most common fish for every fish keeper. They are popular mainly because of their activities & body colors. 

Black neon tetras are mostly similar to them. However, black is their main body color instead of blue like common neon tetras. 

They are active fish species and suitable for nano tanks. You can add up to 5-6 black neon tetras in a 10-gallon tank. 

2. Black Molly Fish

Adult size – 3-6 inches

Ideal Tank Size – 20-gallon; 45-gallon is way better

Tank Mates – Guppies, danios, tetras, other mollies, swordtails & gouramis

Fish to Avoid – Any predatory fish

Aggression Level – Peaceful 

Remarks – They are one of the best for beginner fish keepers

Black mollies are similar to other mollies. They are nothing but a common molly with solid black color. 

They are peaceful like black neon tetras and most suitable for a freshwater community fish tank. The care level of black mollies is also very easy and beginners should start with this fish. 

Black mollies are suitable for nano & small-sized tanks. You can add up to 2-3 black mollies in a 10-gallon tank.   

Read More:- Types of Mollies: Choose from 8 Most Popular One

3. Black Skirt Tetra

Adult size – 3 inches

Ideal Tank Size – 20-gallon

Tank Mates – Cardinal tetra, harlequin rasbora, dwarf gourami, neon tetra, celestial pearl danio

Fish to Avoid- Fish that have long & fairy fins like betta or angelfish 

Aggression Level – Peaceful 

Remarks – They are fin nippers

Black skirt tetras are one of the most common types of tetra species. They are very peaceful like other neon tetras or mollies. It is very rare to see they are showing aggression towards their tank mates. 

They are considered active fin nippers. So don’t keep betta or angelfish with them anyhow. Otherwise, they can go with other peaceful species without any issue. 

They need plenty of swimming space and they prefer to live in groups. So you can add up to 5 black skirt tetras in a 20-gallon tank. 

Read More:- How to Stop Fin Nipping in Aquarium: With 9 Popular Fin Nippers

4. Black Lace Angelfish

Adult size – 6 inches

Ideal Tank Size – 30-gallon 

Tank Mates – larger tetras and rasboras, gouramis, peaceful barbs, rainbowfish, corydoras

Fish to Avoid – Any predatory fish & fin nippers

Aggression Level – Semi aggressive

Remarks – Generally, black lace angelfish are peaceful but they show aggression sometimes due to lack of space.

Black lace angelfish is nothing but a color variety of common angelfish. They look completely black with a chocolate shade. They are generally peaceful but show territorial behavior & aggression sometimes. 

Black lace angelfish prefer to live in a planted tank. They feel safe & comfortable in this kind of captivity. 

You must know that angelfish can’t live for a long duration without having a pair (It is controversial though). So try to build an angelfish-only freshwater tank. However, they can live in a community tank also. In this case, you must arrange to build a large aquarium for them. 

Angelfish need space to thrive. You can add up to 5-6 black lace angelfish in a 55-gallon tank. 

Read More:- 9 Best Aquarium Fish To Breed For Profit

5. Black Orchid Betta Fish

Adult size – 3 inches

Ideal Tank Size – 5-gallon

Tank Mates – Corydoras catfish can be an option. 

Fish to Avoid – Keep betta alone

Aggression Level – Highly territorial

Remarks – One male betta should be kept in one tank unless it is a female betta sorority tank. 

Black orchid betta fish is an extremely astounding pet fish of a fish keeper. Its body color and wavy tail can catch anyone’s eyes instantly. Bettas prefer to live in a well-planted tank. However, they can live in bare bottom tanks too. 

For black orchid betta, you can make black water with Indian almond leaves. This has a low pH level & actually good for them. 

Betta fish mainly thrive in a nano tank. However, lots of fish keepers keep them in bottles or in cups which is not good for them. You can add only one black orchid betta fish in a 5-gallon tank. Don’t keep more than one male betta in a single tank.

Read More:- 5 Rare Betta Fish that you must try to collect: With Care Guide

6. Black Ranchu

Adult size – 6 inches

Ideal Tank Size – 20-gallon

Tank Mates – Other goldfish and koi, weather loaches, Chinese hifin sharks, zebra danios.

Fish to Avoid – Any predatory fish & fin nippers

Aggression Level – Very low

Remarks – Black ranchus need top quality of water to thrive

Black ranchu goldfish are just a variety of common ranchu goldfish. They are peaceful but slow-moving goldfish. 

