Fish for a first aquarium
Hardy, peaceful, and forgiving of the mistakes everyone makes in the first six months. Nothing here hunts its tankmates or needs water you would have to build from scratch. They still need a cycled tank, though — no fish is beginner-proof in week one.
Why these
Difficulty 1–2 of 5, peaceful or shy, not a predator, and our data on it is better than preliminary.
80 species

Blackline Rasbora
Rasbora borapetensis
5 cm · 22–26 °C · ≥ 70 l

Bladder Snail
Physella acuta
1.5 cm · 15–30 °C · ≥ 10 l

Bronze Corydoras
Corydoras aeneus
7 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 75 l

Cherry Barb
Puntius titteya
5 cm · 23–27 °C · ≥ 60 l

Endler's Livebearer
Poecilia wingei
4.5 cm · 22–29 °C · ≥ 30 l

Guppy
Poecilia reticulata
6 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 40 l

Leopard Danio
Danio rerio var. frankei
5 cm · 16–26 °C · ≥ 75 l

Malaysian Trumpet Snail
Melanoides tuberculata
2.5 cm · 18–30 °C · ≥ 10 l

Peppered Corydoras
Corydoras paleatus
7 cm · 16–26 °C · ≥ 75 l

Platy
Xiphophorus maculatus
6 cm · 18–26 °C · ≥ 55 l

Ramshorn Snail
Planorbella duryi
2 cm · 18–28 °C · ≥ 10 l

Rosy Red Minnow
Pimephales promelas
8 cm · 4–26 °C · ≥ 54 l

White Cloud Mountain Minnow
Tanichthys albonubes
4 cm · 5–24 °C · ≥ 40 l

Zebra Danio
Danio rerio
5 cm · 16–26 °C · ≥ 75 l

Amano Shrimp
Caridina multidentata
5 cm · 18–28 °C · ≥ 40 l

Black Neon Tetra
Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi
4 cm · 20–28 °C · ≥ 60 l

Black Phantom Tetra
Hyphessobrycon megalopterus
4.5 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 75 l

Black Ruby Barb
Pethia nigrofasciata
6 cm · 20–27 °C · ≥ 80 l

Bloodfin Tetra
Aphyocharax anisitsi
5.5 cm · 18–28 °C · ≥ 75 l

Blue Velvet Shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
3.5 cm · 18–28 °C · ≥ 19 l

Bristlenose Pleco
Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus
13 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 110 l

Celestial Pearl Danio
Danio margaritatus
2.5 cm · 20–26 °C · ≥ 40 l

Checkered Barb
Oliotius oligolepis
5 cm · 18–25 °C · ≥ 70 l

Cherry Shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
3.5 cm · 15–30 °C · ≥ 19 l

Cochu's Blue Tetra
Boehlkea fredcochui
5.5 cm · 21–26 °C · ≥ 60 l

Colombian Ramshorn Snail
Marisa cornuarietis
5.5 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 40 l

Denison Barb
Sahyadria denisonii
15 cm · 15–25 °C · ≥ 240 l

Diamond Tetra
Moenkhausia pittieri
6 cm · 24–28 °C · ≥ 75 l

Doctor Fish
Garra rufa
14 cm · 15–28 °C · ≥ 240 l

Dojo (Weather) Loach
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
25 cm · 5–25 °C · ≥ 200 l

Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish
Melanotaenia praecox
8 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 90 l

Dwarf Orange Crayfish
Cambarellus patzcuarensis
5 cm · 16–28 °C · ≥ 40 l

Dwarf Petricola Catfish
Synodontis lucipinnis
8 cm · 22–27 °C · ≥ 100 l

Ember Tetra
Hyphessobrycon amandae
2 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 40 l

Emerald Cory
Corydoras splendens
9 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 120 l

