20 Best Freshwater Fish For Beginners (2023 Updated)

Just started “micro fishing” , perfect reference book to I.D. my catches. Without this book I wouldn’t know what I was catching. Highly recommend.

Excellent book, beautiful pictures of fishes, lots of great info.

Great deal. Great sale. Thank you’

Great kit, great price, use all baits regularly and they have all caught me fish. Love the soft plastics especially

First of all, I know there were reviews out there that claimed that their tank arrived cracked. Mine, however, arrived in a very strong box that was packed inside another very strong box– All intact with nary a scratch.

The unit comes complete with a filter and very cool lighting. I would have given this five stars, however, the remote for the lighting was not working because the battery was dead. Opening the latch to access the battery was difficult beyond imagination and even the guy on the YouTube video on how to change the battery on the Fluval lighting remote had a problem opening the latch to access the battery.

Once I was finally able to open the goofy latch, remove the battery, and head out to the store for a replacement battery and got the remote working, all was good. It was an ordeal though. Would I purchase this aquarium again? Absolutely.

It’s a good 15 gal tank for the money.

This is a great looking tank. The curved front is a nice modern design and the white cover and trim so much nicer than the usual black or plain glass look. Really love the lights and being able to change colours or just have the white light, all have +/- buttons to increase or decrease brightness.

The reason for four stars not five is it is quite tricky to clean given the back compartment being divided into three smaller sections. The pump is also great, would recommend a second in the spare compartment at the back to help with keeping the tank clean.

Love how these are all hidden, giving a really stylish modern look.

This is a great entry level tank for saltwater for an all in one. Things I like about it: – Easy to get started with it – The bow in the tank gives my some interesting perspectives – The light is very capable of growing softies and SPS.

– Easy modifications can be made to upgrade this tank. – Rarely have to do top offs thanks to the lid. Things I don’t love about this tank. – The filtration is basically just freshwater filtration. It’s ok to get started but long term you’ll want to upgrade.

– The light puts off enough heat to create a slight bow in the tank lid. – There is a slot to hide the heater in the back, but it’s made to fit only the Fluval heater, and if you use the protein skimmer then you are forced to use one of those slots for the heater or hang it on the glass if using a different brand.

My personal experience was that when filling my tank for the first time with about 25 gallons in it, a corner seam either broke or was already broke and spilled water all over my floor. The team at SaltwaterAquarium sent me a replacement right away and I have had no such issues with the second one.

So I just recommend giving the seams a look over before filling.

I’ve been using this tank for over a year now. It has housed two healthy male guppies during this time. Pros: Attractive tank; filter is in it’s own compartment which protects fish; other than the filter, tank is easy to clean; filter media easy to maintain.

Cons: Filter is difficult to access. Difficulty with access is due to the filter being kept in a narrow compartment. One of the bottom suction cups holding the filter in place came off during the last cleaning.

It was stuck on the bottom of the tank and I spent a frustrating time attempting to retrieve it. Eventually I was successful. The tubing of the circulation pump is easy to remove but the impeller and impeller well is very difficult to take apart.

The end of the output pump is extremely difficult to snap on and off. Due to the negatives with the filter, I will not purchase a tank like this one again.

If you go to Fluval’s website you will see that they don’t recommend any tank under 20 gal. The light is overly bright and causes ton’s of algae. I have to scrape the sides with a razor blade every 4 days.

The inlet and outlet are on the same side of the tank making for circular water flow. I have to shut the filter off to feed the fish as the food gets sucks right into the filter. In the first 4 weeks of having this tank the pump wouldn’t restart twice after being shut off and needed to be taken apart to get to work again.

The suction cups on the bottom of the pump pull off when removing pump and the space is so small there is no way to get them out. Don’t get gravel or anything else in the bottom of the filter section as you won’t be able to remove them.

In case you are wondering, the pump is on the lowest setting and there are 3 fish in the tank and I’m finding it needs weekly water changes. Also, I did not buy this tank from Chewy and my review is no reflection on them.

I’ve had 3 of these, over the course of 2 years. The filter and the little slat where the water filters through is a death trap for fish. You have to essentially, get the aquarium grade silicon, and then push a soft netting on it to cover the filtration slot.

