Starting your first aquarium is super exciting, but it’s normal to feel a bit overwhelmed by all the colourful choices! If you’re setting up a tank in Melbourne, you need to keep our chilly winters in mind to keep your fish happy and healthy.
While many tropical fish love warmer water, you’ll want to ensure your tank stays between 22°C and 24°C to keep them comfortable during Melbourne’s colder months.
Here we have summed up a few key factors which we need to consider while choosing the fish:
- Size of the tank: How big is your aquarium? Some fish need more space to thrive.
- How big will the fish grow?
- Compatibility of different species.
- Temperature needs of species you are choosing as some fish prefer warmer or cooler water.
- Food habits: What type of food your selected species require?
- Lighting and plants: Different species have different needs for plants and light. So choose those which has similar requirements.
Small Tanks (5–10 Gallons)
If you’re starting with a desktop size tank, you need to pick the small fish, that don’t grow larger than 1.5- 2 inches. For small tanks, you need to avoid large schooling fish, they will feel packed up and stressed.
Best fish for small tanks:
- Betta Fish: Known for their beauty, Betta fish are found in a variety of colours. These are low-maintenance pets, hardy, easy to settle down in small size tanks. In short- most suitable for beginners. Betts are curious creatures and can recognize their owners as well! A heater and gentle water filter is essential to make them thrive.
- Guppies: These are budget friendly, low maintenance and peaceful pets. Like Betts, these also come in a variety of colours. The best part is that they easily cohabit with other calm fish species. You can keep a school of 5-6, preferably 1 male and 2–3 females in small tanks. They grow upto 1.5- 3 inches.
- Platies & Common Mollies: Both of these are easy to care for and super chill fish species. They nibble on algae and help keep the tank clean. Platies are the colourful, low-maintenance choice for smaller tanks, while mollies are a little bigger, more active, and can uniquely live in anything from fresh to saltwater.
Other additions:
- Cherry Shrimp: These bright red color animals are hardy and tolerant to little variable water pH and temperatures. These are peaceful algae eaters and produce minimal waste due to their small size.
Recommended plants:
- Ambulia Plant: Looking for an easy, beautiful plant to level up your tank? Ambulia is just what you need! It is fast growing – Great for soaking up excess nutrients and preventing algae Perfect for shrimp and fry – Its soft, feathery leaves make the perfect hiding spots Easy to care for – No CO2 required, just moderate lighting Adds a soft, natural look – The bright green tones bring life to any aquascape!
- Java Moss: It is one of the easiest plant for your aquarium. Pretend you don’t care about it and it grows a lot faster. Apart from being hardy, versatile and beautiful, it provides a soft nesting place for your shrimps also.
Medium Tanks (10–20 Gallons)
With slightly larger tanks, you can introduce more active or slightly bigger species.
Recommended fish:
- Tetras: Tetras are Jewels of the Aquarium! They are small, vibrant fish that love to swim in groups and thrive in well-planted tanks with clean, stable water. Tetras also thrive with other friendly fish.
- White Cloud Mountain Minnows: They are extremely forgiving with regard to aquarium temperature and water quality. They love to be in a school of 5-6 in a medium-sized aquarium and usually swim near the top or middle of the tank.
- Mollies & Platies: They are live bearers. So for these you need to have a good female-to-male ratio to lessen aggression and to prevent inbreeding. 1-3, if not more, is a safe bet usually. Mollies reproduce fast. If you plan on trying to keep the babies, have enough hiding spots. This way, they don’t get eaten up by the adults.
They prefer slightly warmer temperatures (24- 28°C) during Melbourne’s winter.
Additional community fish for medium tanks:
- Corydoras Catfish: Cories are great tankmates- they clean up all the food that settles to the tank bottom, are moderately active, quite cute and fun to watch.
- Cherry Barbs: They’re peaceful creatures, suitable for smaller tanks, very pretty, compatible with plants, and generally a very rewarding fish to keep!
Essential Tips
- Start slowly and observe: Instead of overcrowding the tank at once, you need to introduce the fish gradually.
- Check compatibility: Some species can be aggressive or require specific water conditions. So we need to find out our swimming pets with similar needs or those who complement.
- Maintain temperature: Melbourne winters can be cold, so a reliable heater is essential.
- Feed properly: Different species have different diets—some are omnivores, some herbivores.
- Plants help: Live plants like Ambulia and Java Moss provide hiding spots and help maintain water quality.
Starting your aquarium journey with the right fish and plants makes the experience enjoyable and rewarding. With a little planning and care, your tank will become a beautiful, thriving underwater world in your Melbourne home!