I don’t know about you, but seeing any sort of cute, colorful, and multi-varied critter in a game makes my inner-creature-collector Pokemon sense tingle. That said, I’m pretty sure many Minecraft players will attest that they had a “gotta-catch-em-all” moment when they discovered Tropical Fish and realized how many multicolored variants there are. Tired of the generic Salmon, Cod, and microaggressive Pufferfish in their home base’s aquariums, many sealife lovers are probably wondering how they can breed Tropical Fish to add more color to their Minecraft fish tanks.
[Updated on March 29 – Content has been simplified for improved readability, and images have been replaced.]
Is There Tropical Fish Breeding in Minecraft?
As cool as having a hatchery for any species would be in Minecraft, you cannot breed Tropical Fish. The same goes for other types; Salmon, Cod, and Pufferfish cannot be fed, tamed, or bred like Sheep or Cows. However, this does not mean it’s impossible to start an aquarium of Tropical Fish — just prepare a boatload of Buckets in advance.
Based on my comment above, you probably are following my drift: Craft a ton of Buckets and set off on an expedition to collect as many Buckets of Tropical Fish as you can. Lukewarm or Warm Oceans, Lush Caves, and possibly Mangrove Swamps (Java only) are where you’ll come across schools of Tropical Fish. They are randomized, as I came across some Yellow Tang and White-Gray Glitter variants in the ocean I was exploring. So, you’ll need to keep checking different areas if you’re aiming to satisfy that “catch-em-all” desire.
Like normal fish in Minecraft, Tropical Fish spawn under the same requirements of having a certain number of water blocks above and below it. While you could attempt to recreate the perfect artificial spawn farm for your Tropical Fish, exploring the open world and catching them as you go would probably be more fun. Also, note that you can’t be around when they spawn, so having a base nearby a spot where you’d go Bucket-fishing or build a farm wouldn’t be ideal.