Then on the other side where the filtration medium goes, place a very small holed filtration net with silicon, or your fish end up dead and it has killed other fish when one is stuck there. The tank tends to leak on one or two of the edges after about a month or two.

It’s because they poorly place the glass panels together, it’s a given if you’re not going to purchase an actually decent tank. You can patch these, but it does suck since you bought it to use it. the lighting is decent now compared to the older models.

Night mode is very cool looking. To be honest, this is a VERY cheap tank. Remove the black plastic liner in it, buy your own separate filter for around 10-15 bucks, get a thermostat in it, because this tank gets COLD very quickly.

Cold will kill your fish btw. And just keep an eye out on it everyday to every couple of days. It’s not a terrible tank, but with the modifications necessary to make it better, it’s not exactly the best.

Oh, if you have cats, tape down the lid, they like to knock it off. You know what would happen then if you let them. Also, just a note, that the filter does have two options on the strength. Its on the filters square motor, you simply look for the spot where there’s a tiny lever in the block, and push it up or down for + or – strength.

But again, the filters a fish killer so you’re taking the chance. I’ve had enough of these as well as petco replacements to know. Take care and you’ll be good.

I bought this 50 gallon aquarium 12 years ago. Not enough light with fixture to grow plants, even if you add the additional T5 bulb and strip. Buy different light or do rocks, African wood and plastic plants.

I have done external canister filters. Switching to internal. Trying to clean up area around. Would have done under gravel filter too. Bought Flourite gravel to grow plants and it’s not compatible with the Flourite, clay bleeds.

Might buy second aquarium to grow plants. This is the smallest aquarium I recommend. Any less and evaporation is issue and weekly water exchanges are too sensitive. Should last 35 plus years if supported 100% and use a spreader under.

I used a heavy duty hardwood floor underlayment.

I love the tank itself, its really nice and im very happy with it. The hood is another story, its cheap and is garbage. I bought a separate LED bar. As for shipping times it took two weeks to arrive, maybe a bit shorter depending on where you live.

It shipped out of Ontario CA. The tank is worth the money.

We got this instead of a glass tank because we were afraid the kids may break a standard one. The clarity is a lot better than glass and we love the rounded corners. The lights leave a lot to be desired.

There is only one 24″ fixture and of course you can buy a expand a light to add an additional 24″ fixture for around 80 bucks. Factor that into what you will spend because the one light it comes with is not enough IMO.

Shipping is right on. They drop ship it from the manufacturer so it takes a while. I got mine in about two weeks. Overall I am very happy with it except the lights. They should come with two and not force the customer to upgrade because there is not enough light.

The expand a light is basically another fixture that fits into the existing hood.

Great little tank setup. Plenty of lighting for a wide variety of plants if you prefer planted tanks. The cover IS plastic, but seems pretty sturdy. However, if you plan to run CO2, you’ll need a very small diffuser to stash in the back with the filtration.

The plastic cover is notched at that end, but nowhere else, so it’s the only practical place you’ll be able to use. Plan for a very VERY small heater to have to fit back there as well. The only real downside is the flow.

Even set to the lowest setting, this pump is going to be too much if you have plans for a betta with long fins or similar types like dumbo guppies, etc. Also, the outflow head doesn’t really seat well, so you have a gap there and will probably want to use a bit of silicone to seal it in place if that is a problem for you.

I plan to alter our filter setup in the future as well. The included filter is interesting, but not really the best that can be done. However, it is easy to make filter adjustments in a tank setup like this, so not really an issue.

If you’re neurotic about cleaning that area, just don’t. Find another tank. You’ll do nothing but complain about the lack of reasonable space to clean the back area. I don’t care about that, but have seen plenty of people complaining about it.

Overall, the setup was well worth what was paid for it and is growing plants quickly already.

Likes – I love the long, narrowness of the tank, especially for Betta’s. Easy set-up. The light gives good coverage across the entire tank. Dislikes – I don’t like the cheap top cover & that it has such a large hole, that any fish could jump out of.

