The most unpretentious aquarium fish: varieties, selection and care

For novice aquarists, as well as for those lovers of artificial reservoirs who do not have the opportunity to spend a lot of time caring for the inhabitants of aquariums, there are unpretentious fish. All their content usually comes down to feeding and timely replacement of water.

Of course, anyone can buy those fish that they like externally, but, as practice shows, it is best for beginners to start with varieties that are easy to maintain.

All fish living in aquariums, which can be classified as unpretentious, feel quite comfortable in water with any characteristics - for them, acidity, level of hardness and even temperature are not of fundamental importance. In most cases, thorough filtration is also not required - for full growth and reproduction, the simplest internal filter with a sponge, which performs mechanical cleaning, is quite enough for them. As for aeration, a lot depends on the characteristics of the tank.

One of the main advantages of low-maintenance fish is that they don't need roomy aquariums. The calculation of individuals for each tank depends on the characteristics of the fish. For example, for small guppies, 2 liters will be enough for one fish, swordsmen need a little more space - 5 liters, but for each barbus there should already be about 10 liters.

And of course, fish from the category of the most unpretentious have low requirements for the level of light, the regularity of changing water and food. They are able to withstand increased loads, although it is better not to force them to be stressed, as this can significantly reduce their lifespan.

Usually, unpretentious fish are quite peaceful creatures, so they can rightfully be called universal. They get along well with many other species of fish, so the aquarist can always purchase several flocks (eg, neons, guppies, zebrafish) without any fear that they may harm each other. These fish will live well in the same water column, delighting their breeders with a variety of colors and interesting habits.

The most tenacious and hardy fish include the following representatives of the aquatic flora.

• Guppy. According to the description, these are perhaps the easiest aquarium fish to keep, which is why they often become the first pets of novice aquarists. They are able to survive in a tank without filter and aeration. Guppies feel quite comfortable in water with a temperature of 18-28 degrees, they have good vitality and conflict-free, therefore they easily coexist with a wide variety of aquarium inhabitants.

• Swordsmen. Another representatives of unpretentious fish, the body length of which reaches 10 cm, they got their name due to the peculiar shape of the tail, are usually kept in groups of 3-5 individuals. Swordsmen are quite comfortable in small tanks, temperatures from 21 to 26 degrees are suitable for them, but even when heated to only 15 degrees, they can survive. These fish feed on both plant and live food. Best of all, swordtails feel themselves in shelters and all kinds of vegetation, fish have a habit of jumping out of the water, therefore it is advisable to install a glass or a lid on the aquarium.

• Catfish. This is a large group of unpretentious aquarium inhabitants, which includes several species.

• Corridor... These are unpretentious, peaceful and at the same time very interesting fish, usually they swim in small flocks and play hide and seek with each other. For a full-fledged existence, a water temperature of 20-25 degrees is suitable for them, it is desirable that the water be soft with low acidity.

• Tarakatums. These fish need a spacious aquarium, but they can easily get along with a wide variety of aquatic inhabitants - thanks to their solid shell, they are not even afraid of meeting predators. These fish live for about 10 years; in the aquarium, they prefer to spend time in shelters, as well as snags and caves.

• Ancistrus. These catfish are completely unpretentious to the conditions of their existence - water heated to 20-28 degrees suits them. These fish live for about 10 years, prefer plant foods, so you can even throw pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchini, dandelion leaves and other greens into the aquarium. In addition to the fact that these fish are unpretentious, they are also very useful - these aquatic inhabitants clean glass and remove food debris from the bottom.

• Pecilia... This is one of the most hardy aquarium fish, which is completely unpretentious to the characteristics of the liquid. Pecilia can exist for a long time without oxygenation and filtration of water, they feed on a wide variety of food and can reproduce even in an unfavorable environment.These fish cannot be called schooling, but their content with related varieties is allowed.

• Danio. They are distinguished by their peacefulness and therefore most often live in flocks, due to which their interesting color looks even brighter. Usually, such fish grow small, no more than 3-4 cm, they eat both dry food and frozen protein food. The suitable water temperature for them is 20-26 degrees.

• Neons. One of the most common and beautiful fish species among aquarists. These aquatic inhabitants are distinguished by an interesting color - they have a pronounced neon stripe on the body, which, depending on the species, can have different shades. Fish prefer cool water at a level of 18-22 degrees, they live in small schools of 5-6 individuals.

