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Having some friendliest fish is mandatory in your aquarium if you are completely new to this hobby. Now, for a beginner, every ornamental fish seems to be beautiful or eye-catching. In reality, some of those are way more dangerous for a beginner’s aquarium. 

So, you must choose some of the friendliest fish for starting. These are called starter fish for a hobbyist. It will help to gain confidence to carry forward the hobby for a long period of time. 

This article will help you to know about the top 7 starter fish that are tank-friendly. You can choose fish from this list. So without wasting time let’s dive deep to know about the top 7 friendliest fish breeds for your aquarium.

Characteristics of friendliest fish breed for an aquarium

Before knowing about those fish for an aquarium, you must know about the characteristics of a tank-friendly fish. It will help you to choose other fish also for your aquarium. Let’s get started.

• Fish should be active & playful

Before choosing a fish for your aquarium you must check whether that fish is active enough or not. You may find some of the fish that are bottom feeders & they just sit on the substrate. They should not be your choice for your first aquarium.  

You can find some fish that swim all around the tank tirelessly. They are really entertaining & playful. Your tank becomes active just because of them. So try to find this characteristic first & foremost.    

• Fish should not be picky eaters

During the selection of fish for your aquarium, you may find some fish that are picky eaters. It means you can’t give them any type of fish food. They really shouldn’t be your choice. 

The fish for your first tank should be omnivores. Otherwise, it may seem difficult for you. So ask the shop owner & confirm about it before making a purchase of fish.  

• Fish should tolerate a wide range of water parameters

A fish that accepts a wide range of water parameters are considered beginner-friendly fish. This quality of fish helps you to carry forward this fish keeping hobby for a long period of time. 

As a beginner, you could make a hell lot of mistakes regarding fish keeping. To overcome this your first choice should be some friendliest fish breeds.  

• Low maintenance of the tank is the must

Another characteristic you have to check is the low maintenance of the whole tank. You may have seen that keeping fish in an aquarium needs lots of work to do. Now, the selection of some friendliest fish for your first aquarium may reduce the maintenance work. 

These types of fish are called hardy fish. By choosing them for your aquarium, you can enjoy them without getting a headache.    

Read More:- 7 great fishes for only 5 gallon tank which you shouldn’t miss

What are the top 7 friendliest fish breeds for a beginner?

In this part of this article, you are going to know about the top 7 most hardy, beginner-friendly, low maintenance, colourful & active fish breeds for your aquarium. Let’s jump into it. 

• Tetras

Tetras are one of the top friendliest fish breeds in all of the ornamental fish. They are a popular fish breed too. Tetras are known for their activeness. 

If you choose tetras for your very first aquarium then you may be fond of them. The colours & patterns of tetras are very eye-catching. 

There are tons of types of tetras available in the market. This is a little bit overwhelming. However, we are trying to make things simple for you. 

One of the most popular tetra fish in Neon Tetra. The red & blue colour combination is very appealing for a blackwater aquarium. A group of neon tetra looks amazing in black water driftwood aquascaping. 

Other popular tetras are Ember Tetra, Cardinal Tetra, Serpae Tetra, Congo Tetra, Bloodfin Tetra, Rummy Nose Tetra, Flame Tetra etc. All of these are beginner-friendly & suitable for your first aquarium. 

For kids, they are most suitable. Kids can watch & observe them minutely & can learn new things about fish. So this friendliest fish breed is recommended by us if you are just starting your aquarium hobby today. 

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

• Angelfish

Angelfish are very popular among all of the fishkeepers. It is very rare that a fishkeeper didn’t keep angelfish for once. So, you can start with angelfish obviously. 

Angelfish are famous for their body shape. The disc-shaped angelfish have long fins coming out from the top & bottom of its body. Their vertically oriented tails of them are very eye-catching.

Angelfish is not so small as neon tetra. So you need a medium-sized tank to keep a group of angelfish. Experts recommend that a minimum of 55-gallon tank is required to keep a minimum of 5-6 angelfish. 

It is not required to keep them in a group all the time. However, a minimum of 2 of angelfish is mandatory to keep them healthy & happy. Otherwise, only one angelfish can’t live for a long period of time without any companion. 

Angelfish can be the friendliest fish if you can care for them properly. Don’t keep any other territorial fish or fin nippers with them. Otherwise, the tank will become a mess. 

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

• Platies 

Platies are another friendliest fish breed for beginner fishkeepers. One of the main characteristics of platy is they are not picky eaters. So you can choose them over any other aquarium fish species. 

