The Best Fish For Kids: 15 Aquarium Fish Species

A kids' fish tank needs to be well planned out. If your children are still learning how to care for new fish, you want species that are durable enough to weather some neglect. After all, we all know how our kids are prone to overfeeding, underfeeding, and forgetting when it's time to do a water change.

Each of the best fish for kids on this list has a tiny size that's suitable for the smallest aquariums. They are hardy, colorful, active, eat standard fish food, and most are easy to breed in captivity.

Best of all, you don't have to take my word on them alone! Other aquarium experts also agree with my choices here, including this video on the best fish for a kids' tank!

1.  Guppies

Nearly all fish keepers agree that guppies are low-maintenance fish. They are tolerant of elevated ammonia levels, eat fish flakes, and breed readily. Guppy fish are a colorful species, with morphs determined by the shape of their fins and pattern textures. Snakeskin, delta tail, and tuxedo guppies are just a few of the varieties your local pet store carries.

Male guppies have the most colorful bodies. You'll need a female or two if you want to see babies swimming around. The gender ratio should be two females per male. A single female can become tired and stressed from his constant chasing.

When your guppy female becomes pregnant, you should place her in a hanging breeding trap attached to the tank. The fry are easy to feed on crushed flake food and give children an easy opportunity to try fish rearing for themselves!

Guppies are livebearers and close cousins to platies, swordtail fish, and molly fish. All livebearers are good beginner fish!

• Scientific Name: Poecilia reticulata
• Length: 1-1/2 to 2 inches
• Aquarium Size: 5+ gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful

2. Betta Fish

No list of the best fish for kids would be complete without betta fish! These Southeast Asian fish live in shallow, stagnant bodies of water. They are adapted to thrive when oxygen levels are low and pollutants are high.

Betta fish can breathe air using their labyrinth organ. Even in clean aquariums they will rise to the surface for an occasional breath of fresh air. These traits make them perfect fish for kids who slack at maintaining good water quality.

Bettas are a semi-aggressive species. The males have been bred in Thailand for aggressive personalities. They save the worst of their aggression for each other. Sometimes you'll find a male betta that will chase other fish as well.

Keep a betta fish in a 10 gallon tank if you want to give him tank mates. Be careful with fish that nip at long fins, like tiger barbs. They will stress a betta through fin nipping. Otherwise, a lone betta fish is a good choice for a 5 gallon tank with a heater. Make sure to add some floating plants to give him a place to anchor his bubble nest to!

• Scientific Name: Betta splendens
• Length: 2-1/2 inches
• Aquarium Size: 5+ gallons
• Temperament: Semi-Aggressive

3. White Cloud Mountain Minnows

White cloud mountain minnows are also known as the poor man's neon tetra. These fish come from the mountainous areas of Southeastern China and Northern Vietnam. As cyprinids, they are related to danios, goldfish, and barbs.

Unlike most fish on this list, white cloud minnows don't need a tropical water temperature. In fact, they prefer room temperature range (55-70℉), saving you the costs associated with an aquarium heater. Tropical conditions cause these pet fish to stress and shorten their lifespans.

White cloud minnows are hardy fish that eat flakes, pellets, and other standard fish food. They are schooling fish and need to be kept in groups of 6 or more. Fortunately, they are small and inexpensive. A school of white clouds is a fine choice for a 5 gallon tank!

• Scientific Name: Tanichthys albonubes
• Length: 1-1/2 inches
• Aquarium Size: 5+ gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful; Schooling

4. Zebra Danios

The zebra danio is a popular fish with not just aquarists but scientific researchers as well. They are a model organism for biology; a species that is easy to care for in labs, breeds readily, and has genetics that are well understood.

Any fish store will have zebra danios in their normal and long finned morphs. A zebra danio is are calm fish that get along with anything that won't eat them. Their maximum size is 2 inches; females tend to be larger than males. You can also keep them in an unheated fish tank with white cloud minnows.

• Scientific Name: Danio rerio
• Length: 2 inches
• Aquarium Size: 10 gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful; Schooling

5. Platy Fish

Platies were my first aquarium fish and one of the best pet fish for kids. They are small omnivores from Central Mexico. There are two species in the trade, and both come in a wide range of colors. As livebearers, they are related to molly fish, swordtail fish, and guppies.

Breeding two platy fish is a treat because the babies come in a rainbow of colors, many of which look entirely unlike their parents! A black and blue platy may have red, yellow, or green babies.

