Brightly colored fish can be found in freshwater all over the world. That means you shouldn’t just leave your freshwater aquarium a dull color. When choosing a fish to keep, it’s important to keep ones that we know we can take care of and will fit in our fish tanks. It’s also important to choose fish that will add color and life to our fish tanks. So, to help you, we made this list of some of the most popular and colorful freshwater fish. You’ll read about many beautiful species of different sizes and colors, so everyone can find something they like.
Most Colorful Freshwater Fish For 5 Gallon Tanks
Small fish tanks are great if you don’t have much room in your room or if you want to decorate your desk. Even though it’s small, it can still hold some small, popular colorful fish. Here are a few fish species that would give your 5-gallon fish tank some color.
1. Betta
- pH: 6.5 to 7.5.
- Temperature: 72 to 82°F
- Tank Size: 5 gallons minimum for 1 fish
- Fish Size: 3 inches
- Lifespan: 3-5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Bettas are among the best aquarium fish for small tanks because you only have to keep a single betta in a fish tank. They are aggressive in nature and they come in different mesmerizing patterns and colors making them a popular colorful fish among many aquarists. Make sure their tank has a lid, as they are prone to jumping out, and try to make it look as natural as possible by adding decorations and floating plants.
2. Chili Rasbora
- pH: 6.0 to 8.0
- Temperature: 68°F to 82.4°F.
- Tank Size: 5 gallons minimum for 6 fish
- Fish Size: 0.6 to 0.8 inch
- Lifespan: 4-5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
In terms of size, chili rasboras are among the smallest colorful freshwater aquarium fish available. Because they are about 0.8 inches long on average, you can keep 6 to 8 of them in a 5 gallon fish tank. This fish lives in blackwater in the wild, so you can make your aquarium look like that by adding driftwood and plants like java fern or moss, and anubias.
3. Clown Killifish
- pH: 6.0 – 7.0
- Temperature: 73°F – 76°F.
- Tank Size: 5 gallons minimum for a pair
- Fish Size: 1.2 – 1.4 inches
- Lifespan: 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
Clown killifish are great aquarium fish for people who like to keep fish that like to swim to the surface. Many aquarists like these fish because they are colorful, especially the males’ tails, and because they like to stay close to the water’s surface. Because they have small mouths and like to swim near the surface of the water, you can feed them small, floating foods like fry food, crushed flakes, freeze-dried daphnia, or slow-sinking foods like live baby brine shrimp or frozen cyclops.
4. Guppy
- pH: 6.8 to 7.8.
- Temperature: 72°F to 82°F
- Tank Size: 5 gallons minimum for 2-3 fish
- Fish Size: 0.6 to 2.4 inches
- Lifespan: 2 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Guppies are fantastic and surprisingly underappreciated nano fish that thrive in as little as a 5 -gallon aquarium. These fish are very colorful, and because they are livebearers, they are very easy to breed. These fish live in almost any freshwater habitat in the wild which means that as long as you change the water often and keep the pH and temperature stable, they will be fine.
5. Sparkling Gourami
- pH: 6 to 8
- Temperature: 70°F to 80°F
- Tank Size: 5 gallons minimum for a pair
- Fish Size: 1.6 inches
- Lifespan: 4 to 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Sparkling gouramis don’t need much space because they only grow to be half an inch long. These aquarium fish are popular because they are colorful and like to swim in groups around your fish tank, making a dazzling show. Don’t forget to put plants in their tank, since the sparkling gourami lives in still bodies of water with lots of plants.
6. Endler’s Livebearer
- pH: 7
- Temperature: 64°F to 84°F
- Tank Size: 5 gallons minimum for 3 fish
- Fish Size: 3 to 7 years
- Lifespan: 1 to 1.8 inches
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Endler’s livebearers are sometimes confused with guppies because they look similar and are both live-bearers. However, these colorful fish are different from guppies because their bodies are thinner and shaped like torpedoes, and their fins are larger. The places they live in the wild are full of plants, so make sure the aquarium has aquatic plants.
7. Celestial Pearl Danio
- pH: 6.5 to 7.5
- Temperature: 72°F to 75°F.
- Tank Size: 10 gallons minimum for 6 fish
- Fish Size: 1 inch
- Lifespan: 3 to 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Due to their captivating appearance, celestial pearl danios are one of the most popular colorful fish among many aquarists. This fish has bright red fins with black stripes, and their main body is dark blue with cream-colored spots making a unique combination that look like stars in the sky.
Celestial Pearl Danios don’t really need much, as long as you keep the water parameters stable and add a few decorations to the tank, they will do just fine.
Most Colorful Freshwater Fish For 10 Gallon Tank
Beginner aquarists often start with a 10-gallon aquarium because of its low price and their availability at pet stores. With this slightly bigger fish tank, you’ll be able to choose from a wider range of beautiful aquarium fish to put in it. Here is a list of colorful fish that will fit in your 10-gallon tank.
1. Bluefin Notho Killifish
- pH: 6 to 7
- Temperature: 68°F to 73°F
- Tank Size: 10 gallons minimum for 3 fish
- Fish Size: 2.4 inches
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
The Bluefin Notho is a type of killifish that would be on any list of the most beautiful and colorful freshwater fish. At first, their bodies are bright orange with a few small blue spots, but as you move towards the tail, the orange fades and the blue spots become more noticeable. These fish can eat dried foods and flakes as a staple diet, however, it’s important to provide variety by also feeding them small live or frozen foods like mosquito larvae, cyclops, and daphnia.
