Most Popular Fish Breeds as Pets

Fish are one of the most popular animals kept as pets. Just watching them swim in the fishbowl makes you feel relaxed. They are relatively inexpensive to keep as well as low on maintenance.

Freshwater fish, in particular, is affordable and easy to keep and maintain — all you need is just water from your faucet and some decent water plants, and you’re good to go! You may add some fancy things such as a little ceramic house with holes for the fish to swim through, and a bubble wheel for added fun!

Red Platy Fish

Red Platy Fish

The red platyfish is the perfect fish for beginners. These fish are hard, live-bearing and prolific. The red platyfish are also pretty gregarious, so buy at least a couple of red platy’s to keep each other company. They will do fine in smaller tanks and will eat fish flakes.

Cherry Barb

This peaceful fish, cherry barb comes in silver/black color with a golden lateral line but gets this cherry color when the male spawns. Cherry Barb has an omnivorous nature and likes to eat fresh, frozen and flaky foods. As a community fish, it likes to swim in open spaces and enjoy hiding and playing inside the tanks. On average a cherry barb will grow up to 2 inches therefore their minimum tank size is 25 gallons.

Fancy Guppy

The Fancy Guppy

The fancy guppy is also the perfect fish for first-time owners. They are sturdy, adaptable to any tank size and water conditions (including brackish waters), and love to have some other fish around for company. They are also called millions of fish or simply guppy.

Betta Fish

Betta Fish

Also known as the Siamese fighting fish, the betta fish is very attractive because of its flamboyant tail and fins as well as its striking, vivid colors. They are either of one color or having color patterns as well as solid or metallic/iridescent. These fish are mostly territorial and aggressive especially among males, so they are best isolated from one another. The betta fish are also belligerent towards other species of fish, so they cannot normally be housed in community tanks.

Black Molly


Black Molly

Also called as the midnight molly, the black molly is a peaceful fish. Like guppies, black mollies are prolific and also easy to keep, making them popular aquarium pets.

Black Skirt Tetra


Black Skirt Tetra

The black skirt tetra is also a hardy fish, thus it is easy to care for. This fish is also peaceful and loves to swim in groups.

DANIOS

Danios

These stripy little fellas are a common sight in most pet shops. They are a schooling fish, which means they love to swim in groups. Danios are also hardy and are not finicky eaters — they will eat anything that’s offered to them, including fish flakes. A lot of species are brightly colored and have barbels.

Fantail Goldfish

Fantail Goldfish

One of the more fancy-looking species of goldfish, the fantail goldfish is native to China and Japan. These beautiful fish have either metallic or nacreous scales and can be pretty easy to breed.

Glowlight Tetra

Glowlight Tetra

The glowlight tetra’s most distinctive feature is the long red or orange stripe that spans from its snout to the base of its tail. Under the right amount of lighting, this fish emits a distinctive radiance which gives it its name.

Goldfish

Goldfish

The all-too-familiar goldfish! They are the most common aquarium pets out there. They are mostly friendly to each other, except when vying for food! The goldfish tend to be a messy eater, that’s why you must clean your aquarium regularly.

Kuhli Loach

Kuhli Loach

Want something more strange and exotic to add to your freshwater aquarium? Then you must get the kuhli loach, the eel-like, slender fish native to Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula. They are mostly nocturnal fish which spend the rest of the day dwelling at the bottom of the tanks. When caring for the kuhli loach, make sure that the substrate is made of Fine River sand or fine gravel for these animals to burrow and hide as well as to feed.

The Kuhli loach can grow up to 12 centimetres long. They are also hardy, reportedly having a lifespan of up to 10 years.

Neon Tetras

This is usually the first fish a beginner aquarist keeps because it is easy to take care of. Neon Tetras can be seen in bright colors and the have horizontal stripes in blue color across their body, which gets much brighter and visible in dark water giving the viewer a beautiful soothing sight. At most, this breed can be 2.2cm in length and lives in soft acidic water, eating worms, insects, plants and shrimps.

Oscar

Oscar isn’t a community fish, therefore, it lives with their own species only. They grow very quickly and grow large in size, have a carnivorous nature and produce a great amount of waste which is why they are often regarded as a high-maintenance breed. Oscar is also known as the most intelligent aquarium fish and quick learners that are used to do tricks.

Platies

Platies are peaceful community fish that happily live with guppies and mollies. They are widely famous for two of their characteristics; they are easy to take care and found in any and every color you can think of. Platies are omnivorous but they prefer herbs more than meat, therefore, their food is a mix of meat and plants.