How to Breed Tropical Fish in Minecraft?

Hoping to catch yourself some tropical fish? Here's what you need to know!

Abdul Rehman Shakil
Abdul Rehman Shakil
6 Min Read

Whether it be a collector’s habit or a general tendency, Minecraft players love to go out of the conventional route to collect materials that are a nightmare to farm. However, even that is tame compared to attempting to breed tropical fish in Minecraft.

So, what makes these fish so unique, and why are they a nightmare to farm? We’ve taken a nosedive into the rabbit hole to surface everything you need to know about tropical fish in Minecraft!

Can You Breed Tropical Fish?

There’s no current method of actually ‘breeding’ tropical fish in Minecraft. The only way to obtain these mobs is by diving into the ocean’s depths.

Luckily, finding any of 2700 naturally occurring variants of Tropical Fish is a piece of cake, given that you know the method of identifying them.

How to Find Tropical Fish in Minecraft?

Tropical Fish Minecraft

Tropical Fish tend to live in specified ‘zones’ that generate randomly wherever the following conditions (that vary between editions) are met:

Java Edition

In Minecraft Java, random varieties of Tropical Fish are generated in the following spots:

AreasHabitat Requirements
Lukewarm Oceans50 <= Y-Level <= 63
Warm Oceans50 <= Y-Level <= 63
Lush CavesAny Y-Level
Java Edition Tropical Fish Spawning Requirements

Tropical Fish usually spawn in groups of 8 in the Java Edition.

Fish Spawning Restraints

The following constraints / requirements restrict the fish spawning within the Java Edition:

  • The water block must be at a Y-Level of 50 to 63.
  • The spawn block can be of any water, but the block above it must be pure water. This can include the following:
    1. Source Block
    2. Falling Water
    3. Flowing Water
  • The player must not be within a 24 and 64-block spherical range of the spawn block.
  • The block above must not be a bubble column.

Bedrock Edition

In Minecraft Bedrock, random varieties of Tropical Fish are generated in the following spots:

AreasHabitat Requirements
Lukewarm Oceans50 <= Y-Level <= 64
Warm Oceans50 <= Y-Level <= 64
Deep Lukewarm Oceans50 <= Y-Level <= 64
Lush CavesAny underground Y-Level
Bedrock Edition Tropical Fish Spawning Requirements

Tropical Fish usually spawn in groups of 3-5 for the preset pattern and 1-3 for random patterns in the Java Edition.

Fish Spawning Restraints

The following constraints / requirements restrict the fish spawning within the Bedrock Edition:

  • The water block must be at a Y-Level of 50 to 64.
  • There shouldn’t be a non-solid block on top of the spawn block.

How to Identify Tropical Fish in Minecraft?

Despite ultimately being nothing more than a source of nourishment, a Tropical Fish generally spawns from one of its 22 pre-set variants in both Java and Bedrock Editions.

While the specifics of the spawn will differ, the fish’s visual aesthetics are chosen randomly or from the pile of the 22 uniquely-named varieties.

Base Variants

The base variants of the Tropical Fish are as follows:

You will also encounter Tropical Fish reproduced using these 22 versions as the base template.

Spawn Characteristics – Java Vs. Bedrock

Here are a few discrepancies between the tropical fish from Bedrock Edition and the ones from the Java Edition:

Java EditionBedrock Edition
90% chance of spawning from the 22 varieties.2 spawn attempts, with the first being one of the 22 categories.
10% chance of spawning a random pattern from any of the following:

Shapes: 2
Patterns: 6
Base Colors: 15
Pattern Colors: 15
The second attempt spawns a random pattern from the following:

Shapes: 2
Patterns: 6
Base Colors: 14
Pattern Colors: 15
The type and colors of the Tropical Fish are displayed as item tooltips.The names of the Tropical Fish are in the name of the bucket.
Java Vs. Bedrock Edition – Main Tropical Fish Comparisons

Conclusion

In essence, Tropical Fish cannot be bred unless you’re using a modified version for it. They’re caught a bit unconventionally compared to regular fish and possess an exorbitant number of variants.

Let us know what you think about these spawn customizations in the comments section! In the meanwhile, check our ultimate list on the best Minecraft House Ideas.

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A cybersecurity enthusiast who loves everything to do with games, comics and anime. Believes that Chrono Trigger was 2 decades ahead of its time and is currently addicted to the uncut cocaine of all FPS shooters, CSGO. Loves cats, eating meat and the inevitable return to the source.
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