2. Glowlight Danio
- pH: 6.5 to 7
- Temperature: 66°F to 75°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for 6 fish
- Fish Size: 1.5 inches
- Lifespan: 3 to 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
Glowlight danios look like regular zebrafish, but they have black stripes and spots on their bodies instead of stripes. These colorful fish swim in groups, so you’ll need at least eight of them to keep them from getting stressed. Danios are known to swim and jump around a lot, so put some aquatic plants in the fish tank and always keep the lid on.
2. Harlequin Rasboras
- pH: 6.0 to 7.8
- Temperature: 72°F to 81°F
- Tank Size: 10 gallons minimum for 6 fish
- Fish Size: 2 inches
- Lifespan: 5 to 8 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
The harlequin rasbora is an attractive little fish with a long, narrow head and a small, terminal mouth and a caudal fin that forks off sharply. They are active, easy to care for, and fast-moving fish that are also a great addition to a peaceful community fish tank. They prefer slightly acidic water with little to no water movement, lots of plants, dark gravel, and low light.
3. Red Pencilfish
- pH: 5.0 to 7.0
- Temperature: 72°F to 82°F
- Tank Size: 10 gallons minimum for 3 fish
- Fish Size: 1.3 inches
- Lifespan: 3 to 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
The red pencilfish is a tiny, colorful fish that is mostly red with a few black and white stripes along its body. Since pencilfish swim in schools, they need to be kept in at least fours, so a 10-gallon tank would be fine for them. These fish should be kept in an aquarium with lots of plants, a dark bottom, and little light.
4. Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish
- pH: 6.8 to 7.5
- Temperature: 73°F to 82°F
- Tank Size: 15 gallons minimum for 3 fish
- Fish Size: 2 to 2.5 inches.
- Lifespan: 4 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
Most rainbow fish are so big that they might not do well in small fish tanks. Luckily there is a type of rainbowfish called the dwarf neon rainbowfish that stays under 2 inches long, so it could fit in your 10-gallon tank. But these fish don’t do well when they’re stressed, so make sure the water in your aquarium is stable, change the water often, and cover the tank.
5. Goldfish
- pH: 6.5 and 7.5
- Temperature: 68°F and 74°F.
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for a pair
- Fish Size: 6 inches average
- Lifespan: 10 to 15 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Goldfish are the most popular fish among aquarists because they are hardy, easy to take care of, and colorful. These peaceful fish can live for up to 10 to 15 years, but some aquarists say their goldfish live for up to 20 years. Aquatic plants can be added to their aquariums to make it look more natural, but keep in mind that goldfish are omnivores and may decide to eat some of it.
On top of this, if you have a tropical tank, then goldfish aren’t going to be a good choice for you. You should only keep them in cold water tanks with other cold water fish.
6. Dwarf Gourami
- pH: 6.0 to 7.5
- Temperature: 72°F and 82°F
- Tank Size: 10 gallons minimum for 3 fish
- Fish Size: 4 to 4.5 inches
- Lifespan: 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Dwarf gouramis are colorful fish and they only get to be about 3 inches long, so putting two of them in a 10 gallon fish tank filled with plants would be a great idea. But keep in mind that these guys are considered to be a semi-aggressive fish species so if one of them decides to pick on the other, it could cause trouble, so make sure there are places to hide and a lot of decorations in your fish tank. In the wild, these fish eat algae, small invertebrates and insects, and plants, so it would be best to feed them high quality flake food along with some live food or frozen foods and vegetables.
7. Zebrafish
- pH: 6.8 to 7.5
- Temperature: 78°F to 83°F
- Tank Size: 10 gallons minimum for 5 fish
- Fish Size: 1.5 to 2.5 inches
- Lifespan: 3-5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Zebrafish are a great choice for beginner aquarists because they are hardy, active, colorful, and peaceful. You can keep about six zebrafish because they grow to be about an inch long and sometimes even bigger. For a zebra danio tank, you need a soft bottom, like treated sand, and some live plants, like Java fern, to make the tank look like the sandy river beds where zebra danios live in the wild.
8. Neon Tetra
- pH: 6.0 to 7.0
- Temperature: 75°F to 80°F
- Tank Size: 10 gallons minimum for 6 fish
- Fish Size: 1 to 1.5 inches
- Lifespan: 6 to 8 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
If you only have room for a small aquarium, neon tetras are an excellent choice. Since they normally get about an inch, you can fit five of these colorful schooling species in a 10 gallon tank. For your neon tetras to feel at home, make sure your aquarium has floating plants and driftwood that they can hide in.
Most Colorful Freshwater Fish For 20 Gallon Tank
The bigger your tank is, the more room it has and the more stable the water is. As a result, you’ll be able to keep a wider variety of fish, including larger, colorful species. Here are some popular colorful fish you might want to put in your 20-gallon fish tank.
