So you have set up your new tropical aquarium. That’s great! You have taken the first step to enjoying a fun new hobby. If you are a beginner, you might want to check out Tips for Starting Your Own Tropical Aquarium. You must understand the nitrogen cycle and why it is important not to overload you fish tank. This article can give you some pointers of how to get started.
Ready, Set, Go
Ok, so now you are all set up and you are just champing at the bit to “go fishing.” That’s what I call it when I am looking to buy some new fish for my fish tank. You will want to keep a few things in mind, however, to ensure that you have a healthy and harmonious tropical aquarium.
Start Slow
Resist the urge to add all the fish to your new aquarium at once. Doing this will overload the new water and cause ammonia build up. All of the fish could die.
Better to start slow and add a few fish at a time to your new fish tank. This gives you the added bonus of being able to shop around for your new additions to the aquarium. It would be a shame if the local pet store got in a new fish that you just had to have and your fish tank was fully stocked.
Deciding on the Community for you Tropical Fish Tank
You have some choices to make. Do you want to have a peaceful community fish tank where all the fish get along pretty well? Or would you prefer more action of aggressive tropical fish or cichlids?
Keep in mind that aggressive fish may have to be fed live feeder-fish, and this may or may not be something you want to deal with. In addition, aggressive tropical fish and cichlids will have to be carefully matched, or else your prize fish might get eaten by its tank mate. You will also need more room for more aggressive fish, so plan accordingly.
Community Type Tropical Fish
Let’s assume for now that you are going to go for a peaceful Community fish tank. There is a huge variety of fish that you can choose to stock up your aquarium and keep you entertained. Their graceful swimming is beautiful and soothing to watch.
Tetras
Tetras are a very common type of Community tropical fish. They come in a huge assortment of types and sizes. Tetras are generally very peaceful and will get along with most of the other community fish in your fish tank.
Some Tetras are called schooling fish and they will school around together as they swim through the fish tank. This can be a fascinating effect. If you decide to buy schooling Tetras, look for Neons, Cardinals, Black Neons, or Lemon Tetras. There are many more. Choose fish which are appealing to you. You practically can not make a wrong choice with Tetras.
Gouramis
Gouramis are another type of community fish for your aquarium. They are larger fish, so you will need to have a bit of room for them to grow.
Try a pair of kissing Gouramis in your tropical fish tank. They have a peculiar kissing behavior which is fun to watch. Make sure that you get a pair of them, though so that they can exhibit this behavior.
Gouramis are peaceful and generally easy to care for. They come in a variety of colors and sizes and should make a great addition to your fish tank.
Platys
Platys belong to a group of fish know as live-bearers. If you don’t want to have lots of platys, you might only want to buy one male or a couple of males. You can buy females if you are certain that they have been kept separate from the males. Otherwise, get ready for more fish!
Platys are very colorful and active fish. They come in many colors such as red, orange and black. If you shop around, you should be able to find a wide variety of Platy. Any choice will be great here as Platys are peaceful and easy to care for.
Go Fishing
Have fun stocking up your tropical fish tank. Keeping tropical fish can be a fun and rewarding hobby. Make sure to keep your aquarium clean and well filtered in order to keep the fish healthy. You can check out some tips for this here: www.associatedcontent.com/article/109846/maintaining_your_tropical_fish_aquarium.html.
Remember not to overstock your tropical fish tank. This is a sure way to unhealthy fish. Keep it clean and try not to overfeed the fish. This will help keep down the amount of waste which can quickly accumulate.
Enjoy your new hobby. Keeping a beautiful tropical fish tank can be very rewarding.
