Top 10 Tropical Fish for Beginners: Easy-to-Keep Species

Here are 10 perfect species for your first tropical fish.

1. Neon Tetra Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ / Price: 50-100 yen Unmatched beauty in schooling. Hardy and affordable — the ideal first step.

2. Guppy Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ / Price: 100-500 yen Showy tail fins and the joy of breeding. Watch out for overpopulation.

3. Corydoras paleatus Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ / Price: 300-500 yen Adorable sifting behavior on the substrate. A hardy beginner Corydoras.

4. White Cloud Mountain Minnow Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ / Price: 50-100 yen Unbeatable hardiness. Can even be kept without a heater.

5. Platy Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ / Price: 100-300 yen Hardy and colorful. Easy breeding like Guppies.

6. Rasbora espei Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ / Price: 150-300 yen Orange body with wedge-shaped markings. Beautiful small schooling species.

7. Golden Honey Gourami Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ / Price: 300-500 yen Vibrant yellow color. Peaceful and community-friendly. Distinctive feeler-like ventral fins.

8. Otocinclus Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ / Price: 300-500 yen Algae-eating expert. Ideal for brown algae control.

9. Freshwater Shrimp (Neocaridina) Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ / Price: 50-100 yen Cleanup crew that eats algae and leftover food. Easy to breed.

10. Betta Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ / Price: 300-3,000 yen Beautiful fins in a small tank. Single-fish keeping only.