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10 Easiest Fish to Take Care Of (With Pictures)

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By Lindsey Stanton

Goldfish in aquarium with green plants

Here we have a list of our top 10 easiest fish to take care of to give you some great and low-maintenance options for your aquarium. There are some fish that take a whole lot of maintenance and upkeep to keep them happy and healthy. Most beginner fish keepers are not going to want some certain species because keeping them alive can be really difficult, expensive, and time consuming.

There are, of course, many different fish that you can have in your aquarium that are fairly easy to take care of, but here are 10 of our favorite options.

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The 10 Easiest Fish to Take Care Of

1. Goldfish

goldfish-in-aquarium_antoni-halim_shutterstock
Credit: antoni halim, Shutterstock

Normal goldfish are really easy fish to take care of, and they do actually come in a variety of types (we have covered a detailed Goldfish guide here). Some goldfish can bet bigger than others, but the tank size really does not have much to do with their maintenance. As long as you have the appropriate tank size, you should be just fine. Goldfish are simple to care for because you can simply feed them goldfish food.

They are also cold water fish, which means that you don’t even need a heater for their tank (though it does depend on the type). They can be messy eaters and they do produce a fair amount of waste, but as long as you have a decent filter and you change around 10% of the water per week, you don’t have to do much at all. Goldfish are resilient, easy to feed, and don’t require much maintenance at all.


2. Bloodfin Tetras

bloodfin tetra in aquarium
Image Credit: Karel Zahradka, Shutterstock

Bloodfin Tetras, which are very small, like to live in groups, are silver in color, and are also very easy to take care of. These things are extremely resilient and aren’t affected by changes in water conditions all that much. They are so resilient that they can handle some temperature changes, as well as pH changes too. In fact, the Bloodfin Tetra can live for up to 10 years without much maintenance at all.

They are very peaceful fish, so you don’t have to worry about any brawls erupting in your tank, especially if it is a community tank. The beauty about these fish is that they will do just fine in water temperatures ranging anywhere from 64 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that you don’t need a heater for their tank because they are actually cold water fish. Besides a filter, you really don’t need anything for these guys. They also are not very picky eaters, so that definitely helps, too.


3. White Cloud Minnows

white cloud mountain minnows
Image Credit: Grigorev Mikhail, Shutterstock

The white cloud minnow is yet another cold water fish that is very easy to take care of. These fish will do fine in waters as cold as 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but they will also do fine in waters up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that temperature control is not a big issue.

These fish are so resilient that many people put them in outdoor ponds over the summertime. They can handle fluctuations in water parameters quite well, and feeding them is a breeze. They will eat most generic fish foods, so feeding is not really an issue either. While it is beneficial to have a good filter, they don’t need the cleanest of waters to survive. These are hardy fish and can live for up to 5 years with some really simple care.


4. Danios

Danio-Striped_Lapis2380_shutterstock
Credit: Lapis2380, Shutterstock

Danios are some really beautiful fish to have in your aquarium. Ok, so they are warm water fish, which means that you will need a heater and thermometer to keep them comfortable. You will also need a filter to keep the water clean. However, other than those things, they don’t really need anything in terms of maintenance.

They do just fine with generic floating flake food, they are not aggressive, they live well with other fish, and they can handle some fluctuations in water parameters too. These fish can survive in a variety of conditions, so if you are not too good about monitoring things like the pH levels in the water, they will still do just fine. If you have a fairly bright house, you won’t even need lighting for them either.


5. Betta Fish

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Credit: gogorilla, Shutterstock

Betta fish are probably some of the easiest fish to take care of in general. Yes, they are fairly aggressive, both toward their own species and other fish species. For this reason, they are usually kept in their own separate tank so you don’t have to worry about fights and dead fish due to brawls. As long as you keep them by themselves, they usually do just fine.

