Points To Take Note Of When Buying Fish Tank Fishes
When visiting your aquarium store you will discover there are several species of fish tank fish that you can buy. Popular fresh water fish that you are likely to come across include Puffer Fish, Angel Fish, Barracuda and Tiger. In addition, salt-water fish tank fish will include Boxfish, Cardinals, Sharks, Rays, and Jaw Fish. An interesting point to note is that the Puffer Fish can be kept in freshwater or saltwater.
The fish can be classified into four broad types based on their environment. They are Salt Water Fish, Freshwater Fish, Brackish Water Fish and Tropical Water Fish. The environment required for the brackish water fish is almost similar to that required for salt-water fish with the exemption that the salt concentration per gallon is lower. Tropical fish tank fish tend to be the easiest fish to rear, all that is necessary is the correct water temperature for optimum activity.
If you are just starting out then it is always best to select fish that is easy to maintain. The choices available to you will include fish such as Angel Fish, Goldfish, Cardinals, Bassets, Damsel Fish, and Puffer Fish. The Angelfish are very cute and highly active. This selection can easily adaptable to the artificial environment and will grow quickly.
The Puffer fish are comical swimmers and as mentioned before can live in almost any kind of aquatic environment. They tend to blow out when they are scared and hence the name Puffer fish. Cardinals are usually coloured brightly red. Guppies are available in variety of blue, red, and golden colours. It is always best to try to introduce them in groups of four or five so that they can more easily adjust to the new environment. They are also very compatible with Catfish, Glassfish and Tetras.
Another popular choice of fish is the Bettas (also known by the name of Siamese fighting fish). It would be unwise to place two male Bettas in the same fish tank, as they are likely to attack each other. However, the females have no problems in living together.
Before buying new fish, make sure that there is sufficient volume of water and swimming space for the fish to live happily. The number of fish that a fish tank can hold will always depend upon the capacity of the tank and the type and size of the fish tank fish. A large tank will allow a higher selection of fishes than a small tank. It also tends to be easier to distribute nutrients, recycle water and dispose of the waste material in large tanks. It is unwise to overcrowd the fish tank as this can destabilise the aquatic environment.
Also, always remember to take into account compatibility when selecting fish tank fish - not all fishes as compatible with each other. Predatory fishes are likely to wipe out an entire population of small fishes. Hence, you should always keep those fish in tanks that are at least 50% compatible with each other. An example of this would be to keep Tiger fish with other fish that are bigger in size than they are, as they cannot prey on them. Guppies shouldn't be kept with Tiger fish since they are an easy prey for them.
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Comments
I have an Asia Arowana. It is so much more expensive than the usual freshwater fish.
Well written! A great article that I would recommend to anybody that was curious about this subject matter.
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