They are true rainbow fish and a delight for a children's fish tank. Both female and male platies are colorful. Females are larger than males, and you'll want two females per male.

Platy fish eat flakes, pellets, live food, frozen food, algae…etc. There is little they won't accept. They are even hardy enough to be the first fish added to a new aquarium and help cycle the tank for future tank mates.

• Scientific Name: Xiphophorus maculatus/variatus
• Length: 2-1/2 inches
• Aquarium Size: 10 gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful

6. Dwarf Gourami

A dwarf gourami is the best pet fish for families that have space for a larger setup. A 20 gallon tank is the next most popular size for beginner fish setups. You can keep twice as many small fish compared to a 10 gallon tank. Or try something that gets a bit bigger!

Dwarf gourami males have alternating blue and red stripes in a rainbow of color. They are slow moving fish that prefer plants for cover. The females are silver in hue but keeping her with one male with ensure both display beautiful colors.

Dwarf gouramis can be aggressive towards their tank mates if kept alone or in too small of an aquarium. But with 20 gallons or more they are good tank mates. Gouramis are sensitive fish to ammonia and other nitrogenous waste products. Wait until your aquarium is fully cycled and add a dwarf gourami to the tank last!

• Scientific Name: Trichogaster lalius
• Length: 2-1/2 to 3 inches
• Aquarium Size: 20 gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful to Semi-Aggressive

7. Neon Tetras

Neon tetras are schooling fish from the Amazon river system in South America. They must be kept in groups of 6 or more. A single neon tetra will be shy and stressed from not having company

The best tank mates for neon tetras are other calm fish. Danios, tetras, guppies, platies, and snails are all good fish to add.

A neon tetra tank where they can live just with their own kind is also an attractive option. Add plenty of live or plastic plants and watch the bright neon tetras dart in and out of cover! Aquarium lighting should be kept low, which encourages your tetras to spend more time out in the open.

The one downside is that neon tetras are difficult to spawn in captivity. They have demanding water quality needs for breeding. If you'd like to teach your kids about the miracle of life, try guppies or zebra danio fish!

• Scientific Name: Paracheirodon innesi
• Length: 1-1/2 to 2 inches
• Aquarium Size: 10 gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful; Schooling

8. Bristlenose Plecos

Bristlenose plecos are closely related related to other algae eating catfish species. Common plecos (Hypostomus plecostomus) are easier to find in pet stores but aren't a good choice for a kid's tank. Their maximum size is 12 to 18 inches; far too large for a children's aquarium.

Bristlenose plecos grow no larger than 4 inches. Their comical flat body and bushy facial whiskers make them very appealing for kids to watch.

These peaceful fish feed on algae and hidden fish food. But don't expect them to eat just leftovers. Offer your bushynose pleco algae wafers every so often to ensure it remains well fed.

The aquarium light levels should be kept low as these are shy fish. Provide a bristlenose pleco with driftwood, caves, rocks, and other hiding places.

• Scientific Name: Ancistrus sp.
• Length: 3 to 4 inches
• Aquarium Size: 10+ gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful; Territorial

9. Tiger Barbs

Tiger barbs have been a staple of the aquarium hobby for decades. Selective breeding offers several color morphs, including the green tiger, albino tiger, and glotiger barb. Allow your kids to choose and name their favorites to mix and match in a school!

Tiger barbs are a hardy and popular species but need a bit more space than the other species on this list. They reach up to 3 inches long, are active swimmers, and schooling fish.

They can be fin nippers when kept with long finned fish like guppies or betta fish. They don't always nip fins; a school of tiger barbs usually keeps to themselves. Lone tiger barbs are more prone to this behavior.

• Scientific Name: Puntigrus tetrazona
• Length: 3 inches
• Aquarium Size: 20 gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful; Schooling

10. Corydoras Catfish

Bottom dwelling fish are often drab colored, nocturnal, or shy. Corydoras catfish are an exception to these rules! They are active fish that move about during the day. Groups of 3-4 fish or schools are what they prefer so don't keep cories alone.

They eat fish flakes and sinking pellets. Offer your cory cats frozen foods every so often. Brine shrimp, bloodworms, and other invertebrates are their favorite prey!

Corydoras catfish are hardy but prone to some odd behaviors. They wink their eyes, dart to the surface for air, and even lie on their sides at the bottom of the tank. None of this indicates that your cories are stressed or about to die. They're just unusual fish, which is part of their charm!

