Favorite beginner fish poll

[russ757]

what is yuor favorite begginner fish

 

[Darlene]

We had mollies as our first fish, and a dwarf gourami. I would have to say the dwarf gourami was my favorite out of the two.

 

[Amanda]

Bettas! Those boys can survive anything & they're so beautiful. They also tend to forgive you when you make stupid mistakes (like I did with my first betta)

 

[MinxMermaid]

Goldfish!!!

 

[Shawnie]

lionhead goldfish for me!

 

[angelfish220]

Bettas

They get you hooked into fishkeeping easy.

 

[sirdarksol]

Danios or goldfish (the latter only if the person has a large enough tank).

Many of the fish on the list above are fish that I wouldn't consider to be beginner fish.

 

[russ757]

sorry ifI put bad choices I just put fish off the top of my head srry

 

[Devon]

I would say goldfish are a very common/well-liked first fish, but I think people tend to misunderstand their space requirements, so I probably wouldn't recommend them to a new fish keeper.

Same is true of bettas, but as Amanda said I think they are some of the most forgiving when we made dumb newbie mistakes. :/ Betta was my first fish and remains my all-time fave fish, so... there's my answer.

 

[Alessa]

platies, there is no doubt about those little finny clowns they are super strong and easy to care for

 

[Martinismommy]

Even though my Betta boys are the most spoiled things on Earth besides my Chihuahuas and Granddaughter I have to say I have seen other peoples Bettas survive the most undesireable conditions....

I have to say Bettas.........

 

[russ757]

it looks like bettas have taken this poll by storm lol

 

[sirdarksol]

sorry ifI put bad choices I just put fish off the top of my head srry

No need to be sorry. They're still valid choices for people to vote on. It's just my personal opinion that some aren't beginner fish.

 

[fishrule101]

I say mollies for Freshwater and ocellaris clownfish for SW.

 

[DaniosForever]

What’s your favorite beginner fish? My favorite is betta fish because of their personality
By beginner I mean hardy Danios are very hardy and they were my first fish

 

[Blacksheep1]

Tetras. Because there’s other varieties other than neons .. some are wonderfully hardy fish that grow into lovely colours and deep bodied shapes. That plain little silvery fish can grow into something beautiful

 

[BigManAquatics]

I like tetras myself, both the variety and apparent hardiness of many species. Except neons. Everybody and their brother keeps neons.

 

[KingOscar]

Well, on your list choices it would be Tetra's hands down. It's a very large class with a wide variety to choose from. Something for everyone and every tank.

 

[Sewerrat]

Out of list platys zebra danio would be my first choice

 

[StarGirl]

I really dont think of Bettas and Cories as beginner fish myself. I do however like Tetras.

 

[aquanata]

By beginner I mean hardy

I'd be reluctant to recommend any of these fish to a beginner simply because there's so much misinformation about their care & they tend to end up in very poor conditions as a result. Too, Corys require a lot of stability often too difficult for a beginner to achieve.

For me, I'd recommend Zebra Danios for ease of care & sturdiness as a beginner learns the ropes!

 

[Liv2011]

Bettas and platies are usually my go-to recommendations, followed by tetras and danios.
I’ve worked at a couple pet stores over the last year and half or so, and most beginners want to start with either a small tank (betta) or a slightly-less-small tank with a few community fish who don’t need a whole school (platies). (Guppies would also work here but our supplier always sends unhealthy ones that die off by the dozen until there’s just a few left, so they’re constantly marked not for sale.)
If they’re willing to go a little bigger, then I point them towards the tetras and danios. They consistently do well, and there’s more options.
(Weirdly, though, we don’t stock neons.)

 

[Chailyte]

I say bettas because 2 things
1. I started with a betta
2. They are cheaper compared to others and they need a lot of a smaller tank, so its easier to maintain

 

[TClare]

To be honest I think a beginner can keep most fish providing that they do sufficient research beforehand so that they are aware of any specific requirements. Though of course it would be unusual for a beginner to choose a monster fish that needs a really big aquarium and those listed are probably amongst the most frequently chosen by beginners. I think angelfish are often bought by beginners too, even though they are not necessarily the easiest to keep.

Of those listed I prefer tetras, for the reasons others have given, I like neon tetras, it doesn’t matter that they are common, they are still beautiful, but there is an incredible variety of lovely species and they are generally not too demanding.

