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Choosing Fish For Your Aquarium
So you’ve got your fish tank set up. Or you’re ready to set up your tank, and you need a whole host of swimming, happy aquarium freshwater fish to fill it, right? Ok now take your time and decide precisely what fish you want in there.
Maybe fast moving shoaling fish that are constantly on the move is what you are looking for. Or perhaps your interest is for brightly coloured varieties. Or maybe you have other completely different requirements. However you look at it you’re going to fish for a fish tank.
It is important to take time to choose the right fish especially if you intend to populate your tank with several species. Remember to research before buying anything, because you risk fish loss and eventual death if you don’t!
Research: Not All That Complicated
Staff at a fish supply store should be able to tell you a lot about what you need to keep your potential fish happy and healthy in their tank, and you might find that they’re more knowledgeable then you previously expected.
You need the answers to a few questions, including:
- Does this fish like open areas, or plenty of plants?
- What pH does this fish prefer?
- Is this fish aggressive?
- What are the feeding requirements for this fish?
- Does he eat at the top of the tank, or the bottom?
- How much space does this fish need?
- What is this fish’s temperature requirement ?
If you want more then one species of fish in the same tank, try to match these as closely as possible. Your aquarium’s chances of being a long term success will be improved the closer you get it.
Rather than working from a list of fish breeds which can be confusing you should be finding the fish yourself. We recommend a much better option. Head for your local fish supplier and see what they have. You may as well go to them all in your area! Take a piece of paper with you and make a note of the varieties of fish that you like the look of, talk to the expert about their needs and make a note of them as well.
Take it all home and see which species match the best, then cross reference the information the staff gave you to information on that species. This way you will know which are the best fish species for you.
We All Need Food
Not everyone takes account of the food needs of community fish. Not all fish like to eat at the surface, some prefer trhe bottom.
Mixing these is usually no problem but it is wise to avoid aggresive top feeders because they migh cut off pellets intened for the bottom feeders!
Attempt to select fish with similar diets, fish that don’t steal from each other will be happier and happy fish are more attractive and tend to live longer. You also want to try and ensure that your fish aren’t going to eat each other while you’re away. This is no joke, there is a definite risk.
Smaller fish getting bitten by other aggressive
fish is another serious risk. Almost always a target ore fish with long flowing fins. You should match levels of aggression this usually produces a good match. Big bullies know when to retreat so serious confrontations can be avoided.
Aggression Problems
Many fish – especially males – are going to be aggressive in general, so you really do need to try and avoid pairing more then one male in the tank, with the exception of less aggressive species. Even fish with similar colors can sometimes set it off, so be careful who you pair with whom. Two or three females to each male usually works best but there are always exceptions.
The Cardinal Sin
The absolute worst thing that you can do is to just stock your tank with exotic looking fish and hope for the best. Sadly this is a thing that many owners do. Don’t leave it to chance – the road to disaster, do your research and your fish will live happily for a very long time.
John A Thomson is a freshwater fish expert. For more great tips on freshwater aquarium fish visit freshwateraquariumsecretsonline.com