• Scientific Name: Corydoras sp.
• Length: 2 to 3 inches
• Aquarium Size: 10 gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful; Schooling

11. Goldfish

Goldfish have been raised as pet fish for thousands of years in ancient China. They come in hundreds of color morphs and body shapes. Bubble headed orandas, calico shubunkins, and veil finned comets are just a few of the options available.

Goldfish are the largest aquarium fish for kids on our list. So don't think about keeping them in a bowl or desktop aquarium. A 20 to 30 gallon tank is required for an adult goldfish, with 10 gallons of space more per additional fish.

A goldfish diet should be varied as these are omnivorous fish. High quality flakes, pellets, boiled peas, earthworms, soft aquarium plants, and brine shrimp are just a few of the foods they will eat.

Goldfish are hardy, resistant to poor water quality, and very long lived. For some related reading, the oldest goldfish was Tish, a fair fish who lived to be 43 years old!

• Scientific Name: Carassius auratus
• Length: 8 to 12 inches
• Aquarium Size: 20-30 gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful

12. Kuhli Loaches

Kuhli loaches are a beginner fish from Southeast Asia that prefers warm conditions (75-80℉). They are worm-like loaches that squirm between plant roots looking for small invertebrates.

By hunting along the bottom, a group of kuhli loaches ensures that no leftover food decays into ammonia, polluting your children's fish tank. Their care isn't complicated, though kuhli loaches like to hide and are prone to disappearing for a few days.

Keep kuhli loaches in a fish tank with a sand bottom. These fish love to burrow and dig. Gravel grains will scratch their soft, scaleless skin.

Feed kuhli loaches sinking pellets, flakes, and frozen foods like bloodworms. Tubifex worms are a good treat but feed these sparingly as they are high in fat.

• Scientific Name: Pangio kuhlii
• Length: 3 inches
• Aquarium Size: 10-20 gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful

13. Glofish Tetra

Glofish are the first genetically engineered pet fish species available on a large scale. They are black skirt tetras that have jellyfish and coral DNA added to them. The fish fluoresce under black lights and maintain vivid neon colors under a normal aquarium light.

Glotetras come in several colors that can be mixed and matched. They are medium-sized, active fish and should be kept in fish tanks no smaller than 20 gallons. Like tiger barbs, Glofish tetras will nip the fins of other fish if kept alone. In a school, they prefer chasing each other around.

They are the best pet fish if your children enjoy aquariums with fanciful decorations! 20 gallon Glofish tanks come with black lights, neon gravel, and other additions that get your kids' imaginations flowing!

• Scientific Name: Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
• Length: 2-1/2 inches
• Aquarium Size: 20 gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful; Schooling

14. Apple Snails

A freshwater fish tank usually has room for an invertebrate or two. Apple snails are impressively large snail that feed on detritus like dead plants, algae, and leftover fish pellets. They are peaceful and should be kept with small fish that won't pick at them.

Some freshwater snails will breed out of control when added to an aquarium, including ramshorn snails (family Planorbidae). Apple snails lay eggs along the upper rim of a tank where the water ends and air begins. It is easy to remove any eggs that are laid to keep their numbers under control!

• Scientific Name: Pomacea bridgesii
• Length: 3+ inches in diameter
• Aquarium Size: 10 gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful

15. Red Cherry Shrimp

What if you've already seen each of the best pet fish for kids in someone else's fish tank? Freshwater aquariums offer more than just vertebrates as options. The red cherry shrimp is a stunning invertebrate that's hardy and easy to care for.

Red cherry shrimp are small crustaceans from Taiwan. They come in dozens of color morphs, including blue, yellow, and green. Red is by far the most popular variety. Cherry shrimp are peaceful additions to any community tank so long as the fish you have won't eat them. Any of the fish on this list is shrimp-safe.

Cherry shrimp are detritivores that feed on leftover fish flakes, bacteria, and algae. They are good additions to an aquarium that is mature and running with healthy fish. Such a tank will naturally grow biofilm and detritus for them to eat.

Kids can also keep red cherry shrimp in their own tanks. The shrimp are low maintenance and breed readily. You may have lots of babies to find homes for!

• Scientific Name: Neocaridina davidi
• Length: 1-1/2 inches
• Aquarium Size: 5 gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful

Conclusion

The best fish for a kids' aquarium are small, hardy, and colorful. Many have long fins or come in several color morphs. From betta fish to red cherry shrimp, there's something for every family to try keeping!