Ranchus are very famous among all goldfish keepers. They are famous because of their body shape. Black ranchus come in solid black color. They look so cool in an aquarium. 

To keep black ranchus healthy you must keep eye on the filtration system. They need proper quality of water. So invest in a canister filter if you want to keep ranchus seriously. 

All types of planted aquariums may not be suitable for black ranchus. They nibble leaves oftentimes. However, you can try plants that have thick leaves which is hard to nibble on. 

One black ranchu or common ranchu goldfish needs at least 20-gallon of water to thrive well. However, for an additional ranchu extra 10-gallon of water is required. 

Read More:- Cloudy Goldfish Tank? The Original Causes (Especially THIRD) & Solutions

7. Black Moscow Guppy

Adult size – 2.5 inches

Ideal Tank Size – Minimum 5-gallon

Tank Mates – Swordtails, platies, mollies, cory catfish

Fish to Avoid – Any predatory fish

Aggression Level – Very low

Remarks – They are peaceful & very active. They are top dwellers.

Guppies are one of the most common and pretty aquarium fish. Black Moscow guppies are one type of strain among them. 

Keeping guppies is so easy, unlike other aquarium fish. They just need warm temperatures and good water. If you are not from a tropical country then purchasing a heater is a must to keep Guppies alive. 

Read More:- Starter Fish For Beginners: 9 Best Recommendations 

Guppies breed so fast like rats. So you must place some aquatic plants in your aquarium to keep guppy fries alive. Black Moscow guppies are considered fancy guppies and have a good market value. So you can earn a handsome amount of money by breeding & selling black guppies.

Guppies are small & active so they need space to thrive well. However, a 10-gallon tank is enough for 5-8 adult guppies.    

Read More:- 10 Best Tank Mates Of Guppy: Choose According To Tank Size

Big black aquarium fish

Big black aquarium fish are such fish that have an adult size in the range of 7 inches to 3 feet. All of these fish breeds are for large tanks or ponds.

8. Black Oscar Fish

Adult size – 11-12 inches

Idea Tank Size – 75-gallon

Tank Mates – Convict cichlid, jack dempsey, green terror cichlid, silver dollars, jaguar cichlid

Fish to Avoid – Smaller, peaceful fish, shrimp, snails, and other similar creatures.

Aggression Level – High

Remarks – Oscars have a very high level of personality. They are intelligent too.

Black oscars are one of the most common types of oscar fish. Their adult size is 12-18 inches long so it is obvious to have a large tank. Black oscars prefer plenty of swimming areas. So try to keep the aquarium simple.  

Black oscars have personalities like tiger oscars. They know their owner very well & like to take food from the owner. They are intelligent too. Their appearance & presence makes them the king of an aquarium. 

Oscars remain hungry always so try to bring diversity to their food. Brine shrimp, bloodworm, krill, and frozen peas can be some good options.

As black oscars are big, you need at least a 55-gallon tank for one Oscar fish. For a pair 75-gallon tank is recommended 

Read More:- How to set up a community fish tank? With Cost analysis

9. Pacu Fish

Adult size – 3 feet 

Idea Tank Size – 200-gallon

Tank Mates – Oscar fish, green terror, jaguar cichlid

Fish to Avoid – Tiny fish

Aggression Level – Peaceful

Remarks – Despite being a very large fish, they are not harmful or territorial in nature at all.

Red belly pacu fish grow extremely big. So it is quite difficult to keep in an aquarium. However, some experienced fish keepers are able to keep them healthy in aquariums. 

It seems that pacu fish are aggressive due to their huge size. However, actually, it is completely wrong. They show peaceful behavior towards other tank mates. 

Pacu fish prefer to live in warm water. 24°C-28°C is the ideal temperature range for this fish. Weekly 10-15% water change is the must for pacu fish. 

Pacu fish grow up to 3 feet long. So it needs approximately 200-gallon of the aquarium to keep them healthy. 

Read More:- Top 11 Monster Fish For An Aquarium: Don’t Buy Without Knowing

10. Black Ghost Knifefish

Adult size – 11-12 inches

Idea Tank Size – 75-gallon

Tank Mates – Electric blue acara, silver dollar fish, oscar fish, cory catfish, rope fish & bichir.