1. Balloon Molly
- pH: 7 and 7.8
- Temperature: 72°F and 79°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for 6 fish
- Fish Size: 2 to 3 inches
- Lifespan: 2 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
Balloon mollies come in a range of colors, from yellow, black, and white, and some have spots all over their bodies. Mollies make a lot of waste, need a lot of space, and reproduce quickly, so you need at least a 20 gallon fish tank with stable water and regular water changes. Balloon mollies do best in tanks with live underwater plants like java fern, amazon sword, and anubias nana for them to hide in.
2. Platys
- pH: 7.0 to 8.0.
- Temperature: 70°F to 80°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for 7 fish
- Fish Size: 3 inches
- Lifespan: 2 to 3 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Being one of the most colorful fish, platys have base colors that range from light yellow to almost black. Even though they only grow to be around 1.5 to 2.5 inches long, they need a lot of room to swim around and need to be kept in groups of five, so a 20 gallon fish tank would be perfect for them. To take the best care of them, feed them a variety of pellets, flakes, and vegetables, as well as some live or frozen foods every now and then, and keep the water stable.
3. Forktail Rainbowfish
- pH: 7.0
- Temperature: 75°F to 80°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for 6 fish
- Fish Size: 2 inches
- Lifespan: 2 to three years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
The forktail rainbowfish is a beautiful and colorful fish with bright blue eyes, metallic silver skin, and bright yellow stripes that run from the top of its head to the bottom of its body. Since they are schooling fish, they feel most comfortable when they are in groups of their own kind. Make sure there are a lot of plants for them to hide in and don’t put only males in the aquarium to keep them from becoming aggressive.
4. Gold Barbs
- pH: 6.0 to 8.0
- Temperature: 64°F and 75°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for 5 fish
- Fish Size: 3 inches
- Lifespan: 5 to 7 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Gold barbs were once green, but through breeding, they changed to a shimmering golden color. They aren’t picky about how their tanks are set up or what they eat, so taking care of them is as straightforward as it gets. However, these fish like to dig in the substrate, so a sand substrate is a good choice because it is soft and won’t scratch them when they dig.
5. Rainbow Kribensis
- pH: 5.6 to 7.0
- Temperature: 75°F to 80°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for a pair
- Fish Size: 4 inches
- Lifespan: 5 to 8 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Rainbow kribensis are small, colorful fish that are easy to take care of. These fish are available in a rainbow of colors, including yellow, green, blue, and even albino varieties. Kribensis cichlids like lots of dense plants and places to hide, so make sure to add some aquatic plants and a few cave decorations for them to hide in.
6. Electric Blue Rams
- pH: 6 to 7
- Temperature: 78°F to 85°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for a pair
- Fish Size: 2 to 3 inches
- Lifespan: 3 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
Electric blue rams are beautiful to look at, with bright blue eyes and coloring that changes shades of blue depending on how the light hits them. They are usually peaceful fish, but they can get territorial especially when they are spawning or if they don’t have enough places to hide in your aquarium fish tank. These fish need good filtration and a heater because changes in ammonia, nitrites, and temperature can stress them out.
7. Peacock Gudgeons
- pH: 6.0 to 7.8
- Temperature: 72°F to 79°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for 6 fish
- Fish Size: 1 to 2.5 inches
- Lifespan: 4 to 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
One of the most eye-catching colorful aquarium fish available, peacock gudgeons can serve as the highlight of any aquarium. They grow to be about 3 inches long on average, so you can put six of them in a 20 gallon fish tank and they will be fine. These fish like to hide and hang out where there are a lot of plants they can eat, so put in some aquatic plants, rocks, driftwood, and other decorations.
8. Swordtail
- pH: 7.0 to 8.4
- Temperature: 75°F and 79°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for 6 fish
- Fish Size: 5.5 inches
- Lifespan: 3 to 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Swordtails are colorful freshwater fish that would be a good first fish for someone who wants to start keeping fish. They are called swordtails because their caudal fin sticks out along their lower half and can be as long as half their body length, making it look like a sword. Since these fish are omnivores, they need a balanced diet that includes pellets, fish flakes, vegetables, and sometimes live and frozen food.
9. Paradise Gourami
- pH: 6 to 8
- Temperature: 70°F to 82°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for a single fish
- Fish Size: 2 to 3 inches
- Lifespan: 8 to 10 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
A freshwater fish with a forked tail, large dorsal fins, and bright blue and red stripes, paradise fish are a show-stopper. However, they fight with each other and attack and kill smaller fish, so it’s a bad idea to put them together with other fish. Set up their fish so that they look like they are in their natural habitat by adding aquatic plants like hornwort, and dwarf hairgrass, which they utilize as shelter and food.
10. Bolivian Ram
- pH: 6.0 to 7.4
- Temperature: 74°F and 78°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for a pair
- Fish Size: 3.5 inches
- Lifespan: 4 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
The Bolivian ram is a small, colorful fish with an oval body that tops out at about 3.5 inches in length. The fish’s body ranges in color from grayish blue to dull brown and it has a yellow belly and spiky, ray-shaped fins with orange edges. These fish usually live in streams, pools, and lagoons, so it’s a good idea to add rocks, driftwood, and places to hide to make the tank look like their natural habitat.
