I have always wanted to keep an aquarium with tropical fish. They are so beautiful and magnetic–you can watch them swim all day long and never get tired of them.

But as I found out, keeping aquarium tropical fish is not only about fun. You can’t just drop your fish into a water tank and start enjoying them. You will have to think of many things before buying your fish.

• First, the tank. It’s good to buy a big tank, since it will give your fish more freedom. And the water parameters are more constant in a big aquarium. But you should be very careful, because if something goes wrong in a big aquarium, you might not notice it.
• Your fish can’t live in untreated fresh water. De-chlorinate it before filling your tank.
• Depending on what kind of aquarium tropical fish you are going to buy, you will have to create appropriate conditions in your aquarium. You can’t keep freshwater and saltwater fish in the same aquarium. Do research, find out what species you want to keep, and what are the best conditions for them. Then start equipping your tank.
• If someone tells you that you can have one inch of fish per gallon of water, don’t believe them. This will make your tank overcrowded, and your fish will be stressed, not to mention unhappy. So make sure your tank can accommodate them all.
• Put the fish inside your tank gradually. Start with two or three fish types that are believed to adapt to new environment better than others.  These pioneers will make your aquarium look like a fish home, so that the others will feel comfortable.
• Avoid overfeeding your fish. Feed them twice a day with small portions. Combine flakes with other kinds of fish food. A good diet will make your fish more healthy, beautiful and cheerful.
• Don’t forget to maintain your aquarium–clean it and change the water. Instead of changing all the water inside the tank once in a while, try changing only half of it more often. This will keep the nitrogen cycle inside your tank, and your fish won’t be stressed by the new environment each time you change the water.

Before setting up an aquarium, do research, read books and magazines about fish and try to learn as much as possible.

Here is a great website to help you with your hobby. It can provide you with some valuable information on fish treatment, aquarium maintenance, fish species and much more.

Photo© KHueg

Related posts:

1. My Aquarium Tropical Fish