by Rebecca Mikulin

Created on: July 13, 2009

The most popular and easy to keep category of fish are the freshwater fish. Because of the significantly lower amount of equipment needed to keep these fish healthy, freshwater fish are also much less expensive to keep. The internet is full of all sorts of helpful information on how to keep tropical fish. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to tell which information useful or not since so much is written by people who are also relatively new to the hobby and have limited experience with different types of fish. After 15 years of breeding and keeping all manner of tropical fish, the basics of care are very obvious and not nearly as difficult as beginners seem to think. Most types of fish sold in pet stores are very hardy and can survive with even the most rudimentary knowledge of their needs.

TANK SELECTION

The first thing to decide is whether you want to choose fish to fit your tank, or a tank to fit your fish. If you have specific fish in mind and have done all the research on them, then select a tank that's at least 20% larger than the suggestions. Why the difference in size? While 20% may not give you much wiggle room (thus more is generally better) it will give you some space if a fish gets larger than expected, they have surviving fry, or you decide to add a few tank mates on which you hadn't planned.

Alternatively, you can opt to select fish to fit the tank. In this case, you can choose a tank that fits your budget or fits perfectly into that space you have waiting at home. This is by far the easiest option, as it allows for research and careful selection of all the fish available after purchase. You will have a couple of weeks to make these decisions after you buy the aquarium before it will be ready for fish unless you have media from an established tank to seed in.

FILTER AND/OR AERATOR

All fish need a filter. Without a filter, that fish is swimming around in its own waste and uneaten food and it will be nearly impossible to keep the aquarium healthy. Not all fish need an aerator. Labyrinth fish such as bettas and gouramis breathe from the surface of the water and do not have to rely on dissolved oxygen in the water. Additionally, there are a couple of types of filters that remove the need for aeration by providing surface agitation which will facilitate the oxygen exchange necessary for aquatic life. Without proper oxygen exchange, you have a stagnant pool of water that will be unable to support much, if any, life.

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