The most popular freshwater fish

[bast1981]

Hi

Just wondering what are people favorite freshwater fish too keep. I will keep this list to small manageable fish no tank busters here.

Zebra danios

pros : playful,inexpensive,small so you can have a huge school,colorful,very active

cons : they all look the same unless you mix different breed of danios

Guppy

pros : very colorful,active,small

cons : can be pricey at 3$ each small fish, don't school they just swim back and forth in the tank,not that hardy

Platies

pros : very colorful,active,fry are so cute,small

cons : don't school,

Neon Tetra

pros: very colorful,active,small,playful,inexpensive

cons : very hard to keep alive

I think my two favorite in the small fish world are danios and platies. I have a softspot for platies when talking about livebearers. Guppies are cool too. I would defenetively go back to zebra danios. In fact i have about 15 of those in my room's tank. Guppies are very interesting if you mix all kind of strain together.

I forgot to mention that bloodfin tetra are becoming more and more popular.

[wendyjo]

I like danios best out of your list.  Guppies are gorgeous and if I could keep them alive I'd choose them, but I'd say only about 1/4 of the ones I buy live past a month.

Danios are great and you can find alot of variety in most stores.  Zebra, leopard, glo fish danios in 3 bright colors, blue dannios, gold danios, and all of them in either short or long fin varieties.  I've gotten all of the above at my local Petco.

[Boven]

I'm a platy and danio fan. 

I don't know what it is about platys, but I like the lil guys.  Maybe it's because they're so peaceful or the variety of colors they come in.  Hey, they even do their best to make sure you get even more of 'em without any real effort on your part.

Danios I just flat out love.  Zippy little guys that never seem to stop moving.  I've only got zebras and giants at present, so mine are a bit less than colorful (though the orange highlights on the giants is rather visible).  I hope someday to move the platys to another tank and add some glofish for a bit more color.

[tom e]

I like the guppies. I agree that most I buy don't make it, but the offspring of the survivors really do! And for what you wind up with from just a pair they are really an economical little fish..

[bulrush]

You forgot endlers!

Pros: males very colorful, playful, hardy fish, breed readily
Cons: breed readily

[Yipee]

You forgot corydoras too!

Pros:Cute,Peaceful,gorgeous patterns,Hardy,Helps in tank management(food not eaten by mid dwellers).
Cons:Some species grow too large for nano tanks, requires a school of 5 or more.

[SneakyPike]

My favorites are harlequin rasboras and dwarf gouramies. They are beautiful, peaceful and hardy enough. I would love to keep livebearers' males - platies and guppies, but in my tank they don't last long, catching bacterial diseases. Danios are hardy and beautiful, but they make me tired just to watch them darting back and forth, so I don't keep them.

[Pagey]

I've never had any problems keeping neons alive.

I'd add bettas to the list:

Pros: Gorgeous, don't need a huge tank to do well, nearly indestructible.
Cons: One to a tank only. (for the boys, anyway...)

[backintheh20]

Guppies are indestructible. My daughter droped a bottle nail polish on the back side of my livebearer tank and it was there for a week with no casualties! I've had good luck with them. But My favorite small fish is swordtails.

Pros: hardy easy to sex and breed

Cons: due best in trios and most are quite large at 2.5 - 3 inches so a 15 gallon or bigger is best
 

[Cholly]

My favorites are tankbusters that I haven't been able to keep because I don't have a tank big enough to keep them their natural lifespan. Clown knife fish and lungfish. I'd also love to keep rainbow snakeheads, but snakeheads are illegal period because young snakeheads are too difficult to differentiate. Maybe if our local fish club ever gets the non-profit aquarium off the ground I'll get a chance as one of the curators.