A fish aquarium can be a very relaxing view for a home or for an office. Many people find tranquility in watching the fish swim to and from one side of the tank to another.
Fish aquariums are found in a variety of styles, sizes, and shapes.
In addition, the types of fish that are suitable for aquarium life also vary greatly. The most common type of fish that is chosen by aquarium beginners is freshwater fish. Before making your trip to the pet store and purchasing fish for your freshwater aquarium, it is important to know what type of fish will work best for you:
The size of your aquarium,
the amount of fish that you want,
the color of fish that you want, and
the maintenance needs of the fish all come into play when selecting your fresh water aquarium fish.
The two most common types of freshwater fish for an aquarium are tropical fish and goldfish.
Most tropical fish need a heater in the tank to maintain a warmer water temperature than goldfish require. One common type of fish selection for those just setting up a tank is community fish.
Community fish have a milder personality and can often be mixed in the same tank with several breeds.
These fish are typically smaller in size compared to some others. Popular community fish include guppies, swordtails, platties, and mollies.
Many of these fish give live birth to their young and will quickly populate a tank.
This is another important factor to consider before buying your fish. Without careful consideration of your purchase, the tank can be crowded and over populated within a little amount of time.
Discuss this concern with your pet shop attendant. In most cases, proper female to male ratio for breeding fish is three females per one male fish.
Larger and more aggressive fish should not be mixed with smaller community fish. Aggressive fish will attack and eat the young of the smaller and milder tempered fish. It is suggested that most aggressive fresh water fish not be mixed with other breeds. These breeds include Cichlids, Oscars, and Gouramis.
When adding fish to a tank, it is also important to consider feeding needs.
It is much more reasonable to select breeds of fish that require similar needs.
Some fish simply require a mixture of tropical floating fish food flakes. However, other fish need sinking pellets, bloodworms, and other special dietary foods.
If the needs of all of the fish in the tank are not met, some of the fish will not survive and others will be forced to become aggressive eaters.
The key to buying freshwater aquarium fish is knowledge.
Always make your decisions based on the goal of long life span of the fish not the eye appeal. Many people choose to load their tanks with fish simply because they think the fish are pretty, not because the fish are suitable for the living conditions.