Top 10 Best Fish for kids
Most kids love animals, so at some point, they’ll probably want a pet. Cats and dogs require a lot of attention, while fish are low maintenance and won’t take up much of your time. Most fish are easy to care for, which means children can get involved and help care for them.
In terms of interest, it’s hard not to get sucked in when watching a school of vibrant fish flitting around an aquarium. Once you decide to buy fish, you have to choose what kind of fish to buy. It depends on things like your experience with fish farming and what kind of fish your child likes. We’ve put together a list of the 10 best fish for kids to eat. Your children will love caring for these popular species. Related: The best fish for beginners
Children love color. They are probably the most fascinating feature of fish, so children are easily enthralled by the array of colors running around the aquarium. Guppies are an excellent source of color for fish tanks. This is why they are sometimes called "rainbow fish". They come from South America, which is also the source of many other colorful fish. There are many varieties of guppies to choose from, each with its own color, pattern and shape, so you can choose your perfect fish. What makes guppies even more appealing is that they are easy to care for, which is very important if you want to involve children in the aquarium. Each fish is between 0.6 and 2.4 inches in size, which means you can keep a small school of fish in a five-gallon tank. By mimicking the species’ natural habitat, the tank itself is easy to set up. Keep their environment clean and give them a healthy diet to ensure your fish stay healthy. This will minimize your chances of getting sick. Guppies are omnivores, so they eat both plants and animals. High quality dried foods can provide many of the nutrients they need, but this should always be supplemented by live or frozen foods. Guppies like to hang out with their own kind, so the bigger the shoal, the happier they are. A large crowd will also help them show off their colors.This is another colorful species that most people will encounter somewhere. They are among the most widely farmed fish in the industry. Each fish has a red and a blue stripe stretching horizontally across its body. The colors are neon lights (hence the name) that glisten under aquarium lighting. Be careful not to mistake them for Cardinal Tetra, they have a similar colour. Neon tetras are a shoal species that need to be around people to stay happy and stress-free. Schools of fish move together in the tank, which exaggerates their color and movement. They are very active and social, so children will enjoy watching them for hours. These peace-loving fish also enjoy being around other species. You can set up your own community aquarium by choosing peers of similar size and even-tempered personality. Most of the other fish on this list will work just fine. Taking care of them is easy. They prefer aquarium conditions similar to many other aquarium fish, so setting up the tank is not a problem. They like lots of swimming space and planting areas. They only grow to 1.5 inches; You can keep them in fish tanks that are 10 gallons or larger.
Feed them a mixture of dry food and live or frozen food. This will provide all the nutrients and protein these omnivores need.
Angelfish can’t compete with guppies and neon carp in color, but because of their shape, they are still one of the most beautiful freshwater species. They are almost triangular like arrows. They have wide, long fins that flow behind them when they swim. They can grow up to 6 inches long and 8 inches tall. I might be a little harsh on their colors. Angelfish come in a variety of colors and patterns, so there are many varieties that can give the most colorful fish a run for their money. As omnivores, this species can eat most aquarium food. In the wild, they mostly eat small live prey, so buying some small live or frozen foods (such as marinated shrimp or water fleas) is the best way to provide a healthy diet. The angelfish is a type of cichlid native to the Amazon in South America; It aims to replicate this environment in your tank. It’s not too difficult. The tank should be at least 20 gallons long and tall enough for their height. Set aside some areas for swimming, but also provide some plant-dense space. You may notice your angelfish showing small amounts of aggression from time to time. This is usually not a problem, but by choosing the right tank buddy, you can be confident that all of your pets will be safe. Choose species that will not bully your angelfish, or will not be bullied by your angelfish. Other cichlids such as discus or Bolivian RAMS will work, but fish like Mollies and Dwarf Gourami are also good choices.
Kuhli loaches also have a unique appearance. They have a slender eel-like body, but it only grows to about 3-5 inches. There are 10-15 dark vertical stripes along their length, with yellow in the middle. On their heads, you’ll notice the 4 pairs of barbs they use to find food. These are very sensitive, so you need a soft substrate to prevent damaging them. Another reason for the soft bottom is that these fish like to burrow; They can only do this if the substrate is smooth and easy to move, such as sand. They spend most of the day digging and come out at night to feed. Keep Kuhli loaches with some active, quiet water swimmers so that there is plenty of movement in the tank. Children will love looking for their Kuhli Loaches and it’s exciting when you manage to spot it. While they’re hiding, there will be other fish at the community aquarium for your kids to watch. This Asian species is not difficult to care for. As omnivorous scavengers, they will eat anything you add to the tank once it sinks to the bottom. It is important to keep the tank clean and oxygenated. A good quality filter will help. When you find excess algae, wipe it down and change the water regularly. Air pumps are also a good way to oxygenate water.