Emperor Tetra
Nematobrycon palmeri
5.5 cm · 23–27 °C · ≥ 75 l

Even-spotted Synodontis
Synodontis petricola
13.5 cm · 23–28 °C · ≥ 120 l

Flame Tetra
Hyphessobrycon flammeus
4 cm · 18–28 °C · ≥ 60 l

Forktail Rainbowfish
Pseudomugil furcatus
5.5 cm · 23–28 °C · ≥ 60 l

Ghost Shrimp
Palaemonetes paludosus
5 cm · 18–28 °C · ≥ 40 l

Glowlight Danio
Danio choprae
3 cm · 16–26 °C · ≥ 70 l

Glowlight Tetra
Hemigrammus erythrozonus
4 cm · 24–28 °C · ≥ 60 l

Gold Barb
Barbodes semifasciolatus
7 cm · 16–26 °C · ≥ 75 l

Golden Dwarf Cichlid
Nannacara anomala
8 cm · 22–27 °C · ≥ 80 l

Harlequin Rasbora
Trigonostigma heteromorpha
4.5 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 60 l

Head-and-Tail-Light Tetra
Hemigrammus ocellifer
4.5 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 70 l

Honey Gourami
Trichogaster chuna
5 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 40 l

Japanese Trapdoor Snail
Cipangopaludina japonica
5 cm · 2–28 °C · ≥ 40 l

Julii Cory
Corydoras julii
5.5 cm · 20–26 °C · ≥ 60 l

Kribensis
Pelvicachromis pulcher
10 cm · 24–28 °C · ≥ 75 l

Kuhli Loach
Pangio kuhlii
10 cm · 24–28 °C · ≥ 75 l

Lambchop Rasbora
Trigonostigma espei
3 cm · 23–28 °C · ≥ 45 l

Least Killifish
Heterandria formosa
3.5 cm · 15–26 °C · ≥ 20 l

Lemon Tetra
Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis
4.5 cm · 20–28 °C · ≥ 75 l

Medaka Ricefish
Oryzias latipes
4 cm · 8–28 °C · ≥ 40 l

Molly
Poecilia sphenops
10 cm · 24–28 °C · ≥ 90 l

Moonlight Gourami
Trichopodus microlepis
15 cm · 24–30 °C · ≥ 150 l

Mystery Snail
Pomacea bridgesii
5.5 cm · 18–28 °C · ≥ 38 l

Neon Tetra
Paracheirodon innesi
3.5 cm · 20–26 °C · ≥ 60 l

Nerite Snail
Neritina natalensis
2.5 cm · 18–28 °C · ≥ 19 l

Odessa Barb
Pethia padamya
6 cm · 16–25 °C · ≥ 75 l

Panda Corydoras
Corydoras panda
5 cm · 20–25 °C · ≥ 60 l

Pearl Danio
Danio albolineatus
6 cm · 16–25 °C · ≥ 90 l

Pearl Gourami
Trichopodus leerii
12 cm · 24–30 °C · ≥ 110 l

Penguin Tetra
Thayeria boehlkei
7.5 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 80 l

Purple Emperor Tetra
Inpaichthys kerri
4 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 70 l

Pygmy Corydoras
Corydoras pygmaeus
3 cm · 22–26 °C · ≥ 40 l

Rainbow Cichlid
Herotilapia multispinosa
12 cm · 22–30 °C · ≥ 110 l

Rosy Barb
Pethia conchonius
14 cm · 16–24 °C · ≥ 110 l

Rosy Tetra
Hyphessobrycon rosaceus
4 cm · 24–28 °C · ≥ 70 l

Sailfin Molly
Poecilia latipinna
12.5 cm · 20–28 °C · ≥ 120 l

Salt and Pepper Cory
Corydoras habrosus
3.5 cm · 20–26 °C · ≥ 40 l

Scissortail Rasbora
Rasbora trilineata
15 cm · 22–25 °C · ≥ 110 l

Silver Tip Tetra
Hasemania nana
5 cm · 23–28 °C · ≥ 75 l

Sterbai Corydoras
Corydoras sterbai
6.5 cm · 23–30 °C · ≥ 75 l

Swordtail
Xiphophorus hellerii
14 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 90 l

Thick-lipped Gourami
Trichogaster labiosa
9 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 70 l

Upside-down Catfish
Synodontis nigriventris
9.6 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 110 l

X-ray Tetra
Pristella maxillaris
4.5 cm · 22–28 °C · ≥ 60 l
Venezuelan Cory
Corydoras venezuelanus
6.5 cm · 21–28 °C · ≥ 75 l
Which of these go together?
A list tells you what is possible on its own. Whether three of them share a tank without one eating another — and whether your volume, temperature and hardness actually allow it — is what the planner works out.
Open the planner