Best Fish for Small Tank : 22 Small Fish for Your Freshwater Aquarium

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.

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 great community fish and school together in a vibrant wave.

The Cardinal or Red Neon Tetra is another, very similar species. They are distinguishable from the more common Neon Tetra by their longer red belly bar. The Black Neon Tetra is a similar species with black bars instead of color.

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, provided they are not snack size. These fish are common in some aquascape setups where focus is put on the plants, not necessarily the fish.

Harlequin Rasbora Fish for Small Tank

The Harlequin Rasbora is a small, schooling fish with a vibrant ruby coloration. These peaceful fish add a bright splash of color to planted or aquascaped tanks. There are many various species of Rasbora that stay small and do well in community tanks.

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 provide color to natural tankscapes. These fish are very active, and have the habit of biting fins of their friends and tankmates.

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, peaceful temperaments. The main differences between these species are their colors and markings. All corydoras are small, peaceful, bottom-dwelling, nocturnal fish species.

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.

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 key in long-term survival of these fish.

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 more aggressive level tanks and have lots of room to swim.

Swordtail Fish for Small Tank

Named for their elongated ventral tail fin, the Swordtail is another live bearer fish that can quickly overwhelm a small system. There are many color varieties of Swordtail available in the pet fish market.

German Blue Ram

There are many 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.

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 more in heavily planted tanks, where plant food is plentiful. These community fish are easy to care for and can tolerate many beginner mistakes.

Dwarf Gourami Fish for Small Tank

Of the many gourami species, there are few that stay small. Most 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 specific environmental requirements for successful lives.

Although this fish is green in the wild, it has been captively bred to show brilliant golden coloration. These active fish play well in community tanks but do prefer slightly less than tropical temperatures.

Betta Fish for Small Tank

Betta fish are one of the most common pet fish species. Given their aggressive nature, male bettas should 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.

Hachetfish Fish for Small Tank

Looking for a 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, since they have very specific tank requirements.

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 many tanks. They are peaceful aquarium fish, with males having longer fins than females.

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.

Rather than bright colors, the Black Phantom Tetra is known for its darker appearance with elongated dorsal fin. These fish make a great contrast with other tetra species, who typically will all school together.

Black Ruby Barb

Also known as the Purple-Headed Barb, the Black Ruby Barb has a distinct deep red coloration not commonly 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.