The Yo-yo loach goes by many names, such as the Almora Loach or the Pakistan Loach (because it originally came from Pakistan). Yo-yo loaches get their name from the distinctive black stripes on their bodies that give them a "Y-O-Y-O" pattern. While the design is very attractive, their personality is a huge draw for many aquarium enthusiasts. You can usually tell them apart by their behavior, so children attach to each one individually. They are always on the lookout for food, so you can be sure there will always be activity in the lower levels of your tank. Yo-yo loaches usually keep to themselves, although they are curious and do interact with others. They will stand up for themselves if needed, but most of the time remain peaceful. Most tropical fish make good tank mates. Just make sure they aren’t slow swimmers so they can stay away from Yoyo loaches if they get rowdy. Keep them alone or in groups of five or six to avoid competition between them. They can grow up to 2.5 inches (and sometimes more), so a fish needs at least a 20-gallon tank. Protect their barbells with a soft backing. Provide burrows and plants so they have a place to hide. For this omnivore, you can use most aquarium foods. Yoyo loaches eat whatever substrate they can find.The dwarf hyacinth is a member of the Osphronemidae family, which means it has a very useful organ. It’s called the labyrinth organ, and it sucks oxygen out of the air. That’s something you can teach your kids. They can watch it in action because the dwarf gourd rice occasionally comes up to the surface to breathe. But this isn’t done all the time, because the species also has gills. Even when swimming normally in an aquarium, they are a beautiful sight. They have flat bodies, large fins and some impressive colors. There are many colors and patterns to choose from. Traditionally, they are blue and red with stripes or spots.
Another selling point is that they are very hardy. Taking care of them is easy, and if the condition of the tank changes slightly, they should be fine as long as you correct it quickly. They grow up to 4.5 inches, and a pair can fit in a 10-gallon tank. They are happy with their own kind, but you can also surround them with other species. If they are calm and not nervous, they can get along well with others. If dwarf gourd rice isn’t your thing, there are other varieties of gourd rice on the market.
Next up is mollie, a famous live fish. This means that their eggs develop inside their bodies and survive as young children. If you want to start a brand new breeding box with your baby, this is probably the best species you can choose. They mate a lot, even if you don’t try to get them to mate, they will do so in captivity. If you don’t plan on keeping them, they are still a great addition to a community aquarium. These peace-loving fish get along well with other fish of similar size and temperament. You should have them in groups of at least four. In the wild, they would stay with their own kind. A small group like this could fit into a 10-gallon aquarium. Your freshwater facility should include plenty of plants for shelter. These are also useful when laying eggs. Molly is another easy feeding species. They eat both plants and animals, and therefore most aquarium food. Part of the diet should be nutritious, live food, especially during mating. We haven’t even talked about how great Molly looks. Their colors are bold. You can choose the color you want because they have been extensively bred. There are several different types of mollies. These include Sailfin Molly, which has a large dorsal fin, and Lyretail Molly, which has a tail fin that shrinks into two points and leaves a mark behind.
Swordtails are another carrier species that are easy to breed. They are closely related to Mollies and Platy Fish; They all belong to the Posiliaceae family. You can easily identify male swordtails because their tails look like swords. The lower lobe of the caudal fin is elongated. Women lack this ability. Natural populations from North and Central America are olive green, but now thanks to selective breeding, there are many varieties for you to choose from. Beginners will love sword tails because they are easy to care for. Once they are in the aquarium, you just need to keep it clean and feed them. They eat almost anything. Their minimum tank capacity is 15 gallons, as they can grow up to 6.5 inches. You should keep them in small groups, even if they’re not necessarily schools of fish. Keep only one male for every four females to prevent aggressive displays. Fighting can result in injury or death, so watch out for this behavior. Swordtails like to be around other fish, and they’re a social species. They show a lot of interesting behaviors, so children will enjoy watching them. A quiet community aquarium is a great place to keep them. If they are around noisy fish, they will become shy and hide. Your aquarium should have open swimming Spaces and dense planting areas, the latter important for spawning.
So far, we’ve only talked about freshwater fish, but there are many great opportunities for Marine fish as well.
One of the most iconic is the clownfish. Kids will recognize this species from the movie Finding Nemo, so clownfish may already be one of their favorites. Luckily, this species is easy to keep at home, so it’s a good choice for beginners who have never started an ocean tank before. You can replicate their natural diet by serving plenty of meaty foods such as methong shrimp and marinated shrimp. Part of their diet can be flakes or pellets, which will contain a number of different nutrients. These 4-inch fish will hold at least 20 gallons. It is recommended that you keep clownfish in pairs or groups. To start a peaceful community, you can add some damselfish or buni. Ideally, your aquarium should have anemones, but these are hard to care for. If you’re new to SeaWorld, maybe try some other coral or rock first. Like many sea fish, clownfish have bold colors that will brighten up your aquarium. They are intensely orange in color with three white stripes and black fin edges.
This is a very peculiar species that attracts people with its strange appearance and behavior. This is another peaceful sea fish that lives well in the community. The first thing you notice about them is the strange pattern. They have yellow heads and dorsal/pectoral fins; Red dots on the back; There’s also a vertical black bar in the middle. Not to mention red-eye flights. People are often interested in their own actions, too. They are mostly nocturnal (hence their large eyes), so they spend most of the day wandering around caves and rocks. You should keep pajama cardinals in groups of 5 or more. They will mostly remain peaceful, but sometimes attack each other when mated for breeding. Most quiet sea fish make good tank mates. The tank itself should have places to hide, but also lots of open swimming space. If you feel confident, you can try adding some coral. You can feed them good dry food. If they don’t accept it, try live shrimp. Both are necessary for a healthy diet. While they will mate in captivity, there are some species that are easier to breed. Cardinals are oral brooders, which means the male holds the eggs in his mouth while they develop. Getting children involved in fish farming is a rewarding experience. They can learn a lot and have fun in the process. Hopefully, you’ve found some fish that kids might like, or they’ve pointed out their favorite fish. All 10 species on the list are good choices, but there are many more to choose from. If you want children to be involved in caring for them, then you’ll want some hardy species that are easy to care for. If you’re an experienced aquarium keeper who will do most of the maintenance, the bright and colorful species will be popular with kids.
