All around the world, people often grow up with the fascination of pets, and one of the first ones that pop up in your head are fish. This is derived from an incorrect notion of fish being easy pets. However, fishkeeping has several layers to it and it only gets more complicated when you keep delving into it. Don’t let that deter you however, it’s a very rewarding hobby and not to mention, with the right fish; it’s rather easy to get started!
Fish for Beginners:
The problem with acquiring fish, is that they tend to survive under very specific conditions and you’ll need a very strict regimen to help them thrive. You also need to know vital information on how to maintain your aquarium, and you can find all that on The Quintessential Buyers Guide. However, we’re going to be delving into 5 species of fish that even a beginner can easily acclimate to!
Guppy:
One of the most commonly known breeds of fish, mostly
because they can be easily bred. These fish can acclimate to most environments,
don’t require any specific care and can bear offspring easily.
You can easily differentiate from the male and female guppies. The males can be
spotted by their brighter colours and an elongated fin at the rear. On the
contrary, the females are much larger and fatter. The females are also mainly
grey in colour.
You know how we said breeding them is easy? Well, all you need for them to
breed is to just place a male and a female guppy into one tank. At a time, they’ll
bear 60 fish maximum, but this can vary to lower numbers as well. You don’t
have to worry about these fish being able to take care of themselves, as
they’ll immediately learn to swim once they are born. They are however, prone
to being eaten by other fish, so if you have any other fish in the tank, move
the newly born guppies out of there!
They are very easy to feed as well, and will take to any sort of fish food you
give them. However, they do have a knack for better growth to some branded
foods.
Swordtails/Molly fish/ Platy fish:
There’s a reason for placing all these fish in the
same group. They are all very alike in terms of mannerisms, colour and even
appetite!
They can easily acclimate to different tank conditions, so even if you make
small mistakes, you won’t have to worry about them suffering any fatal
consequences.
They differ from the guppy in the sense that they are larger and coloured
differently. Not to mention, they are very active fish, and will have a larger
appetite and will seek food more frequently.
Speaking of feeding them, they require minimal supervision in those regards.
This is because they can eat frozen, live or artificial foods. Run out of fish
food? Just find something that’s appropriate for them from your fridge!
Just one that comes into consideration, is Platyfish. If you stick a few of the
males in the same tank, they might get into fights with each other, due to
their aggressive nature.
Zebrafish:
These are very small yet beautiful fish. In terms of
size, they grow till 4 cms, but are very simple to take care of. If you intend
to keep them in your tank, make sure to get a few of them at the same time,
since they like to school.
The fish is easy to feed and will gladly eat any type of food. However, feeding
them with flakes will be better for both you and them. Zebrafish like to move
to the surface to grab their food, and the flakes will remain on the surface if
uneaten. So, if your fish get hungry after a while, they can just swim to the
surface and eat the extra bits.
In terms of breeding, having a male and a female in the same tank will yield
results. However, you need to be ready, because they lay about 200-500 eggs at
the same time.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow:
If you thought the Zebrafish were small, then you’ll
be shocked to hear that these Minnows come at a maximum of 3 cms. Considering
their size, they also move in schools, so if you want to breed them, you’ll
have to keep a few at the same time.
However, this fish is very easy to keep, and will not be demanding at all. The
only thing you need to keep in mind, is that it prefers colder waters for which
people even keep them in ponds.
However, with their size, you won’t have to worry about how many fish you have
in a tank. Not to mention, they are very
docile and you don’t even have to worry about the young Minnow fish being
eaten. As pets they can serve you well, since they can live up to 3 years!
Cory (Corydoras):
Also another small and
schooling fish. There are a lot of different species of Corydoras, and the best
part is that most of them behave the same way.
They are very active fish and eat a lot. If there are leftovers in the tank,
they will move around and clean them up. Despite their appetite for food, they
don’t grow up to a large size.
In terms of feeding these fish, you’ll need to make sure you get them food that
reaches the bottom of the tank. It’s not that they won’t eat different foods
(any type of feed will attract them), but these fish tend to stick to the
bottom of the tank. Whenever they are hungry, they look for leftovers. It is
recommended that you feed them a special type of food for catfish, because they
fall to the bottom of the tank fast and don’t breakdown while doing so.
Conclusion:
While raising and breeding fish might be a difficult task, it helps to know
that there are fish out there, that anyone can learn fishkeeping with. All 5 of
these fish will require very little in terms of care, but will give you the
satisfaction of learning the hobby. Who knows, maybe you’ll learn to love it
and move onto bigger and better aquariums!