Fish to Avoid – Smaller & peaceful fish

Aggression Level – Semi aggressive

Remarks – They show aggression when they are kept in a small aquarium.

Black ghost knifefish is one of the most popular fish in the fishkeeping hobby. They are popular because of their body shape. 

They don’t have any ideal fins or scales like other fish have. Their tail looks like a rod. They can receive & emit electric signals so they are a special aquarium species. 

Black ghost knifefish grow up to 20 inches long. So, at least 100-gallon tanks are required for them. Small tanks may help to increase their aggressive nature.

Read More:- Top 9 Most Expensive Fish For Aquarium With Price Range

11. Black Moor Goldfish

Adult size – 8 inches

Idea Tank Size – 30-gallon

Tank Mates – Other black moors, oranda goldfish, zebra danios, neon tetras & barbs

Fish to Avoid – Any predatory fish

Aggression Level – Peaceful

Remarks – They have two protruding eyes

Black moor goldfish is one of the popular fancy goldfish. They are popular because of their sweet appearance. Even a newbie can know them by identifying their protruding eyes. 

Black moor goldfish come with a solid black color. Sometimes orange patches can be seen on its body too. These fish have impaired vision due to their protruding eyes. 

They are slow-moving fish but still, fishkeepers can get enjoyment by observing them in the aquarium. They are peaceful and thrive along with similar types of fish. They remain active during the daytime mainly.

Black moor goldfish grow up to 8 inches long. Like other goldfish, one black moor goldfish requires 30-gallon of water & extra 10-gallon of water is required for an additional one. 

12. Red Tail Shark

Adult size – 6 inches

Idea Tank Size – 55-gallon

Tank Mates – Neon tetra, bala shark, honey gourami, sparkling gourami

Fish to Avoid – Overly curious, aggressive, or bottom-dwellers

Aggression Level – Quite Aggressive

Remarks – They are infamous for bullying other fish

Lots of fish keepers want to keep ornamental sharks in their aquariums. Redtail sharks are one of those kinds of species. They are actually very popular among fish keepers. 

The appearance of the red tail shark is quite attractive. They come with a solid black body color with a red caudal fin. They have other names too. People often call them fire tail sharks, red-tailed black sharks, red shark minnows, etc. 

People prefer them to keep because they have a proper shark-like slender body. They are quite aggressive however, these can be avoided by maintaining water parameters, filters, and heaters, & managing foods for them well. 

Redtail sharks are good swimmers and they need ample space to swim. A 55-gallon fish tank would be great for a red tail shark. Otherwise, they may start showing aggression. 

13. Bristlenose Plecostomus 

Adult size – 12 inches

Idea Tank Size – 80-gallon

Tank Mates – Guppy fish, molly, platy & swordtail

Fish to Avoid – Cichlids, discus, and freshwater angelfish

Aggression Level – Semi-aggressive

Remarks – Plecos are considered as fin nippers sometimes.

Bristlenose plecostomus is one of the most popular pleco fish. Despite their dangerous appearance, they have not been considered an aggressive fish species. 

Generally, pleco fish don’t show aggression in tanks. However, when they attain the ultimate level of growth then they get their aggressive nature. Don’t keep more than one male bristlenose pleco in a tank. 

Well aerated water with medium current is preferable for pleco fish. They love driftwoods. As they are bottom dwellers, the bottom of the tank should be filled with caves & driftwoods.  They like to be hidden all day long just because they are nocturnal species.

Experts say online that bristlenose pleco can live in 20-gallon of water. Actually, it is partially right. Bristlenose plecostomus grow up to 12 inches long. During the adult stage, they need much bigger space. So 80-gallon would be a perfect fit for an adult bristlenose plecostomus.

Read More:- How Many Algae Eaters For Fish Tank: 5, 20, 55, 60g & More

Read More:- 11 Most Popular Freshwater Aquarium Fish With A Recommendation 

Which black aquarium fish has big eyes

Black Moor Goldfish has protruding eyes. These fancy goldfish are mainly famous for their solid black-colored appearance & eyes. People often recognize them as black aquarium fish with big eyes. 

Can we keep black-colored fish in the aquarium?

Black-colored ornamental fish add elegance to an aquarium. So an aquarium must have this type of fish depending on space. Furthermore, according to Feng Shui, black & red colored fish absorb negative energy from home i.e.black moor goldfish. So it is actually good to have black-colored fish in aquariums.