More and more people have been picking up a 15 gallon column tank recently and although the Aqueon range of column tanks are the most popular by far, there are a number of competing brands releasing their own options onto the market so we only expect their popularity to climb.
With their popularity, we commonly see people reaching out to ask for advice on the best fish for a 15 gallon column tank due to how many beginners are starting with these tanks.
As we mentioned, there are a number of different brands offering 15 gallon column tanks these days so the actual design and dimensions of them are slightly different but we still wanted to publish this article to try and help as many of our readers as possible.
One thing that we would like to quickly say that a 20 gallon tank will almost always be a better setup but due to so many people already having a 15 gallon column tank, we wanted to publish this article to try and help as many of our readers as possible.
The Best Fish For A 15 Gallon Column Tank!
We have our point list of the better fish species that you are able to keep in a 15 gallon column tank below and we will take a more detailed look at each of them throughout the rest of the article:-
- Guppies!
- Betta Fish!
- Harlequin Rasboras!
- Ember Tetras!
- Zebra Danios!
- Honey Gourami!
In some setups, you may actually be able to keep multiple species of fish from the list above in the same tank but if you are a beginner, we would usually recommend that you just stick to a single species tank for now.
Guppies!
Guppies are one of, if not the most popular freshwater fish species in the entire world and their popularity is only increasing as more and more people are getting into the hobby.
Their popularity is mainly down to how easy they are to care for but they are also very fun fish to keep too which is why we have put them at the top of our list.
Guppies are very peaceful fish and get on well with most other species of fish which is one of the reasons that they are so popular.
They are also able to adapt to a wide range of different water conditions which means that they are perfect for beginner setups like a 15 gallon column tank.
The only real downside to keeping guppies is that they are very active fish and need a lot of space to swim around in.
This is why we would only recommend keeping a small group of them in a 15 gallon column tank but if you are looking for a single fish species, then they are one of the best options.
We would also highly recommend that you try to keep a male only guppy tank if possible to prevent any problems with a rapidly increasing population of guppies.
Betta Fish!
Betta fish are another very popular freshwater fish species and they are actually the only freshwater fish species that we would recommend keeping as a single fish in a 15 gallon column tank.
This is because they are very territorial fish and do not do well when kept with other fish of the same species or even other similar looking fish.
Technically, you can keep a betta sorority in a 15 gallon tank but they do have to be 15 gallon longs rather than columns or talls and you should be aiming for a 55 gallon sorority tank if possible.
Still, a large number of people who keep a 15 gallon column tank keep a better in there and the fish is able to thrive.
The unique colors and patterns of bettas make them an excellent fish to enjoy viewing too and their quirky personality makes them great for beginner fish keepers.
Harlequin Rasboras!
Harlequin rasboras are a schooling fish species which means that they do best when kept in groups of 6 or more.
They are very peaceful fish and make an excellent addition to any community tank but they are also one of the more active freshwater fish species too.
This is why we recommend keeping them in a 15 gallon long rather than a column or tall as they need a lot of swimming space.
Harlequin rasboras are very easy to care for and they are able to adapt to a wide range of different water conditions too which makes them perfect for beginner setups.
Many people do keep harlequin rasboras in 15 gallon column tanks even tough they are better suited for longs so if you do want to keep them in your tank, we would usually only recommend that you stick to six and that you don’t go any higher.
Ember Tetras!
Ember tetras are one of the smallest freshwater fish species that you can keep and they only grow to around an inch in length when fully grown.
This makes them perfect for small tanks like a 15 gallon column tank and they are also very easy to care for which is another reason why we recommend them for beginners.
Ember tetras are very peaceful fish and make an excellent addition to any community tank but they do best when kept in groups of 6 or more.
If you set your 15 gallon column tank up correctly then you should be able to create an environment where your ember tetras will thrive.
Zebra Danios!
Zebra danios are one of the most popular freshwater fish species for beginner fish keepers and they are actually one of our top recommendations too.
This is because they are very easy to care for and they are also able to adapt to a wide range of different water conditions too.
This means that zebra danios tend to be more forgiving to many of the mistakes that beginners make in the fish keeping hobby that can cause them to be better suited issues with maintaining stable and consistent water parameters that we see time and time again.
Honey Gourami!
The honey gourami is another freshwater fish species that does very well when kept in a 15 gallon column tank and they are seeing a huge spike in their popularity right now too.
This is because they are very easy to care for and they are also able to adapt to a wide range of different water conditions which makes them perfect for beginner setups.
Honey gouramis are very peaceful fish and make an excellent addition to any community tank but they do best when kept in groups of 2 or more.
One of the reasons why we recommend them for beginners is because they are able to help with keeping the tank clean as they are known to be one of the best algae eating freshwater fish species.