Platies are omnivorous & they are very easy to eat. One main thing you should know is that platies produce a lot of waste. So you need a strong filtration system in your tank. 

Platies are livebearers like mollies. It means they give birth directly to their fries. You must remember to separate adults after giving birth to their fries during spawning season. 

Platies show tons of different colours that make an aquarium colourful. If you have kids then activities with platyfish will help them to engage with the aquarium definitely. 

There are different types of platies you can find on the market. Among them the Gold Red Platy is famous. Other popular types of platies are Mickey Mouse Platy, Neon Blue Wagtail Platy, Parrot Platy, Hifin Tuxedo Yellow Platy, Pintail Rainbow Platy etc. 

• Mollies/Guppies

Mollies or Guppies are another very popular aquarium fish. They both can be the options for your first aquarium. 

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

Here we have kept them as an option because they both are similar types. You can keep a dedicated guppy tank or a molly tank too. However, we recommend mixing them both to build a community fish tank. 

Fancy guppies are very famous for their tails & colour patterns. They are an extremely active & friendliest fish breed. You can breed quality guppies also without much work on them. 

Mollies are also the friendliest fish species like guppies. The speciality of molly fish is that they are livebearers. It means they directly give birth to their fries. 

Black mollies are one of the most famous among aquarists. There are other different types of molly fish you can find. These are Balloon Belly Molly, Gold Doubloon Molly, Lyretail Molly, Golden Sailfin Molly, Gold Dust Molly etc. 

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

• Gouramis

Gouramis are another friendliest fish which you choose from this list. They are considered one of the best centrepiece fish in any nano or medium-sized aquarium. So choosing gouramis are worthy enough. 

Gouramis have different types of characteristics. They can be peaceful or aggressive, small or big, outgoing or shy etc. However, it varies from fish to fish. 

In general, dwarf gourami is the most suitable option for beginners. They are very colourful and small in size. 

Another unique gourami is kissing gourami. This pink gourami is very fascinating to watch. They are very attractive to the kids for their unique characteristics. 

Other different types of gouramis are there in the market. These are Blue Gourami, Chocolate Gourami, Moonlight Gourami, Pearl Gourami etc. They all need a little bit of experience in fishkeeping in spite of being a peaceful fish species. 

133 varieties of gourami species are available in the world

• Betta Fish

Betta fish is another one of the famous & friendliest fish for beginners. Betta fish are extremely colorful & eye-catching. They are famous for their tails. 

They are very hardy & can be kept in a nano tank. However, there are a lot of myths regarding betta fish tank size. Lots of people keep them in a cup or a bottle. This is not healthy for a betta fish in spite of the fact that betta can live in a small space. 

If you don’t have much money to build a medium-sized aquarium you can choose betta fish as your friendliest fish. 

A 2.5-gallon tank is an ideal choice for a betta fish. However, we recommend trying to build at least a 5-gallon tank to keep them happy & healthy. 

You must know betta fish prefer to live alone. So you don’t need to think about his tank mates. Be playful with him & he will start recognizing you. 

Read More:- Types of Betta Fish: 7 Popular Patterns with Pictures 

• Puffer Fish

We have kept puffer fish in this list just because of their unique characteristics & behaviour. They are friendly but not for beginner fish keepers. 

In general, pufferfish species are extremely poisonous but here we are discussing the freshwater pufferfish. 

Most freshwater pufferfish are aggressive and territorial in nature. So we don’t recommend keeping other fish within the same tank. However, experienced fishkeepers can manage them easily and then they show friendly nature. 

There are different types of pufferfish available in the market. Among them, dwarf pufferfish or pygmy pufferfish are suitable for a medium-sized tank. The size of this fish rarely crosses one & half an inch. Keeping dwarf pufferfish is relatively easier than other of its types. 

Other different pufferfish are Fahaka Puffer, Golden Puffer, Imitator Puffer, MBU Puffer, Ocellated Puffer, Red-eyed Puffer etc. 

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

Final Thoughts 

In this article, you have known about the top 7 friendliest fish breeds for your aquarium. However, now we’ll recommend fish for you to start your first aquarium in this hobby. 

You must start with neon tetra fish. It is because they are hardy enough & that you can build a low-maintenance tank with them. Their colours are awesome & they are very active. 

Other tetras are good too. However, don’t select & mix different tetra breeds without doing the proper study. 

If you don’t want to expense much then betta can be the second choice. To build a betta tank you don’t need a huge amount of money. The maintenance & care levels are also easy for them. However, you have to give your time to play with betta to make them happy. 

Best of luck & happy fish keeping. 

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