Freshwater Aquarium Fish
Aquariums can be beautiful, but expensive and complicated to maintain. For the beginner, it is
highly recommended that you go with freshwater aquariums and fish. While both saltwater and
freshwater aquariums require some setup and maintenance, freshwater aquariums are by far
the cheaper and easier of the two. All you really need to start with freshwater is a tank, some
gravel and/or rocks, light, filter, heater, and thermometer. Fill it with water, let it sit for a few
weeks to get a biological filter cycle going, and you are good to go for freshwater fish. And if you
choose well, freshwater fish can be just as bright and colorful as their saltwater counterparts.
Which Fish Should I Get?
Probably the most common question a freshwater aquarium keep asks is "Which kind of
freshwater aquarium fish should I get?". Freshwater fish come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
Some can be kept with others, some can't. Probably the best way to decide is to look around at
your local aquarium shop and see what catches your eye. If you don't see anything you like, the
shopkeeper will likely be able to help you in ordering the ones you want. And be sure and find
out whether the different species of fish you are considering keeping together are compatible.
Some common choices for beginning freshwater aquariums keepers are cichlids of various
types and rainbow fish. Cichlids come in all sorts of colors, and can grow to be quite large (3
feet or so) in the wild. Rainbow fish are from Australia and are usually multicolored and quite
pretty. If you want a small fish to round out your tank, a school of 4-5 Neons can fill the role
nicely. They never get bigger than large minnow sized, and have almost fluorescent stripes on
otherwise clear bodies.
Care and Maintenance
With all of these fish, you will need to pay attention to your water PH, which is a measure of how
acidic or alkaline it is. Various fish have different comfort levels, and some fish, like the Discus,
can actually die if the PH is not precisely maintained.
Watch your temperature, and make sure it is warm or cool enough. A lot of the more colorful
freshwater fish come from tropical freshwater, and require warm water to be healthy and happy.
Fish Care And Aquarium Support
-1. Know Your Fish: the care of your fish is determined largely by what type of fish they are i.e.
saltwater or freshwater. The first kind is also referred to as marine fish. The kind of water-home
you provide for your fish friends depends on the category they fall under as saltwater fish need
to be looked in at daily to check for their good health in an alien environment and this is why
experts recommend fish-owners to observe the patterns of behavior of every fish in the tank so
anything out of the ordinary can be recorded and attended to by a pet specialist.
-2. Learn about the eating pattern of your fish to fix a daily routine for them as some fish may
require frequent meals while others can do with just one meal daily; it is important to understand
and interpret the eating demands of your fish.
-3. Try and keep the aquarium water clean as neglecting this aspect may cause chlorine buildup
in the tank, leading to unhygienic conditions for the fish in it. You can invest in some
affordable water-filters to maintain aquarium water and find out about adding calcium in it
besides adding iodine salt twice weekly for marine fish kept in a tank. Clearing the aquarium of
algae buildup that contains photosynthetic substances is essential too for the healthy upkeep of
your fish.
-4. Another tip for maintaining tank water of the best quality is to filter out at least 15 per
cent of it contained in the tank on a weekly basis and refill this quantity with pure, oxygenated
water to prevent build-up of chemicals that can be harmful for the fish. Don't hesitate to seek
advice from the local pet shop on the ways to eliminate chemical build-up in your tank water and
the type of filtration system you can use to benefit your fishy friends.
-5. Always work to remove debris such as gravel etc. from the tank before attempting to
clean and change the water. Check for any impurities such as ammonia content etc. in the
aquarium water by investing in a tester kit and buffer system easily available in the market and
use this every 2 weeks to spot harmful levels of other chemicals, such as copper, chlorine and
nitrate build-up etc. and to check the pH level of the tank water. However, do remember that fish
tend to produce their own level of nitrites, which are not harmful for them and only concentrate
on removing the nitrous acidy salts that can be toxic for them. When doing these weekly tests,
add in the useful alkalinity build up test on a monthly basis also to judge the concentration of it
in terms with the pH level of the tank water.
-6. Investing in a good quality chemical, mechanical or biological filter that your local pet
shop can guide you about is a smart way to prevent fish from falling ill when kept in an aquarium
environment and checking to see these are working properly is also important as a bi-weekly
filter-check can tell you when a replacement is due.
Keeping your fish records updated and your aquarium clean is essential for fishy friends to
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