Starting A Fresh Water Aquarium Hobby

The first fish for your freshwater aquarium should be tolerant of a variety of water conditions.  It is not unusual for water conditions to fluctuate during the introduction of fish, and you want your aquatic pets to have the best chance of survival as you get the hang of getting and keeping your water conditions under control.
Your first fish also need to be easy to feed and accept a variety of foods.  Don't buy a finicky variety of fish that will only eat certain foods. 

Make sure that you are not buying fish that will outgrow your tank or outgrow their tankmates.  Some varieties of fish are fine as long as everyone is the same size, but if they become larger than their tankmates, they will eat them. 

The level of agression in the fish is important as well.  Some fish only become aggressive if there aren't enough of them in the tank.  Others just don't play well with others.  Agression will cause the fish to nip at each other, and the resulting wounds can kill your fish. 

Unless you are creating a single species tank, make sure all the varieties you want to have in your community tank will live well together.  They need to like the same water temperatures, pH level and general water conditions.

Here's a list of some good first fish for your freshwater aquarium.  They are hardy fish that, with a little care, will survive the startup cycle of your tank, and will help you create a healthy environment for your fish to thrive in.

• Barbs
  Cherry, Gold, Rosy, Ruby.
• Catfish
  Bronze or Gold Corys, Spotted Cory, Bandit Cory and Panda Cory.
• Danios
  Zebra, Leopard and Pearl.
• Rainbowfish
  Boesmans, Neon, Celebes.
• Rasboras
  Harlequin, Scissortail.
• White Cloud Mountain Minnows