As mentioned in pervious articles, it is important to choose the right fish for you tropical aquarium. If you put a very aggressive fish in with a peace loving fish, I think we know who will wind up being dinner.
Since you probably don’t want that to happen, make sure that you choose fish of a similar size and temperament for your tropical aquarium.
Choosing Fish
If you have decided to choose a peaceful fish tank, as opposed to an aggressive tank, community fish are the way to go. Community fish are a group of fish which are peace loving and can generally get along well together. If you would like some more information regarding choosing fish for your tropical aquarium, please read This AC Article.
Community fish usually thrive in similar water conditions and will do well with little more than regular maintenance. If you are a beginner fish keeper, you may want to read about starting a tropical fish tank: Check out this AC Article.
You will need to set up the aquarium first, before you add any fish into it. Then, you can gradually add a few fish at a time. It is a good rule of thumb to keep only one fish per gallon of water in a tropical fish tank. For example, if you have a twenty gallon fish tank, you should keep no more than twenty fish. If some of these fish are large, you should probably have less than that. Overstocking your aquarium is a sure way to kill your fish. It would be a shame if one day your favorite fish died due to an overstocked fish tank.
Mollies
Mollies area terrific addition to any community fish tank. They are peaceful and easy to care for. Mollies belong to a group of fish know as live bearers. This means that they give birth to live young (as opposed to eggs). So, if you don’t want to breed these fish, you had better stick to males. You can purchase a female if you know they have been kept separate from the males.
Mollies can actually live up to three to five years and grow up to five inches long. Don’t be disappointed, though, if your Mollie doesn’t grow this big or last that long.
However, Mollies are very pretty fish and can be purchased in a huge variety of colors and patterns. From black to red to Dalmatian spotted, these fish are lovely. You can also buy a Lyre Tail Mollie. These are names because their tails look like lyres. This gives them a fancy look.
Regular and Lyre Tail Mollies are easily available at most pet shops which carry tropical fish and are a great addition to your aquarium. They are peace loving and easy to care for.
Sharks
Egads! Sharks in a tropical fish tank? Yes! You can purchase several varieties of shark for your aquarium. These are not the kind with huge teeth which will eat every thing in sight. But their body and head shape will remind you of the real thing.
Bala or Tri Color Shark
The Tri Color Shark, or Bala shark is one of the easiest to keep in a tropical fish tank. However, they can grow quite large, so be sure that the tank you will put them in is large enough to support them when they are fully grown.
Bala, or Tri Color Sharks are silver with black and white fins and can grow up to sixteen inches long. They are quite active fish and will help cleaning up left over food from the bottom of the fish tank. Although they are called sharks, they are quite peaceful and will not try to eat any of your other fish.
Iridescent Shark
The Iridescent Shark is actually a member of the catfish family. However, it is not a bottom feeder like most catfish. This is a great fish for beginners, although it can grow quite large.
The Iridescent Shark can exhibit some unusual behavior. You might want to be prepared for this so that you don’t think that something is wrong.
They will occasionally swim up to the top of the tank for some air. Also, they can be nervous fish and swim around the tank rapidly. If you bang on the fish tank, the Iridescent Shark may get startled and swim around hysterically. They may bang in to the ends of the tank or into other fish or decorations. Once they have finished, they may lie down on their sides and breathe rapidly to calm down. New fish owners may be startled by this behavior, but it is normal.
Aside from some flighty behavior, the Iridescent Shark is a great fish for your community fish tank. They are black with a silvery stripe along the side of their bodies. They are easy to care for and can make a great addition to the tropical aquarium. But be prepared for them to grow large. You should keep them in a large tank.
Keep it Clean
Don’t forget to keep your tropical fish tank clean. Vacuum it every few weeks and change the filter media as recommended. If you need some tips about keeping up your aquarium, please check out This AC Article.
Enjoy your hobby. A tropical fish tank can be very soothing and beautiful to watch. It can also be quite rewarding to watch your fish grow and mature. Good luck with your new hobby.
