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What is the best beginner fish?


FrozenFins
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In your opinion whats the best beginner fish?  

21 members have voted

  1. 1. Best Beginner Fish

    • Betta
      5
    • Goldfish
      2
    • Guppy
      8
    • Pleco
      0
    • Other (comment below)
      6


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Whatever fish you really want. If you want it then it will mean more to you than any other recommended fish and you will be likely to do and learn all you can to keep it. Even if things don't work out you'll at least learn what kind of fish keeper you are and what fish might better suite you.

Although, if I were to recommend a fish to a beginner it would be corydoras. I think they are usually the second fish most beginners get, if not a pleco, so why not just start with them. There is a variety to choose from, they school, they have interesting behaviors to watch, and they'll get along with just about everything.

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I would go to a store and write down 5-10 species that you think you would like to keep. Then go home without buying anything, and find all of the information that you can on those species. How big a tank they need, water temperatures and parameters, compatibility with other fish, difficulty to care for, feeding, etc. Read everything you can find, and see which of those fish you think would work well in your tank, and which you are willing to care for.

After you have done that, you will probably have narrowed it down to 2-4 different fish, and there is a fair chance they will all be able to live together.

All of that said, any of the suggestions above are a great place to start.

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I’d say Bettas and Platies are the hardiest. Bettas are nice because you only need (and should have) 1 so it’s better cost wise than livebearers where you want 3 and will get babies (which can be a challenge to deal with). Bettas are also attractive because they do perfect in nano tanks that you can put on a desk. I think because of this tho they’re so prone to being put in suboptimal conditions. That combined with how they’re normally presented in pet stores. I agree with @Aubreytho for method of picking out other fish if a betta isn’t something the person is interested in. People in general will put more work into something they’re truly passionate or care about. If someone really likes African cichlids, they’ll put the time in to learn about and care for African cichlids, giving them a betta won’t be good for anybody. And that goes for all fish. The best beginner fish is one that’s either easy to care for, or easy to find out how to care for, and the one that inspires the most in the individual fish keeper. 

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speaking from the point of just celebrating my first anniversary as a fish keeper - it is hard to just pick one because then you want more.  i started out like squeegee79 suggested - i started with 2 glass fish, but fell in love with so many others. so taking the time to list and learn about your favorites is a good idea so you know who can live together when you add more. I LOVE danios( i have 5 zebra, sadly on just up and disappeared in my community tank, they are so fun and so active! My dream with be a tank big enough for Giant Danios

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Yeah, as someone who started with bettas and has one (like most anyone) I think platies are easier and more fun. Eat anything, withstand anything, are cheap, big-ish and plentiful.

Bettas are plentiful and there's certainly a lot of equipment out there for them. But I think they kind of teach poor habits in fish keeping. No aeration, so much conflicting information about tank sizes and water quality, prefer softer, warmer water, will attack any tank mate that's not a small, slow snail.

I'd rather see a scientific child raise a healthy 10-20g tank of livebearers than one bloated, bleary betta in a 5g or smaller. A young enough child will just think of them as goldfish and that's totally fine 🙂

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Well, it's not flashy, but if you want indestructible it's hard to go wrong with a pleco. BUT NOT A COMMON!!!! As much as I love common plecos, they get huge. I kept one for close to 10 years in a 55 and he never outgrew it, but I was fully aware I might have to give to my friend if needed. Absolutely beautiful fish and nothing bothered him. But for any other tank, get a bristlenose pleco. Beautiful fish, active, great at cleaning, and tons of personality. I doubt I will ever have another freshwater tank without at least one pleco again. Same for most Cory's. Cute fish and always busy.

 

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