It would be nice if they also offered a mesh tank cover. The motor pump & supposedly enough room for a heater compartment, it really too small. For, if you do not use a Fluval heater & use another one, there is not enough room in the compartment for both, plus the lightweight plastic extension hose, makes me concerned that if it got too hot from the heater, right next to it, would the hose burn up?? I don’t like that the nozzle is so high up in the tank, it really needs to be lowered, especially for a Betta who frequents the top, obtaining air.

It would then allow for the water level to be lower & more desirable for a Betta. I also don’t like the return vents on the filter compartment, again they are too high & you have to keep the water level incredibly high for it to work effectively.

I also don’t like how the light is positioned & mounted for cleaning a tank. I have only had to do 1 water change so far & in order for that to happen, you have to remove the light in order to get into the tank.

Maybe a swivel arm, where you could swing it out a bit, but still have light to see inside your tank. Or, maybe a folder light fixture, so you can get into the tank. A new design is much needed. I haven’t had my tank long enough to know just how effective the filtration system will be, but time will tell & I will try to remember to give an update.

I was torn over whether to buy this, and remain torn over whether to recommend it. The pros: – Cost effective (esp from Chewy), compared to both strips and individual bottles. – Specific, accurate, consistent – Fairly complete kit The cons: – The booklet answers every “and if it’s outside the right range” with “buy this chemical we sell and dump it into the tank”, rather than teaching about the necessity of frequent water changes.

Newbie fish keepers are going to acquire bad habits and kill a lot of fish, while API profits away. – The specificity is only “in theory”, because two adjacent colors are so similar, you end up knowing the range not a specific number (so it’s not that different from strips) – The high range and low range pH cross about 7.

2-7. 4, so one often must do both tests to confirm pH in that area (IE being the lightest color in the high range means “7. 4 or below”, so you have to test again to find out how far below it might be) – No GH and KH – It’s genuinely a PITA to test this way – Leads to the bad habit of chasing a very specific pH, which could subject fish to rapid pH swings and osmotic stress – Shows total ammonia not free ammonia.

This is good, sort of, for people who don’t understand the difference but could subject fish to more change than they need by suggesting there’s a problem when there is not. I’m a veteran fishkeeper, and used this test kit to cycle and establish my first “real” aquarium ages ago.

But I had to buy a GH and KH test separately, and change to a wide range pH test kit my local fish store recommended (which comes from the gardening industry). Once the tank was established I switched to strips, and Seachem stick-on “alerts”.

Now, I am establishing 2 new tanks and felt that using these tests to get through the fishless cycle was the right thing to do, but now I’m really not sure it was necessary. It’s a widely held belief the strips aren’t accurate but I’ve never found this to be the case (I use Tetra).

Testing the two tanks with this kit is a 30 minute production, and it’s not providing more useful information than just using the strips. If you’re a noob, use your judgement on this kit vs strips. But do not follow the advice to correct problems by adding chemicals.

Educate yourself on the nitrogen cycle, and fish less cycling. Read about why not to chase pH too avidly or freak out over small changes (I recommend the eBook by Boruchowitz on fishkeeping).

I am giving this product 3 stars: it’s easily obtainable and is affordable. Also known as the API Saltwater Master Kit, this is a well known product to both experienced and novice hobbyist. This kit lacks any major element testing so this is not for a reef aquarium.

This is only for a FOWLR aquarium or when cycling a saltwater tank. The ammonia test has a really bad reputation, but is fairly reliable at a measurement of. 25ppm and above. There are bound to be errors when you are measuring by “eye sight” the ammonia test is very difficult to read at low concentrations.

Nitrites are the most consistent and easiest to read in the bundle. As for nitrates. look else where. It is incredibly inconsistent and the readings are fairly unreliable. The nitrate test is also difficult to perform when you consider there are easier and more reliable tests.

As for ph, it does a decent job as well. All in all, if you are looking to get a testing kit to help you through the cycling of your aquarium this is the test kit for you.

This aquarium kit has everything you need, nice size. Twenty gallons is much larger than I expected, so I will be buying more fish to make it look pretty. I have a smaller Tetra tank, so am familiar with the Tetra brand pumps.

So far, my older one is still running and I expect the new one to do the same. The filter system works well to keep a clean tank, carbon filters do a nice job keeping the water clean and healthy. The only reason I didn’t give a 5 star rating, is because the filter tube is too short for this size tank.

