If we ask ourselves what it means for a fish to be easy to care for, we will say that it is one that is easy to feed, maintain, it is resistant to most fish diseases, and it can also live and adapt to various aquatic environments.
That's why in this article on our site, we're going to show you a few species of beautiful and easy to care for freshwater fish that they are peaceful, because they do not come into conflict with other species; and gregarious, because they need to live in shoals of small fish to feel good, but in addition, they are also active and very easy to care for, so these types that you We explain below, they are ideal for amateurs or beginners, who have not had a community aquarium before, and do not know how to care for or how many fish to put in a tank.
Some cyprinids
The cyprinids, commonly known as carp or barbel, are one of the largest families of fish in the aquatic kingdom. Its origin is Asian and currently, they can be found anywhere in the world, except in South America. Most fish of this species are omnivores and are generally easy fish to feed, care for and maintain. In this section, we are going to explain four types of cyprinids that are small, very resistant, active and colourful: the danios, the rasboras, the Chinese neons and the barbels.
Danios
The danios are a species of cyprinids that live in the area of East India and Bangladesh and have a untiring vitality.
They can measure up to 6 cm in length and are normally olive green or golden, with shades of brown and bright blue stripes that run longitudinally throughout the body.
These fish are gregarious and not at all conflictive, yes, they are very active and great jumpers, so it is better to keep the aquarium closed for that there is no accident and they escape. On the other hand, they live in neutral and soft or moderately hard waters and their ideal temperature is from 18 to 26º C. In addition, they are very resistant and do not need special care, so they are ideal for beginners.
Some varieties of danios are the giant danio, the zebra danio, the leopard danio, the pearl danio or the veilfin danio.
Rasboras
Rasboras are another species of cyprinids that live in Southeast Asia in the jungles of Borneo, Sumatra, Malaysia, Thailand and the island of Java. They are well known for being highly resistant to disease, for their attractive colors and for their good sociability
Depending on the species, the rasboras can be of different sizes but normally, the harlequins, which are the best known, only reach about 5 cm. They are characterized by being very nice and showy fish, and their colors depend on their type. The most typical colors are orange, brown and their stop-and-start swimming make them very interesting to look at as a school.
These fish are also gregarious, that is, they like to live in small groups, but they are very active and easy to care for. The only curious fact is that rasboras eat their own young when they are still eggs, so it is very unlikely that if you have these fish in an aquarium, you will see fry in the water, because surely the male of the species has already will have eaten them. Even so, the females are always reproducing and the ideal is to separate the pair in case you want to breed more.
Some varieties of rasbora include harlequin rasbora, espei rasbora, clown rasbora, kalochroma rasbora, dwarf rasbora, and scissors rasbora.
Chinese Neon
Chinese neons or Tanichthys albonubes are also a species of cyprinids found in mountain streams in China, and are famous for their dazzling, bright colors.
They usually measure between 4 and 6 cm, and are generally greenish-brown with a longitudinal white-yellow-pinkish line, a red tail, and yellow and red fins.
These fish are peaceful with other species and are gregarious, so they need to live in groups of at least 10 specimens of Chinese neons, so that they grow up he althy and happy. They are also jumping fish so it is best to have a covered tank. They need a temperature between 15 and 24 º C and are ideal to keep at home because they are pretty fish, easy to care for, resistant, and very unlikely to get sick.
Barbos
Barbels are also one of the species of cyprinids that live in the tropical waters of Indonesia, and they are very active and easy to care for.
The most recommended types of barbels to keep at home usually measure between 6 and 7 cm and have yellowish or reddish iridescence on the sides and four transverse black stripes that are their most characteristic feature. The dorsal and anal fins are blood red. The upper back is brown and the belly is white.
Barbels are very social fish and super active because they are always on the move. They are also gregarious so they need to live in a group of 6 or more individuals. These fish need a temperature of 20 to 26º C and are a bit more sensitive to fungal diseases, but they are still hardy, beautiful and easy to keepIn addition, when preparing an aquarium, it is recommended to place plants with resistant and narrow leaves, since barbels tend to eat the plants in fish tanks.
Varieties of barbels include tiger barbel, cherry barbel, clown barbel, pink barbel and ruby black barbel.
Coridoras
Coridoras are some oviparous fish of the family Callichthyidae, to which more than 140 species of catfish belong. These are so called because they have whiskers and often live at the bottom of the aquarium while searching for food. That's why we know them as "garbage" fish
They come from almost the entire South American geography, especially from neotropical waters and feed on the remains of food that fall to the bottom of the aquarium, and thus, while they eat, they also keep clean the depths of our fish tanks.
These types of fish are generally small and measure between 5 and 6 cm. The colors depend entirely on the species they are, but what they all have in common are the 6 barbels they have around their mouths.
Coridoras are very resistant fish as they can survive in aquariums with little oxygen and rise directly to the surface to breathe through your gut. In addition, they are also very resistant to disease, beautiful and easy to care for, making them ideal for first-time users.
Some of the varieties of coridora are the bronze coridora, the spotted coridora, the leopard coridora, the arched coridora, the bandit coridora and the panda coridora.
Rainbow Fish
Rainbow fish are multicolored fish that belong to the genus Melanotaenia and Hypseleotris and come from the islands of Australia, New Guinea and Madagascar.
These fish do not usually exceed 12 cm in length, have a double dorsal fin and are of various colors because theirscales are reflective Many of them seem to change their color as a result of age, food or sexual activity. Like guppies, rainbow fish need a temperature between 22 and 26ºC.
Like the rest of the species we have seen so far, these are also peaceful, active and gregarious fish, so they need to live in groups of 6 or more specimens to avoid stress. In addition, they do not require any special care, and are very easy to breed and maintain.
Some types are Australian rainbowfish, Boeseman rainbow, Turkish rainbow, and Celebes rainbow.