11. Cherry Barbs
- pH: 6.0 to 7.0
- Temperature: 74°F to 79°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for 8 fish
- Fish Size: 2 inches
- Lifespan: 4 to 6 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Cherry barbs are one unique fish because they are normally silver or white in color but turn a bright cherry red during breeding which is how they got their name. Cherry barbs are calm fish that need a lot of room to swim and plants to hide in. They may also be nervous on their own, but they feel safe in small groups.
12. Florida Flag Fish
- pH: 6.5 to 7.5
- Temperature: 70°F to 85°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for a pair
- Fish Size: 2 inches
- Lifespan: 2 to 3 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
The males of the Florida flag fish have a pattern on their bodies that looks like the stars and stripes of the American flag, which is how they got their name. Their dark blue heads, bulldog-like snouts, and bright bodies with spots of green, red, blue, and gold make them interesting fish to look at. Since they live at the top of the water, they like flaky food that floats on the surface, along with some vegetables and live foods like daphnia, brine shrimp, and bloodworms.
Most Colorful Freshwater Fish For Beginners
If you’re just getting started with your first fish tank, it’s best to start with fish that are easy to take care of. Even though that’s true, you shouldn’t let that be an excuse to let your beautiful fish tank stay dull. From this list, you can choose some good, colorful starter fish.
1. Guppies
Guppies are a great starter fish for beginner aquarists because they are so easy to care for, hardy, and have a lot of colorful varieties. People usually only keep male guppies in their tanks, even though the females can be just as pretty as the males. They can live in as small of an aquarium as a 5 gallon fish tank, but 10 gallon fish tanks should be the bare minimum for this colorful freshwater fish.
2. Rasboras
Rasboras are another beautiful, colorful fish that are good for beginners to keep because they are easy to care for. These small, docile fish typically top out at around two inches in length and come in a lot of varieties of colors, depending on the species. They swim in groups, so you need at least six of the same kind of rasbora to put in a 10 gallon fish tank.
3. Bettas
Bettas are the best fish to have as the centerpiece of fish tanks of any size, and they are also great for beginners who prefer to keep a single fish rather than a school. Bettas are well-known among aquarists because of their beautiful, colorful, flowing fins, aggressive behavior, and ability to survive long in less maintained fish tanks. To keep a betta healthy, all you need to do is put it in a fish tank that’s at least 5 gallons that has a heater and a filter, and the right water parameters.
4. Tetras
The neon tetra is yet another popular colorful beginner fish that is easy to take care of and looks great in almost any community tank. They can live in most kinds of water, and a 10 gallon aquarium is enough for them to do well. They are social fish that like to move around, so you need at least 5 or 6 of them in a fish tank with lots of plants for them to swim around.
5. Danios
Danios are active, colorful, and playful fish that are tough and easy to care for, making them an ideal starter fish for beginner aquarists. Zebra danios are small fish with silvery-gold bodies and blue stripes that look like zebras. There is even a neon-colored version of these fish called a “glofish danio” that can glow in the dark, especially when under a blacklight.
6. African Cichlids
If you want a colorful and extraordinary-looking fish, African cichlids should be on your list. However, these fish are pretty big and need a lot of places to hide, so you might need to buy a bigger tank. These fish also like to dig in the substrate, so you’ll need to use sand and plants with strong root systems, like anubias, java ferns, java moss, and some crypt plants.
7. Corydoras
Corydoras are one of the most popular freshwater fish you can buy at pet stores, and they are also common in freshwater community aquariums. Not only are they colorful, but they are also strong, peaceful, and known as “clean-up crews” because they eat food that has sunk to the bottom. When caring for this beginner fish, it’s best to add lots of live plants and maintain at least 2 inches of substrate on the tank bottom.
Most Colorful Freshwater Fish
There are still a lot of colorful fish we didn’t include on the lists above. If you still haven’t found the right fish for you, here’s another list of colorful freshwater aquarium fish. Some of them may need special care or larger tanks because of their size.
1. Discus
- pH: 6.0 to 7.0
- Temperature: 82°F to 88°F
- Tank Size: 55 gallons minimum for 5 fish
- Fish Size: 4.6 to 8 inches
- Lifespan: 10 to 15 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Expert
One of the most popular colorful freshwater fish among aquarists is the discus. These brightly colored freshwater fish come in a variety of patterns, and you can easily tell them apart by their red eyes and round, flat bodies. However, it can be hard to take care of some of these fish because they need to be kept in a fish tank with very clean water with lots of plants and places to hide to make their environment look like it does in the wild.
2. Oscar
- pH: 6 to 8
- Temperature: 74°F to 81°F
- Tank Size: 75 gallons minimum for a single fish
- Fish Size: 10 to 12 inches
- Lifespan: 15 to 20 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
Oscars are another type of cichlid that are also colorful and come in many shapes and sizes. In addition to their beautiful colors, Oscars are known for being smarter than most other fish species. Oscars are large fish that require at least a 55-gallon aquarium, and they have a reputation for being aggressive, making it challenging to keep them in a community aquarium.
3. Jack Dempsey
- pH: 6.0 to 7.0
- Temperature: 72°F to 86°F
- Tank Size: 55 gallons minimum for a single fish
- Fish Size: 10 to 15 inches
- Lifespan: 8 to 10 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
The Jack Dempsey cichlid is a colorful, playful, and active fish that can be fun to watch as they swim around. However, they can be very aggressive, so they aren’t good for community fish tanks and aren’t recommended for beginner aquarists. Because of their size, they require an 80 gallon aquarium with warm, slightly acidic water, plenty of plants, dim lighting, and a sandy, muddy substrate.
