Choosing Your Fish
The correct way to
set up a new aquarium is to first research and decide what type of fish you
would like to have in the aquarium.
To help narrow down your list of
desirable fish, you need to consider all of the following questions about the
potential candidates:
How big is the fish
going to get?
If the fish gets large will it prey on or
frighten smaller fish in the aquarium?
Is the fish too small to fit in with the other
fish in the aquarium?
Is the fish territorial and will it require a
large space of its own?
Does the fish eat other fish? Many tropical fish
do.
Does it nip the fins of other fish?
Is it aggressive or is it too shy and nervous to
live with certain other species?
Does it eat live plants?
Does it dig in the bottom of the aquarium?
What kind of water does it require (pH,
hardness, temperature, etc.)?
Is it available where you live?
What does it cost?
Is it raised domestically or taken out of the wild?
Does this particular fish need to live in groups
or prefer to live alone?
Once you have decided what fish
you would like to have in your aquarium, then the rest of the decisions will
fall into place much easier.
One of the most important steps
to take is to build the aquarium around the chosen fish species, not the other
way around. You will be much more successful and have healthier fish if you
build your aquarium around the needs of the fish, rather than around your
desire to have an attractive aquarium. If you create an aquarium where the
needs of the individual fish in the aquarium are placed first, it will be both
healthy and beautiful.
The type, size and location of
the aquarium will be tailored to best suit the species of fish you choose. The
filtering and heating choices will be based on the type of fish you choose. The
plants, lighting, food source, and substrate choice will all be tailored to
provide the healthiest and most natural environment for your fish species.
Some helpful resources
Tropical
Fish Breed Summary
Fish
Compatibility Table