Livebearers can be interesting for beginners too as they are easy to breed, but bettas, although very attractive, do seem to have a lot of health problems.

 

[AvaS]

My vote is for platy or molly. Not only are they hardy but they come in alot of different colors, not too big or too small for smaller tanks, good community fish, easy to sex and breed like crazy, great for beginner or kids. Guppies and Betas I found more sensitive and to have more health issues. Cory’s can be very sensitive depending on the species.

 

[fish 321]

I would say barbs specifically cherry barbs those suckers are hard to kill.

 

[Blacksheep1]

For a practically bomb proof fish white cloud mountain minnows are quite forgiving and beautiful.

I still think tetras off the list though. Neons are lovely but that’s what caused their down fall imo

 

[DaniosForever]

Looks like tetras win the vote! My personal favorite tetra is the ember tetra with red or orange color and if in a large school they will look awesome.

 

[bgarthe]

Guppies and Platies……I might add, though, that any beginner fish, including all the ones mentioned before, has needs that must be met in its care. So…..imho, a ‘beginner fish‘ is merely a fish that one is willing to ‘begin’ the dedication to its husbandry.….hardiness aside. Interestingly, after 55 years of fish-keeping, I’m still into Platies and Guppies as well as others.

 

[Paradox110]

What’s your favorite beginner fish? My favorite is betta fish because of their personality

I also like betta fish because they are insanely hardy. My first betta, which I still have right now was so insanely tough and survived every single mistake I made. He survived me forgetting to dehclorinate water after water change, putting him in a tank that wasn’t cycled and single handedly cycling it himself without ever a hint of ammonia poisoning, and so much more.
now he’s retired in a luxurious, heavily planted 15 gallon with a school of harlequin rasboras he bullies whenever he feels like it.

 

[DaniosForever]

I feel like older the betta it’s more grumpy or more mellow it depends on the fish

 

[TClare]

I also like betta fish because they are insanely hardy. My first betta, which I still have right now was so insanely tough and survived every single mistake I made. He survived me forgetting to dehclorinate water after water change, putting him in a tank that wasn’t cycled and single handedly cycling it himself without ever a hint of ammonia poisoning, and so much more.
now he’s retired in a luxurious, heavily planted 15 gallon with a school of harlequin rasboras he bullies whenever he feels like it.

You were lucky, but there are so many posts here about bettas with health issues that I don’t believe most of them are that hardy.

 

[Rose of Sharon]

Yeah, not bettas for sure...not any longer. Maybe in the past, but not now.

I agree with White Cloud Mountain Minnows being a good beginner fish like Blacksheep1 suggested. They are cool water fish, can withstand a large range of water parameters, have a nice life span, are peaceful, and are really pretty little fish when they color up.

 

[Paradox110]

You were lucky, but there are so many posts here about bettas with health issues that I don’t believe most of them are that hardy.

Mine sure is. It obviously varies, and most probably aren’t, but mine is a tough mf. Oh, and also I got some new harlequin rasboras for his 15 gallon, they got Ich and a lot died, meanwhile he didn’t get sick once.

I feel like older the betta it’s more grumpy or more mellow it depends on the fish

Mine’s about 2 1/2 years old, he’s really mellow, he’s barely alert unless it’s feeding time

 

[aquanata]

Mine sure is. It obviously varies, and most probably aren’t, but mine is a tough mf. Oh, and also I got some new harlequin rasboras for his 15 gallon, they got Ich and a lot died, meanwhile he didn’t get sick once.

Mine’s about 2 1/2 years old, he’s really mellow, he’s barely alert unless it’s feeding time

I imagine you were abbreviating your betta's attributes into the first letters of Magnificent Fish?

I've taken in relatively mellow males too but none able to resist an ich outbreak or the flirtatious wiggle of another fishes fins. A few have ignored bold pest snails & one of the current males learned his lesson on a cory's barbs. He seems to have experienced quick but long lasting insight in that case.

Hope your magnificent betta & other fish have long & healthy lives.

 

[jaysurf7]

I would say tetras also there's quite a wide variety of them and they are pretty hardy fish, and usually not that expensive for people beginning an aquarium i think they might be the most popular fishes in the hobby.
After that i would say betta fish i know quite a few people who just have a betta tank.