4. Peacock Cichlid
- pH: 7.8 to 8.6
- Temperature: 76°F to 82°F
- Tank Size: 55 gallons minimum for a pair
- Fish Size: 4 to 6 inches
- Lifespan: 6 to 8 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Peacock cichlids are as colorful as peacocks on land, as the name suggests. There are many different kinds and patterns of these colorful fish, and they can sometimes be aggressive and territorial. These fish are great for both new and experienced fish keepers because they don’t need much care as long as they are in a big tank that is regularly cleaned.
5. Blue Gularis Killifish
- pH: 6 to 8
- Temperature: 73°F to 79°F
- Tank Size: 30 gallons minimum for a pair
- Fish Size: 5 inches
- Lifespan: 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
The Blue Gularis Killifish is a great choice if you want a tropical fish with a lot of different colors for your aquarium. Their bodies are black and orange, and they have brown stripes and brightly colored tails. Proper tank setup for this fish includes a peat moss substrate, lots of plants, hiding spots, and an aquarium cover to prevent them from jumping out.
6. Jewel Cichlid
- pH: 6.5 to 7.5
- Temperature: 75°F to 80°F
- Tank Size: 30 gallons minimum for a pair
- Fish Size: 4 to 5.5 inches
- Lifespan: 5 to 7 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
The Jewel Cichlid is a beautiful and colorful fish that many aquarists like because its colors are bright and shiny and make it look like it’s glimmering when it swims. This species is usually bright red all over, and their sides and fins are covered evenly with white or blue-green spots. Even though they are pretty, they are very aggressive and will pick a fight with almost any other species. To keep them from getting stressed, put them in big tanks with sand at the bottom, some plants, and big rocks.
7. Pearl Gourami
- pH: 6 to 8
- Temperature: 77°F to 82°F
- Tank Size: 30 gallons minimum for 5 fish
- Fish Size: 4 to 5 inches
- Lifespan: 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
Pearl gouramis are colorful and exotic-looking fish that any aquarist can keep. Their name comes from the pearly white spots that cover their otherwise light brown skin, which has a black and white streak that goes from their eyes down to their tail. The easiest way to keep your gourami happy is to fill your aquarium with a sand substrate, aquatic plants like java fern and anacharis, and some decorations they can use to hide.
8. Green Terror Cichlid
- pH: 6.5 to 8.0
- Temperature: 68°F to 77°F
- Tank Size: 35 gallons minimum for a single fish
- Fish Size: 12 inches
- Lifespan: 7 to 10 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
Green Terror Cichlids are like Oscar Fish in some ways, but they are brighter and have more colors. But this type of cichlid is highly territorial and aggressive, and females are usually more aggressive than the males. In the wild, they are usually carnivores, but in captivity, they are opportunistic, omnivorous fish that need a varied diet of live food and vegetables, such as shrimp, earthworms, fish flakes, or cooked peas and spinach.
9. Salvini Cichlid
- pH: 7.0 to 8.0 pH
- Temperature: 75°F to 79°F
- Tank Size: 55 gallons for a single fish
- Fish Size: 9 inches
- Lifespan: 13 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
Salvini cichlids are another colorful fish you can keep. They have a golden yellow, oval body, a pointed snout, and black spots that form a line along the sides. They also have a few iridescent blue spots that shine in the light as they swim. This fish will do best in a place with lots of aquatic plants, strong water flow, and some driftwood or decorations that they claim as their territory.
10. Flowerhorn Cichlid
- pH: 6.5 to 7.8
- Temperature: 80°F to 89°F
- Tank Size: 70 gallons minimum for a single fish
- Fish Size: 10 to 16 inches
- Lifespan: 10 to 12 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
Flowerhorn cichlids are great fish for you if you want to find smart, colorful fish that can live for a long time. Most of the time, these fish are a bright reddish-pink color with white spots all over and some black spots that go from their eyes to their tails. Most cichlids like to dig in the substrate, so you should put a smooth substrate like sand in their fish tank along with rocks, driftwood, decorations, and strong plants with deep roots like Java fern and anubias.
11. Cobra Guppy
- pH: 7.5 to 8.0
- Temperature: 64°F to 84°F
- Tank Size: 5 gallons minimum for 5 fish
- Fish Size: 2 inches
- Lifespan: 2 to 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
While guppies in general are colorful, the Cobra guppy really stands out among guppies. Cobra Guppies are colorful because they have a mix of red, blue, bright yellow, and green patterns that may look like the patterns found on a tiger. Taking care of these fish would be the same as taking care of any other guppies, but you shouldn’t put them with other aggressive fish because guppies are calm and quiet and would get picked on and nipped by other fish.
12. Redhead Cichlid
- pH: 6.5 to 8.5
- Temperature: 75°F to 82°F
- Tank Size: 70 gallons minimum for a single fish
- Fish Size: 14-16 inches
- Lifespan: 10 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Expert
One more of the most colorful freshwater fish is the redhead cichlid. Their bodies are a mix of blue and orange, with black spots and a bright red spot on the forehead, which is how they got the name “redhead cichlid”. The best way to care for these fish is to put them in large tanks with others of the same species, preferably more females to keep them from fighting.
