searching for a small addition to a new or existing freshwater aquarium? We have the best of the small aquarium fish breeds for your tank. all of these Fish for small tank are less than 3 inches, but note that numerous of these species do best when in a small school of a minimum 3 to 5 individuals.
Before mixing new fish species, do your research thoroughly in purchase to make sure the environmental parameters match and they have the same compatibility. All new fish ought to be quarantined in a separate tank with separate equipment for 4 to 6 weeks to avoid the spread of disease.
Mickey mouse Platy Fish for small Tank
Platys are colorful, live-bearing fish that are very suitable for beginners. because they are live-bearing fish, numerous hobbyists start out with only one fish—which can rapidly multiply into numerous fish. The Mickey mouse Platy is named for a very particular color pattern formed in the tail peduncle.
Other Platy species include the Red Wagtail, Wagtail, and numerous more.
Species Overview
Common Names: Golden moon platy, mickey mouse platy, moonfish
Scientific Name: Xiphophorus maculatus
Adult Size: 1 to 2 inches (3 1/2 to 5 centimeters)
Life Expectancy: 5 years
Guppies Fish for small Tank
Guppies are a cornerstone of the small fish aquarium hobby. another live-breeding species, guppy tanks are typically overrun with offspring from frequent breeding. the best skill any guppy owner can learn is to tell the difference between males and females to keep populations from exploding.
Species Overview
Common Name: Guppy
Scientific Name: Poecilia reticulata
Adult Size: 2 inches
Life Expectancy: 2 to 3 years
Zebra danio (Zebrafish) Fish for small Tank
These small, striped fish are one of the few in the aquarium hobby that don’t require tropical temperatures. Zebrafish are peaceful, community players that love schooling in groups. There are multiple Danio species available in the pet market with a variety of colors and markings.
Species Overview
Common Names: striped danio, zebra danio, zebrafish
Scientific Name: Danio rerio
Adult Size: 2 inches
Life Expectancy: 5 years
Neon Tetra Fish for small Tank
One of the most common small freshwater aquarium species is the Neon Tetra. These fish are known for their colorful appearance with bright red and blue stripes. They are terrific community fish and school together in a dynamic wave.
The Cardinal or Red Neon Tetra is another, very similar species. They are distinguishable from the much more common Neon Tetra by their longer red tummy bar. The Black Neon Tetra is a similar species with black bars instead of color.
Species Overview
Common Names: Neon tetra, neon fish
Scientific Name: Paracheirodon innesi
Adult Size: 1 1/2 inches (4 centimeters)
Life Expectancy: 5 years
White Cloud mountain Minnow
The White Cloud mountain Minnow is another species of small community fish that does not require tropical temperatures. These fish do well in temperate tanks with Zebrafish and goldfish, offered they are not snack size. These fish are common in some aquascape setups where focus is put on the plants, not necessarily the fish.
Species Overview
Common Names: Canton danio, Chinese danio, white cloud, white cloud mountain fish, white cloud mountain minnow
Scientific Name: Tanichthys micagemmae
Adult Size: 1 1/2 inches
Life Expectancy: 3 to 5 years
Harlequin Rasbora Fish for small Tank
The Harlequin Rasbora is a small, schooling fish with a dynamic ruby coloration. These serene fish add a bright splash of color to planted or aquascaped tanks. There are numerous various species of Rasbora that stay small and do well in community tanks.
Species Overview
Common Name: Red rasbora
Scientific Name: Trigonostigma heteromorpha
Adult Size: 1 3/4 inches (4 1/2 centimeters)
Life Expectancy: 6 years
Serpae Tetra Fish for small Tank
The Serpae Tetra is a smaller fish with a big personality. These bright red schooling fish with black fins offer color to natural tankscapes. These fish are very active, and have the practice of biting fins of their pals and tankmates.
Species Overview
Common Names: Blood characin, callistus, callistus tetra, jewel tetra, red minor tetra, red serpae, serpa tetra, serpae tetra
Scientific Name: Hyphessobrycon eques
Adult Size: 1 3/4 inches (4 1/2 centimeters)
Life Expectancy: 5 years
Panda Corydora Fish for small Tank
The Panda Corydora is the most common corydora species seen in the pet trade. These fish have white or translucent bodies with contrasting black spots, giving them their panda-esque coloration.
There are multiple species of corydoras with similar, serene temperaments. The main differences between these species are their colors and markings. All corydoras are small, peaceful, bottom-dwelling, nocturnal fish species.
Species Overview
Common Names: Panda catfish, panda cory, panda corydoras
Scientific Name: Corydoras panda
Adult Size: 2 inches (5 centimeters)
Life Expectancy: 10 years
Glowlight Tetra Fish for small Tank
The Glowlight Tetra is not to be confused with GloFish species. Their coloration comes from natural color patterns and has not been genetically engineered.
Species Overview
Common Names: Glowlight tetra, glolight, fire neon
Scientific Name: Hemigrammus erythrozonus
Adult Size: 1 1/2 inches (4 centimeters)
Life Expectancy: 5 years
Pea Puffer Fish for small Tank
A newer addition to the aquarium hobby, the Pea Puffer is a small but mighty member of the pufferfish family. Don’t let their small size trick you! These small fish can be aggressive, even against their own kind.
The Pea Puffer is not recommended for beginner hobbyists. proper diet and environment is essential in long-term survival of these fish.