It needs to go a few inches deeper to clean the bottom area of tank. Otherwise, I love it! Tetra makes quiet pumps, once you get the settings adjusted, very quiet. I did notice the bottom of tank is not solid, is also clear, so I was very careful to not drop gravel/rocks in the empty tank.

Nice tank, sturdy, no leaks. It’s a tall tank, though. The “Whisper” filter is rather noisy, but reviews pointed that out. That wasn’t all that objectional to me. Others may want to find another pump/filter.

My fish, who I had to bring in from my outdoor pond for repairs are happy.

I was hesitant to buy this but very happy now. I had it shipped to my door and it came quickly and was not broken. The included filter is fine, works great, quiet. I am not thrilled with the heater, you can not set it, you get 78 degrees, but it seems to work fine.

The lights and lid were better than expected, heavy duty plastic, required gentle setup, has hinges and led white lights, cut out spots for heater and light cords and air tubing. Thermometer is difficult to see well, included plants are a nice addition.

You will need to buy 30 lbs of gravel. I used Tetra Quick Start for set up and it worked great, you also need chemicals to de chlorinate and adjust PH and water hardness depending on what fish you will have.

Most importantly remember 1 inch of fish for one gallon of water, do not overpopulate or you will have problems.

Been using Berkely Trilene XL since the 80’s. It is a great line used correctly. I use it only for “finesse” techniques (Ned rigs, drop shot, Neko rigs, Wacky rigs). It has the least amount of “memory” and therefore is far less susceptible to line twist, which is wonderful when using spinning reels for these techniques, with 6, 8, or 10lb.

line. Other mono lines, and flourocarbon lines are stronger and more abrasion resistant, perhaps less visible, but none of that matters if you’re fighting coils and line twist. Braided line doesn’t coil, but then you will need to attach a mono or flouro leader, which can severely weaken line.

Use Trilene XL and learn to use your drag properly, and tie good knots. Improved Clinch Knot never fails if tied correctly.

Likes. No discernible stretch or memory. Fast drying. Strong. Dislikes. None Suggestions. Double-check your knots as fluorocarbon is less forgiving than mono for less than perfect knot tension. I’m unconvinced if the stealthiness of fluorocarbon underwater makes any difference.

We all caught trout on mono and fluorocarbon on the same boat. I think it’s the usual determinants of successful fishing: right time of day, right location, right bait, right bait, lure or fly, quality and placement of one’s cast, luck, and the right cold beer.

For me, the selling points for fluorocarbon are abrasion and UV resistance, less stretch/memory, and not absorbing water (fast dry).

I LOVE this line but can no longer find it anywhere!!! I’m down to my last 220yds of 8lb and need more. Berkley, why can I not find this line anymore??!! Please respond! Changing good line is like finding a new girlfriend.

and I don’t wanna have to go through that! If you’ve stopped making it, please send me your remaining inventory! Kind regards, a concerned fisherman.

The price I got on these knives made it an incredible value! While they aren’t $100 knives, they are a perfect item for the first fillet knife gift set, or for a second set of knives for the RV or the tackle box.

These knives seem to handle well enough and work well. Good value here.

for the price who can complain, but just a fair warning make sure to keep a sharpener on hand, they do dull fast, but craftsmanship otherwise seems like they will last, super easy to clean, would be an awesome, grips feel nice.

would buy again this kit should come with knife sharpener tho!.

these knives are a great deall at the pice and do would be at twice the price. Handles fit lay hand and blades are very easy to keep sharp. if he 2. sizes make fish cleaning fast and produce smooth. cuts creating beautiful fillets.

A visual guide to some 500 marine and freshwater fish varieties. It is a beautifully designed book with eye-catching, clear photos of each fish accompanied by description of appearance and habitat and remarks on temperament, diet, and tank needs.

Detailed information on setting up aquariums precedes the identification guide. I only gave this book 4 out of 5 Stars because in the fish description it lists the area of the tank that the fish tend to swim in.

Obviously corydoras will be on the bottom and hatchet fish are usually at the top but many of the other descriptions were inaccurate. Maybe it is just my fish. Who knows? Other than that it is an excellent book for both the beginner and advanced aquarist.