13. Tropheus Moorii Red Rainbow
- pH: 8.0 – 8.5
- Temperature: 78°F to 82°F
- Tank Size: 75 gallons minimum for 10 fish
- Fish Size: 6 inches
- Lifespan: 5 to 10 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Expert
The body of the tropheus kasanga rainbow has a gradient color ranging in intensity from red to orange to green, in a similar way to a rainbow. Their dorsal fin is spiky and usually red in color, but it can sometimes be blue as well. The problem is that these fish are quite big, and they live best in groups of at least 12, so you will probably need a very large tank.
14. Duboisi Cichlid
- pH: 7.8-9.0
- Temperature: 72°F to 82°F
- Tank Size: 55 gallons minimum for a single fish
- Fish Size: 5 inches
- Lifespan: 12 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
The Duboisi cichlid is another interesting colorful freshwater fish because they slowly change color as it gets older. When they are young, they are black with bright spots all over their bodies. As they get older, they get a large vertical yellow stripe in the middle part of their body, which turns blue. But they aren’t easy to take care of because they need a clean, oxygen-rich environment, so you’ll need to set up aquarium bubblers and filters and check the water regularly.
15. Electric Yellow Lab
- pH: 7.2 to 8.8
- Temperature: 74ºF to 84ºF
- Tank Size: 30 gallons minimum for 8 fish
- Fish Size: 4 inches
- Lifespan: 10 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
As the name suggests, these fish are bright yellow and have a black line running along their dorsal, ventral, and anal fins. Because of the contrast between their yellow and black colors, they are without a doubt one of the most colorful freshwater fish. Yellow Labs like to swim around and explore caves and small rocks, so make sure to put driftwood and plants in their fish tank to make it look like their natural habitat.
16. Jaguar Cichlid
- pH: 7.0 to 8.7
- Temperature: 75° to 82°F
- Tank Size: 70 gallons minimum for a single fish
- Fish Size: 14 inches
- Lifespan: 15 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Expert
The jaguar cichlid is an interesting, colorful, and beautiful cichlid that you might also want to keep. It has a large, long, ovate body with black and brown patterns and spots of different sizes on a golden yellow body, making it look like a jaguar. With a maximum length of 14 inches, this cichlid species requires a tank size of at least 100 gallons for a single male or 150 gallons for a pair along with some aquatic plants.
17. Electric Blue Acara
- pH: 6.0 to 7.5
- Temperature: 68°F to 82°F
- Tank Size: 55 gallons minimum for 5 fish
- Fish Size: 6 to 8 inches
- Lifespan: 10 to 20 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
This is one of the most popular freshwater fish because of how pretty and colorful they are. These fish have a metallic blue body, and they have a yellow ridge along the top of their dorsal fin. These fish like a bit of water movement, so you can put in an aquarium filter set to medium-high to agitate the water, along with some plants, rocks, and other decorations to give them places to hide.
18. Clown Loach
- pH: 6 to 8
- Temperature: 77°F to 86°F
- Tank Size: 75 gallons minimum
- Fish Size: 12 inches
- Lifespan: 10 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
Clown loaches are colorful and social freshwater fish that can be added to large community fish tanks. They are different in a way because they don’t have scales and instead make a mucus layer to protect themselves. In the aquarium, you might want to have a mix of substrates, such as pebbles and sand, dim lighting, and plants that live in water, such as Amazon sword plants.
19. Congo Tetra
- pH: 6.0 to 7.5
- Temperature: 72°F to 82°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for 6 fish
- Fish Size: 3 inches
- Lifespan: 3 to 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Beginner
Congo tetras are colorful freshwater fish that are known for the red and gold stripe that runs from the top of their heads to the end of their tail fins. As they fish swim around the tank, you can see its wide range of bright tropical colors, from purple to blue to a gold orange hue. These fish don’t need much care, and it’s easy to feed them because they can eat both fresh and dried foods.
Small Colorful Fish For Your Fish Tank
There are a lot of colorful fish that you can buy or find easily at many pet stores. If you have a small fish tank or just want to see a lot of colorful fish swimming around in your fish tank, you can also choose to keep small, beautiful, colorful fish. Here’s a list of small fish that will give your fish tank a lot of colors.
1. Pygmy Sunfish
- pH: 7.0 to 7.5
- Temperature: 50°F to 86°F
- Tank Size: 5 gallons minimum for a single fish
- Fish Size: 1.4 inches
- Lifespan: 1 year
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
Pygmy sunfish are so small that they never reach lengths of more than an inch in their lifetime. Even though this neon blue small fish is pretty to look at, they are not easy to take care of and they mostly feed on frozen or live food like brine shrimp, bloodworms, or mosquito larvae. This fish is known to be peaceful and not very picky on the water quality, so you can either put it in a tank with other small calm fish or give it its own 5 gallon tank.
2. White Cloud Mountain Minnow
- pH: 6.8-7.5
- Temperature: 64°F to 72°F
- Tank Size: 10 gallons minimum for 6 fish
- Fish Size: 1.5 inches
- Lifespan: 5 to 7 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
The White Cloud Mountain Minnow is also another colorful small fish that are social and can live in groups and doesn’t need warm temperatures to live. These fish can live together with other peaceful fishes in community tanks given that they are not too small compared with their tankmates. Most of the time, these fish are added to planted aquarium setups where the plants, not the fish, are the centerpiece with only a school of these fish being put into the aquarium.
