Newbies Guide To Keeping Tropical Fish
Buying and keeping {an aquarium of tropical fish is not a decision to be made lightly, a lot of thought and planning needs to go in to this before you begin.
To start with, how big an aquarium , what kind of tank , and where are you going to position this aquarium are very critical questions. I always recommend to get as large an aquarium as you can afford, both financially and space wise, as I have never heard of anyone wishing they had purchased a smaller aquarium ! Most people wish they had purchased a larger aquarium, as keeping tropical fish is very addictive, and you often want more fish.
Look at the variety of aquarium you want as well, do you need it to be placed on a piece of furniture? If you do, make sure it is sturdy even to hold the weight of both the aquarium and the water, which can become extremely heavy. Often you can purchase an aquarium which can come either with a stand, or even with it’s own cabinet to sit on, which can look great if they are right for your house.
Try also to choose a great area to keep the aquarium tank, bearing in mind that you will not be able to transfer it once it is full of water. Try not to have the aquarium in direct sunlight, but some natural light can be beneficial. Often it can be good to put an aquarium in a far nook, and it will really light up the room with the light and the colourful fish.
Next, what kind of fish do you want? Marine fish are the most attractive, but are very pricey to purchase, and very difficult to keep. If you are new to keeping fish I would advocate not starting with marine fish. Freshwater tropical fish are much cheaper to purchase, and are much easier to keep, and do not demand as big a tank as you would need for marine fish, so this would be my suggestion.
Next, find out about all the sorts of freshwater tropical fish that are obtainable, you could choose to have a wide variety of small fish that all dwell together (called a community tank), or you could select a species tank, where you would select to stock one unique kind of fish. Often species fish will be larger so you will have to have a large aquarium and not many fish. Do your analysis and find out which fish you want, and prepare accordingly.
Next, after deciding upon your aquarium, decide on the filtration system you want. SpeakTtalk to the specialists in your nearby aquarium shop about what they have available regarding filtration, as this is personal choice I would always suggest a nearby shop rather than a pet chain store, as the staff are much more likely to have firsthand expertise of keeping fish.
When you get your aquarium home, still don’t purchase the fish yet – you will need to get the aquarium set up, fill it with the gravel and ornaments, and give the filter a chance to get working to ‘age’ the water. Leave it a week or two before you buy any fish, and then, if you are preparing a community tank, buy just one or two varieties at a time, give them a week or two to settle in before acquiring any more. Take your time over this, as tempting as it is to hurry the process, you want to appreciate this tropical fish tank for years to come, so do it right.