• Cockerels. They also belong to unpretentious fish. These are fighting fish that show extreme aggression towards smaller neighbors, cichlids and other predatory fish; intraspecific conflicts between males are far from uncommon. It is important for these fish that the water always remains clean, but in all other respects they are completely unpretentious. They do not need aeration, they are able to breathe the most common oxygen.

Fans of aquarium fish know very well that even a miniature aquarium can always be turned into a real masterpiece if you choose the right inhabitants for it and create favorable living conditions. There are many selection criteria - color, shape, size, personal sympathies.

Any container less than 50 liters in size is considered small, however, you can even settle pets in a 10-liter aquarium. However, you need to calculate your strength: the smaller the volume of liquid, the more often you will have to clean, monitor the maintenance of water quality.

When choosing inhabitants for a small aquarium, there are several recommendations:

• predatory fish should not be kept in small artificial reservoirs;
• if you prefer to buy fry, be sure to first study the information about these fish and find out to what size they can grow;
• you do not need to start a lot at once, on average, about 3-4 liters of water are needed for one individual up to 5 cm in size, so it is easy to calculate that no more than 7-8 unpretentious fish can be placed in a 30 liter aquarium;
• start fish with similar behavioral characteristics; you should not settle in one tank sedentary individuals and those who move in the water column all the time.

For larger aquariums, you can select large fish with a length of 5 cm or more, but pets should be kept in compliance with the principles of uniform filling of the entire volume of the aquarium... Such fish should be combined vertically so that it does not turn out that one of the layers (bottom, middle or upper) is overpopulated, and the other is empty.

Despite the fact that unpretentious fish can exist in different temperature regimes, nevertheless, preference should be given to specimens for the maintenance of which approximately the same level of heating is needed.

The concept of "unpretentious fish" does not mean at all that these pets can be offered any conditions of existence, therefore, regardless of the type and category of fish, you should adhere to some basic rules.

Take your time - launching any aquarium takes at least two weeks. It is this period that is needed from the gulf of water to the launch of the inhabitants.

Give up artificial plants - it is optimal that algae, as well as soil and decorative elements are natural, plastic in an artificial reservoir is not welcome.

Even if you have the most resilient fish, you should not give up the filter, and the cleaning system should work around the clock, shutdown is a forced measure in case of force majeure.

Do not forget to regularly change the water, it is advisable to update the aquarium by about a third every week. A complete one-time water change is unacceptable.

Do not overfeed the pets - they need very little feed, and once a week they should arrange a fasting day.

Extremely important do not overpopulate the aquarium. Each variety has its own parameters that describe the need for a volume of water, and it is better to adhere to them. Otherwise, excessive congestion of the biocenosis occurs due to an increase in the concentration of nitrates, as well as nitrites and phosphates in the liquid, as a result, large and small inhabitants of the aquarium are poisoned and the fish will not live long.

Most of the unpretentious fish easily reproduce in artificial conditions, the only exception are representatives of the genus haracinaceae - only experienced aquarist breeders can breed them.

For beginners, preference should be given to viviparous fish-toothed fish. Anitrus, catfish and other speckled easily spawn in a common artificial reservoir, breeding occurs without problems in barbs and zebrafish, and cichlids even carry their offspring in the mouth.

When settling pets, several important points must be taken into account.

Certain species of fish are adapted to schooling life, alone they begin to wither and die. At this point, you need to pay attention first of all.

Comfortable living conditions (water, hardness and acidity) should be approximately the same.

Fish in the common aquarium should be distinguished by a peaceful character.

Keep in mind: even the most peaceful fish may not tolerate being close to each other. Therefore, you need to pay attention to the compatibility of the breeds.

So, in a 10-liter aquarium, you can settle the following fish by choosing one of the options:

• 1 cockerel;
• 5-7 guppies;
• 3-5 cardinals;
• 7-8 zebrafish;
• 5 neons;
• 3 guppies + 6 zebrafish;
• 4 neons + 2 guppies.

For a 20L aquarium, the following neighborhood options are worth considering:

• 1 cock + 3 corridors;
• 16-18 danios;
• 10 -12 guppies;
• 10-14 neons;
• 7 cardinals;
• 6 neons + 4 corridors;
• 5 guppies + 5 neons;
• 10 guppies + 2 corridors.

Larger home aquariums have a lot more options for keeping fish, but novice breeders are better off choosing options for 10-20 liter aquariums.

See below a video review of the most unpretentious aquarium fish.