3. Red Neon Goby
- pH: 5.5 to 7.0
- Temperature: 68°F to 82° F
- Tank Size: 10 gallons minimum for a pair
- Fish Size: 2 inches
- Lifespan: 6 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Rare red neon gobies are a great addition to community aquariums with a lot of other peaceful fish and a lot of water movement because they are very active and easy to spot. They can also be kept in pairs in small fish tanks as small as 10 gallons because they don’t grow bigger than 2 inches. This colorful fish comes from shallow, clear, fast-moving waters and is sensitive to changes in water quality so you need to install high-power filters to keep the water flowing.
4. Samurai Gourami
- pH: 4.0 to 5.0
- Temperature: 70°F to 80°F
- Tank Size: 20 gallons minimum for 3 fish
- Fish Size: 2.2 inches
- Lifespan: 5 to 8 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Expert
The samurai gourami is a stunningly beautiful fish, with a vibrant green body and striking red and green stripes running down each flank. These fish won’t get much bigger than 2.2 inches, but they are hard to find and cost a lot of money. They do best when kept in groups of six to eight with the fish tank in dim lighting, acidic water, high temperatures, and plenty of hiding spaces in the tank.
5. Sparkling Gourami
- pH: 6 to 8
- Temperature: 77°F to 80.5°F
- Tank Size: 10 gallons minimum for 4 fish
- Fish Size: 1.6 inches
- Lifespan: 4 to 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
Sparkling gouramis are another type of small, colorful freshwater fish that is popular in the fishkeeping hobby. Even though they don’t swim in schools, they still like to hang out in groups of five or six. Despite their small size (1.6 inches max), these fish can be quite aggressive, especially when defending territory or fighting over females with other males.
6. Endler’s Livebearer
- pH: 5.5 to 8.0
- Temperature: 64°F to 84°F
- Tank Size: 10 gallons minimum for 3 fish
- Fish Size: 1.8 inches
- Lifespan: 2 to 3 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Easy
You can also keep Endler’s livebearers, which are lovely little fish that come in a variety of bright colors. These don’t get much bigger than 2 inches, so you can keep 3 of them in a 10 gallon fish tank and 6 to 8 of them in a 20 gallon fish tank. When keeping these fish, don’t try to keep more males than females. Males can stress out the females, sometimes to the point where they die.
7. Cardinal Tetra
- pH: 4.6 to 6.2
- Temperature: 73 °F to 81°F
- Tank Size: 10 gallons minimum for a pair
- Fish Size: 2 inches
- Lifespan: 4 to 5 years
- Difficulty Keeping: Intermediate
The cardinal tetra, a close relative of the neon tetra, and a longtime aquarium favorite, is among the most sought-after of the small tetras. The only difference between cardinal tetras and neon tetras is that the red stripe on cardinal tetras goes all the way from the eye area to the tail. Cardinal tetras are about 2 inches long and can live in water with a pH level between 4.6 and 6.2 and a temperature between 73°F and 81°F. They are a bit bigger than other tetras.
Which Colorful Fish Can Live Together?
Having a fish is always fun, and sometimes it’s hard to decide which colorful fish to keep. Luckily, there are a wide variety of colorful fish that can peacefully live together with others in the same aquarium. Here are some colorful fish you might want to put in a community fish tank if you want to make one.
1. Tetras
There are a lot of colorful tetras and most of them are peaceful and can live together with similarly-sized community fish. Other tetra species, like the serpae tetras and buenos aires tetras, can be aggressive and get quite big, which may scare away smaller, more timid fish. Keep in mind that these fish swim in groups, so you would need at least 5 or 6 of them to keep them from getting stressed.
2. Guppies
Guppy fish are peaceful and calm fish, which makes them good candidates for community aquariums. Because they are small, colorful, and are easy to care for, they are a great choice for both new and experienced aquarists. They can live together with almost any fish on this list, as long as the species is not aggressive.
3. White Cloud Mountain Minnow
White clouds are very hardy and colorful fish that are also a good choice for a first fish. They are sociable creatures that can live together with other fish of a similar size and environment in the community. These fish like to swim in groups in cold water, so they should be kept in groups of at least six and the water temperature a bit lower.
4. Swordtail
Another peaceful, colorful, social fish that you can put in a community fish tank are swordtails. Most swordtail fish species are very active so you may want to opt for a larger tank if you want to put them in a community tank. It is worth noting that these fishes love to swim in groups so you may need to introduce five or more of them at one time in your community fish tank.
5. Danios
Zebrafish are also a great addition to a community fish tank because they are social and can live together with other fish. Sometimes you can even see them swimming in groups with other fish! However, zebrafish chase each other around the tank, and they may be a little bit mean to slow-moving fish with long fins, like some mollies and catfish. Zebrafish do best in groups of six, especially if they are going to live in a community tank with other fish.
