by Charleine Fenn

Created on: April 10, 2007   Last Updated: April 25, 2010

Fish are great pets for small children. In fact my two boys are the reason I still have an aquarium. We bought 10 gallon tank for my oldest son's birthday one year.

He was about eleven years old at the time. There were lots of things I had to figure out on my own. Tanks can be a problem when you first start out. I recommend setting up your tank for about two weeks before you introduce any new fish. This gives the tank water time for the chlorine to break down. My next advice would be, to arrange the tank just as you want it to look. That includes gravel and larger rocks for hiding places. I also would include some plastic plants. For a small tank of ten gallons, no more than ten fish should be added. That is one gallon of water per fish.

Buy all fish at the same time from the same store. If there are any dead fish in the stores tank leave those fish alone. Find a pet store with nice healthy looking fish.

This is very important. You do not want any fish with torn or ragged fins. Make sure the fish have no tiny, white spots on their bodies. This may indicate some type of disease. Start with a hardy breed of tropical fish. Make sure you choose good community fish. Fish that are not aggressive. There are several to choose from. Start with inexpensive fish. Make sure your fish are all about the same size. I always advise that you buy sea salt from your pet store and add a couple tablespoons of salt to your water at start up.

When you add your fish you may want to add a couple good pinches of salt then also as this is good at restoring slime and insuring good gill function. Another great product to add in the beginning is Aloe. This is available at most all pet stores.

A tablespoon per gallon should be sufficient. For small 10 gallon tropical tanks, I recommend at least two or three catfish and an algae eater. This helps create a balance. Of course you need a good filter system and a heater. Maintain a constant temperature of 76 to 78 degrees. This will help insure the good health of your fish.

If you have one fish that becomes sick with disease, I must warn you that it has a very good likely hood of infecting your entire tank. Getting your tank established is the tricky part in the beginning. Some algae is natural for fish development. The biggest (no no) is not to over feed your fish. I feed mine once a day. No more than they can consume in just a few minutes.

Children love to watch them eat, but over feeding will mess up your tank water fast. When you must clean your tank do partial water changes. This will also help maintain the balance needed for healthy fish and a healthy tank. If your fish become diseased, you will want to treat your water with the specific remedy needed for that disease. Ick is a common disease and it will infect all fish if not diagnosed and treated immediately. This is indicated by small white specks appearing all over their bodies.

Once you have established your tank be very careful introducing new fish. My favorite home remedy for ick prevention is garlic salt. I always add a couple good sprinkles when ever I add any new additional fish. I now have a 55 gallon tank that is my Grandson's favorite thing to check out when he visits. I do a partial water change about once or twice a year. Keep your filter system clean and do purchase some magnets to clean the sides of your tank to keep it looking sparkling clean. I hope this information is helpful and that you enjoy a beautiful, healthy aquarium.

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