That being said, females can usually be kept in community tanks with other smaller fish (not colorful fish and not aggressive fish), but males cannot. Betta fish don’t really require a heater or a filter. If you have them in a small tank or bowl (more on Betta tanks here), all you really need to do is to change the water once per week (25%) for them to be healthy. Also, in terms of feeding, you can buy generic Betta fish food and they will do just fine (we have covered Betta feeding in detail here).


6. Black Molly

black molly
Image Credit: Kocsis Sandor, Shutterstock

The black molly is a pretty peaceful fish. They very rarely attack other fish in the tank, making them ideal for community tanks. Moreover, they can actually adapt to various water conditions and are quite resilient when it comes to water hardness and pH levels. When it comes to temperature, anything from 70 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit will work just fine. This means that you probably will need a heater as well as a filter, but that is about it.

Moreover, the black molly can actually adapt to fresh water, brackish water, and salt water too, which means that you can put them in virtually any tank. Also, in terms of feeding, they don’t require anything special besides a well-balanced diet, something that can usually be achieved with generic fish food, either flakes or pellets.


7. Kuhli Loach

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Credit: slowmotiongli, Shutterstock

The kuhli loach is an eel-like fish that can grow up to 10 centimeters in length, so it will need a decent-sized tank. However, these fish are very peaceful and usually never get into fights. In fact, they are quite skittish and like to hide, so being in a community tank is not an issue. When it comes to feeding, some simple live foods like daphnia or blood worms will do just fine, plus they are omnivores too.

They actually like to clean up and eat old uneaten fish food, which is a bonus because you won’t have to clean your substrate nearly as much. In terms of water temperature, they do require it to be between 75 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit, so you will need to get them a heater. The pH level needs to be between 6.0 and 6.5, which is a pretty decent spacing. As long as the water is not acidic they will generally do just fine.


8. Angelfish

zebra angelfish
Image Credit: Joan Carles Juarez, Shutterstock

Many people think that angelfish are really hard to take care of, which is actually not the case at all. They can grow up to 6 inches in length, so you will want a fairly large tank, but when it comes to maintenance, there is really not all that much to be done. These fish are omnivores and will eat mostly anything they can find, live or dead, plant or meat.

This is good because feeding them is a breeze. Moreover, they do fine in a variety of water parameters and water temperatures, or in other words, they are quite hardy and resilient to changes in conditions. They can be a little aggressive, so you don’t want to introduce very small fish to an angelfish tank, as they might eat the little guys.


9. Plecos

Bristlenose Plecos inside aquarium
Image Credit: TTONN, Shutterstock

Plecos are a really cool type of fish to have in your aquarium. They are fairly easy fish to care for, and if you have other fish in the tank, they will barely need feeding. They are bottom feeders, so they do just fine eating leftovers that other fish have not eaten. They will eat mostly anything, even algae, which is a bonus for the cleanliness of your tank. They do like a fair amount of live plants in their tank to hide in, but a few simple plants will do just fine.

These fish can grow to a decent size, so you will need at least a 10-gallon tank for one pleco, but they are quite resilient. They can survive in water temperatures anywhere from 65 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit, so you don’t necessarily need a heater. With that being said, they do like their water to be a little on the warm side. Also, plecos are very peaceful fish so having them in a community tank is not an issue.


10. Swordtails

red swordtail
Image Center: Arunee Rodloy, Shutterstock

These fish are really beautiful to have in any tank, which is already a big bonus. They are easy to feed and will be just fine with generic flake fish food. Moreover, they are very peaceful fish and will do well in a community tank. They won’t attack other fish. Also, swordtails are very hardy and long-lasting. They can live for a good few years with barely any care at all.

A water filter and a light heater will be more than enough. They can survive in a variety of water temperatures and conditions, and they do fine with fluctuations too. When it comes to easy-to-care-for fish, swordtails are definitely up there.

Conclusion

If you are a beginner fish keeper, you are going to want to go with a fish that is fairly easy to take care of. Any of the above options will do fine for somebody who does not have much experience with keeping fish. Fish that are not picky with food, don’t require too specific water parameters, and are generally resilient are fish that you want to go with.

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Featured Image Credit: Skumer, Shutterstock

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