6. Dwarf Gouramis
Gouramis are smaller, colorful versions of common gouramis that are common in many fish tanks. Gouramis are usually aggressive, but dwarf gouramis are calm, shy, and less aggressive as long as you don’t put them in the same tank as other aggressive fish. The problem is that the male dwarf gouramis might attack other fish with bright colors if they think they are rivals.
7. Rasboras
Rasboras are peaceful fish, and most species can live together with other fish that are about the same size. Rasboras do best in an aquarium with lots of plants and in groups of at least seven. The thing is, most of these colorful fish like slightly more alkaline water, so if you’re going to put them with other fish, you might want to check on that.
Colorful Schooling Freshwater Fish
Instead of just one big fish floating around in a fish tank, it’s better to have a lot of them. Having a group of colorful fish swim around your fish tank and chase each other would be a beautiful sight. If that’s what you want, here’s a list of colorful freshwater fish that swim in schools.
1. Celestial Pearl Danios
Celestial pearl danios, which are also called galaxy rasboras, are pretty and colorful fish that swim in groups. You need at least six of them in your fish tank because they swim in groups. These beautiful fish that look like stars can grow to be about an inch long, so a school of them can live happily in a 10 gallon fish tank. These fish do best in colder water, so you can put them in fish tanks with heaters as long as the water is between 72°F and 76°F.
2. Neon Tetras
Neon tetras are some of the most colorful freshwater fish you can put in your aquarium, and a big group of them really makes the tank stand out. Even though you’re supposed to keep them in groups of six, the more neon tetras you have, the better. They will enjoy the plants, and they like to swim in and out of them so it’s a good idea to add as many live plants as you can without taking up too much space.
3. Zebrafish
Danios are also another colorful fish that love to swim in schools of at least 5. Like other schooling fish, if there aren’t enough of them, they can get stressed and can become aggressive or get lethargic. One cool thing about zebrafish is that they have a genetically modified version called the GloFish, which has beautiful colors and can glow when put under a blacklight or bluelight.
4. Platys
Platys are another colorful schooling fish you might want to add to your fish tank. They usually live in small groups of about five fish. Depending on the species, they can have bright and unusual colors like white, red, green, yellow, and blue, and some even have patterns. They are easy to take care of because they can live in a wide range of water conditions and will eat almost anything you give them.
5. Mollies
Mollies are not technically schooling fish, but rather shoaling fish, but some of these fish species prefer to swim in groups of six or more. If you give these colorful fish a lot of room to swim and a lot of plants to hide in, they can live in solitary. It’s also important to remember that when keeping a group of these fish, you should have 3 females for every male to keep the males from getting aggressive.
6. Barbs
All barbs are schooling fish that do best in groups of at least five, so you shouldn’t just keep one in your fish tank by itself. They are colorful, active and playful fish, so they should be kept with other fish that are the same size and do as much. Avoid putting barbs in a tank with shy fish, slow-moving fish, or fish with long fins like neon tetras, angelfish, guppies, or bettas because they may nip at them.
7. Rasboras
If you want to find small schooling, but colorful fish, you should check out rasboras. They are easy to tell apart because their sides are reddish-orange and their tails have black markings. They like to swim close to each other, and because they are small and calm, they make a great addition to a community tank with fish about the same size as them.
FAQ
What’s the Most Colorful Freshwater Fish?
According to the Build Your Aquarium, discus are the most colorful fish, with so many aquarists wanting to get them. These beautiful freshwater fish come in a wide range of colors and patterns, but they can be hard to keep because they must only be kept in water that is very clean.
What Are the Most Peaceful Colorful Freshwater Fish?
Tetras, female dwarf gouramis, barbs, boesemani rainbowfish, endler’s livebearer, and bluefin notho are among the more peaceful species of freshwater fish, according to Modest Fish. But these fish are different sizes, so you can’t keep them all in the same tank together or the bigger fish will think the smaller fish are food.
Why Are Saltwater Fish More Colorful than Freshwater Fish?
Jaljeev says that saltwater fish have more color receptors than freshwater fish, which is why they are more colorful. Most colorful saltwater fish live in coral reefs that have a wide range of colors, so saltwater fish have developed bright colors and unique patterns to camouflage in with corals and other marine life.
Most Colorful Freshwater Fish for 55 Gallon Tank?
Pet Helpful says that if you want to keep fish in a 55 gallon fish tank, you have a lot of different options. In a 55 gallon fish tank, you can put just one big fish like an Oscar or a discus, or you can put a lot of smaller, colorful fish like barbs, platies, and mollies.
What Are Some Large Colorful Freshwater Fish?
On Fish Tank Advisor‘s list of colorful freshwater fish, the jack dempsey, blue frontosa, discus, and clown loaches are one of the largest colorful fish you can keep. All of them can grow to about 9 inches, and some of them are territorial, so you might need tanks that are quite a bit bigger.
Recap
There are so many colorful freshwater fish that you can always find one that fits in the fish tank you have, no matter how big or small it is. They come in many colors, sizes, shapes, stripes, and patterns, and some of them even change color depending on how you look at them.
Some fish like to swim close to each other in groups, so you might see them swimming together in your fish tank. Other fish prefer to be alone in their fish tanks. There are also colorful freshwater fish that can live in community tanks with other fish if you decide to keep more than one species. Depending on what you want, there is always a perfect fish, so make sure you can give them the best care to keep your colorful fish happy.