The aquarium fish handbook has more then enough information on each type of aquarium fish. Starting an aquarium for the first time, this handbook will be very helpful when selecting the perfect fish.

The book is arranged in four parts: tropical freshwater fishes, coldwater freshwater fishes, tropical marine fishes and coldwater marine fishes. Each section is further divided into fish families or groups, in which the species appear in alphabetical order by their scientific names.

I bought this book because I’m looking to set up my first tropical aquarium and want to gain as much knowledge of the enviroments and fish as possible before I go out and start buying the things I need.

This book covers everything you need to know to start an aquarium or tropical tank and the pictures of each individual species highlight and define exactly what you’re looking for in a healthy fish.

We started ordering this online at the start of the pandemic. We were craving sushi and decided to make some at home. The price is not outrageous, very affordable. I would have given them five stars but the product is very waterlogged.

When you first defrost it, let it sit for at least 10 to 12 hours on paper towels for the water to drain out of the fish. Of course covered and in the fridge. It’s also easier to cut the fish when it’s not completely thawed.

Once thawed you will not get clean slices of fish. The texture becomes very mushy.

We’ve ordered this quite a few times over the past couple of years. Each order has been shipped fine and arrived frozen. We exclusively use this for making sushi/sashimi and with the exception of a few packs that have lost their vacuum seal this has been consistently pretty good salmon.

Only real complaint is past couple shipments they have been sending very thin cuts which don’t work well for sashimi presentation. Also have been noticing bones in the past couple shipments. Hope they don’t continue this trend or will have to seek another source.

Purchased on recommendation by a friend. Not a fan of sockeye salmon which is the only type I can purchase in club. Norway has a good reputation so I decided to give these a try. Love them. Easy to cook, great tasting.

New favorite of my family. Sale price makes them very affordable for fresh fish. Shipped as promised, fully frozen even though dry ice was completely evaporated. Will purchase again.

I received Wild Planet Albacore Wild Tuna to try for an honest review and it was great! It’s almost like a fish steak in a can the pieces of tuna are so big. Not minced little pieces like others I have tried.

Wild Planet sources 100% pole and line caught tuna. The hand-selected tuna is cooked just once to retain its natural juices and pristine flavor, without any additives or fillers. Because of this you don’t need to drain the can, you just mix and enjoy! It is on the pricier side, but like with most things in life, with higher quality, comes a higher price.

They really are a great company. Worth checking out.

Let me start out by saying that I don’t normally eat meat of any kind out a can so this was new for me. I was also very glad I did. It was wonderful. It’s not at all fishy tasting and it’s just so flaky.

Not like other Tuna I have seen all squished In a can of oil. This is just pure hand packed tuna with no water , oil, or filler added. You sure can tell it’s of a higher standard than most. 🐟 Made from sustainably pole and line caught 100% pure tuna and sea salt.

No fillers added. All omega 3’s are retained. AVC 374mg EPA and DHA Omega 3’s per serving. 🐟 Very high in protein-nonadded sugar or alcohol-no artificial ingredients-and completely shelf stable. 🐟 All around great product at a terrific value.

I would recommend it to anyone. 🐟 You can find more news and information at wildplanetfoods. com @wildplanetfoods #wildplanettuna #wildplanetfoods #handpacked #tuna #nofillers #sustainability #100%pure #poleandlinecaught #highinprotein #noaddedsugar #shelfstable #noartificialingredients #omega3’s #healthyfood #yummyfood #flaky #freshtasting.

I love the Spro frogs. Usually use the baby poppers but due to the availability of certain colors I went with the regular Bronzeye jr. I was worried about the size of the frog in relation to the jr. popper, a bit larger.

It took a while but the bass soon began to hit this frog hard! Even the smaller bass would open up wide for this leopard style delight. So far it is holding up well, unlike the baby poppers that begin to tear on the belly and leak water.

I wish they were more durable cause I love the Spro frogs. Need to get more availability of the nasty shad and killer gill as these colors are very popular with the bass right now during spawning. Definitely recommend the Spro Jr.

Frogs.

