Easier for beginners

This female fish and her fry (babies) are Julidochromis Dickfeldi, an African Cichlid – photo courtesy of Derek Benjamin Lilly. Cichlids are one variety of freshwater fish. Other freshwater fish you’ll see in aquariums are angelfish, tetras, barbs, catfish, gouramis, danios, and guppies. People often have a community tank with a variety of kinds of fish.

For freshwater fish, you can easily have a 5 gallon tank—though the more fish you want, the larger the tank you’ll need. Just like with a saltwater tank, freshwater aquariums need filtration.