Species Overview
Common Names: Pea Puffer, Dwarf Puffer, Bumblebee Puffer, Malabar Puffer, Pygmy Puffer
Scientific Name: Carinotetraodon travancoricus
Adult Size: 1 to 1 1/2 inches
Life Expectancy: 4 years
Tiger Barb Fish for small Tank
The Tiger Barb is an easy fish to take care of, but they do not play well in community tanks. Be sure they are in much more aggressive level tanks and have lots of room to swim.
Species Overview
Common Names: Tiger barb, sumatra barb, and partbelt barb
Scientific Name: Barbus tetrazona
Adult Size: 3 inches
Life Expectancy: 6 years
Swordtail Fish for small Tank
Named for their elongated ventral tail fin, the Swordtail is another live bearer fish that can rapidly overwhelm a small system. There are numerous color varieties of Swordtail available in the pet fish market.
Species Overview
Common Name: Swordtail
Scientific Name: Xiphophorus helleri
Adult Size: 3 to 4 inches
Life Expectancy: 3 to 5 years
German Blue Ram
There are numerous species within the Cichlid family tree, but relatively few that stay small in size. The German Blue Ram is one such species, but are not recommended for beginners given their strict water quality and habitat requirements.
Species Overview
Common Names: German Blue Ram, Ram Chiclid, German Blue
Scientific Name: Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
Adult Size: 2 to 3 inches
Life Expectancy: 2 to 3 years
Buenos Aires Tetra
The Buenos Aires Tetra is making a comeback in the aquarium hobby. once known as voracious plant eaters, these colorful fish are being seen much more in heavily planted tanks, where plant food is plentiful. These community fish are easy to care for and can tolerate numerous beginner mistakes.
Species Overview
Common Names: Buenos Aires tetra, diamond spot characin, red cross fish
Scientific Name: Hyphessobrycon anisitsi
Adult Size: 2 3/4 inches (7 centimeters)
Life Expectancy: 5 years
Dwarf Gourami Fish for small Tank
Of the numerous gourami species, there are few that stay small. many gouramis are medium-sized fish, but the Dwarf Gourami, as the name suggests, tops out at only 2 inches. like other gouramis, these intermediate-level fishes have particular environmental requirements for successful lives.
Species Overview
Common Names: Dwarf gourami, flame gourami, powder blue gourami, red gourami, sunset gourami
Scientific Name: Trichogaster Ialius
Adult Size: 2 inches
Life Expectancy: 4 years
Gold (Chinese) Barb Fish for small Tank
Although this fish is green in the wild, it has been captively bred to show fantastic golden coloration. These active fish play well in community tanks but do choose slightly less than tropical temperatures.
Species Overview
Common Names: China barb, Chinese barb, Chinese half-striped barb, gold barb, green barb, half banded barb, half-stripes barb, Schubert’s barb, six-banded banded barb
Scientific Name: Puntius semifasciolatus
Adult Size: 3 inches (7 1/2 centimeters)
Life Expectancy: 5 years
Betta Fish for small Tank
Betta fish are one of the most common pet fish species. given their aggressive nature, male bettas ought to be kept away from other male bettas. Some female bettas can get along in groups, but not all. Betta fish come in a rainbow variety of colors and tail shapes.
Species Overview
Common Names: Betta, siamese combating fish
Scientific Name: Betta splendens
Adult Size: 3 inches (7 centimeters)
Life Expectancy: 2 to 3 years
Hachetfish Fish for small Tank
Looking for a much more challenging and rare small fish species? Hatchetfish have a very unique, compressed body shape, known for flying over the top of the water using their wing-like fins. These fish are not for beginners, because they have very particular tank requirements.
Species Overview
Common Name: Marbled hatchetfish
Scientific Name: Carnegiella strigata
Adult Size: 1 to 1 2/5 inches
Life Expectancy: 5 years
Congo Tetra Fish for small Tank
The Congo Tetra pushes the maximum length of the small fish category, but these schooling fish are a rainbow addition to numerous tanks. They are serene aquarium fish, with males having longer fins than females.
Species OverviewCommon Name: Congo Tetra
Scientific Name: Phenacogrammus interruptus
Adult Size: 3 to 3 1/2 inches
Life Expectancy: 3 to 5 years
Beacon Fish
The Beacon fish is another member of the tetra family. also known as the Head and Tail light tetra, this fish has distinctive copper spots that resemble lights on a vehicle. These fish do best in lower lighting with lots of plant cover.
Species Overview
Common Names: Beacon fish, beacon tetra, head and tail light tetra
Scientific Name: Hemigrammus ocellifer
Adult Size: 2 inches
Life Expectancy: 5 years
Black Phantom Tetra
Rather than bright colors, the Black Phantom Tetra is known for its darker appearance with elongated dorsal fin. These fish make a terrific contrast with other tetra species, who usually will all school together.
Species Overview
Common Names: Black phantom petra, phantom tetra
Scientific Name: Megalamphodus megalopterus
Adult Size: 1 3/4 inches (4 1/2 centimeters)
Life Expectancy: 5 years
Black Ruby Barb
Also known as the Purple-Headed Barb, the Black Ruby Barb has a distinct deep red coloration not typically seen in other aquarium fishes. With a similar body shape as the Tiger Barb (above), these fish start with a pale yellow body that deepens with maturity.
Species Overview
Common Names: Purple-headed barb, purplehead barb, ruby barb, black barb
Scientific Name: Pethia nigrofasciata
Adult Size: 2 inches
Life Expectancy: 5 years
Small fish may have small bodies, but that doesn’t imply they need a small tank! Some small species have larger tank requirements due to territoriality or the need to school in groups.
Before adding any new fish to an existing tank, be sure to do your research to make sure everyone will get along and have the appropriate water quality requirements, including temperature.