I have bought 2 of the Spro flapping frog 65 and both frogs have lost the little piece on the belly where a little hole is for squeezing the water out but when that piece falls off it takes on water and doesn’t have any action.

Anybody had this problem? And this was just throwing it out without catching a fish that piece literally falls off I bought it 5/31/22 used it 2 times that same day and it’s useless now.

I was skeptical that a frog with a price tag of $12 could be worth that. I really think of frogs as good/bad/okay on a few things. Walkability, castability, and hooks. Walkability and castability are very good.

Not the best on either but also not bad enough for me to consider it a knock. Is it the easiest to walk? No. Is it easy to walk though? Yes. Casts far enough, nothing spectacular or terrible. The hooks on this thing are better than any frog I’ve seen.

No modification necessary, extremely sharp, very well shaped hooks. As a bonus, with the amount of color options available it’s easy to find something that mimics the bait the largemouth are looking for.

I’ve used the full size and Jr while wading and drifting from a boat. One day had 11 speckled trout to 24” and 7 redfish on the Jr version, and have had back-to-back mid-twenty inch redfish on the full-sized.

Needs to be worked properly with short or slower (less vigorous) twitches than Super Spook or One Knocker.

I’m very familiar with this plug. I had a couple that I gave away to fish catching friends. While I was quick to receive 2 units from SWE (thanks for the customer support & follow through) I was quite disappointed with the lure’s coloration.

The factory Bone colored lures were really a taupe or beige color. Had I been in the store I would not have picked these units and gone with a different coloration like Bunker or baitfishy.

I bought this bait about a week ago in the 1/2oz speckled trout color. As the title says, this bait is really easy to walk. I fished my chugn spook on a 7ft fast action rod with 30lb braid and a 12ft mono leader.

After fishing it for an hour I actually found it harder to NOT walk the bait. You can hit it pretty much as hard as you want and it will still walk. You can make the bait do a larger aggressive walk or little wobble like a frog.

The only way to not walk this bait is to tap it too softly. Excellent product, can’t wait to take it somewhere else where there are fish.

I absolutely love chewy. I purchased this and within two days I had it! That’s pretty amazing for where I live. After doing lots of searching on glass tanks, I purchased this one. According to some of the questions answered the divider comes out of the center.

No it does not it is siliconed in. I am sure it could be cut out, but that chances damage to the tank. After tank set up the tank does look very nice. However the whole pump set up is an absolute nightmare.

The lack of directions and material supplied does not allow for the pump to be towards the bottom. I have checked my local hardware store and pet store. I live in a small town and the closest fish store is an hour and 20 minutes away.

So I went for the super pet store or the cheap home-improvement store. Neither of which had anything that I could use to set the pump up successfully. I was able to place an online order and in 3-5 days should arrive.

If you are using this for a betta it would definitely be best for your fish to stream the pump output across both sides even at the lowest the flow is too much for just one side of the tank. I absolutely love the design, it has a smooth and streamline appearance, I just wish something a little better could’ve been done for that pump.

This aquarium is perfect in every way. But it was very poorly packed. This is all glass with a glass lid, it is all in a thin cardboard box with absolutely no styrofoam or any kind of packing. Mine arrive shattered in pieces.

Even the light fixture was bent and damaged. Why would anyone package glass this way? It was not the fault of Chewy at all. It was the manufacturer and FedEx who mishandled it, Chewy immediately sent me a replacement but I am not too hopeful it will arrive in one piece.

I will update when it gets here. Customer service is the best.

Bought this, got it scaped and half full of water. Brand new and it leaks. Missing silicone in multiple corners. Light was awesome but tank was a joke. Customer service gave me option to fix myself and refund a percentage or return.

I opted to return. I’m not fixing something that is brand new and could void any warranty. Would have loved to put my Bettas in it. Oh well. Refund took a week from shipping and receiving. I put my Bettas in a divided ten gallon.

Would of liked to keep the light tho, it was really the nicest part of the kit.

When I want to see the fish go completely crazy eating I drop a block in and sit back. They really like the multipack!

bought for my betta and she loves it! I crushed mine up a row at a time and mixed it all together. She seemed to enjoy that more than one cube at a time.