An aquarium is a nice way to decorate your home or office, as well as a great pet that does not need a lot of food or help in maintaining their health. This is why so many people are resulting to aquarium’s and fish in order to deliver their want and need for a pet. If you decide that an aquarium is right for you and your family there are certain things that you will want to do before you set one up. You will at first want to decide if you are going to set up a fresh water aquarium or a salt water aquarium. Most people today love the fact that they have the option of having salt water fish in their home, but usually decide that a fresh water aquarium is the way to go. A salt water aquarium is very beautiful to look at but if this is your first fish home then you might want to stick to the fresh water fish. Fresh water aquarium’s are easily taken care of and actually cost much less. The price of a salt water fish can range anywhere from twenty five dollars up to over five hundred. The cost of a fresh water fish usually runs around one dollar up to maybe five or six dollars. This is a big difference in cost, especially if you do not have that kind of money to spend on fish. Another reason many people go with fresh water aquarium’s is because they are much easier to maintain and cost much less when problems do in fact come to the surface. As soon as you decide what type of aquarium you want to set up you then will want to decide what types of fish you want to fill this habitat with. If you go with a fresh water aquarium there are five different fish that will not only make your aquarium look beautiful but keep your tank clean and happy. The top five fish to have in your aquarium are listed below.
Fish Number One:
Algae eater. It is very important that when you set up a new aquarium that you purchase some sort of algae eater. There are plenty out there for sale so it is really up to you to decide which one you think will look best in your tank. The most common algae eater would be the Chinese algae eater or the pleco. These two types of herbivores eat the algae that may grow in your tank ad cause your other fish harm. They also keep the bottom on the tank clean and make cleaning the aquarium a lot easier for you. When deciding which algae eater is best for your tank you might want to do a little research on each of the species and ask someone at your local pet store for help if you need any extra information.
Fish Number Two:
Snail. Even though many people do not consider this a fish, it is a very important member that needs to be bought when setting up your aquarium. Snails not only clean the bottom on the tank like the algae eaters but they help with the waste that will accumulate in your aquarium. Fish poop can quickly become a problem in your habitat if you do not have a snail to help with the problem. There are tons of different snails out on the market for you to choose from, so it is up to your personal preference on which you end up going with. They all do just about the same job, but range in all different colors, shapes, and sizes.
Fish Number Three:
Community fish. Community fish are usually bright and small in size, but make any aquarium a beautiful thing to look at. These fish maintain your tank, and make other fish feel welcome to be there. If you only buy a few normal fish that are not considered community fish you might end up with fighters and fish that feel they need to be territorial. This always is a problem, and one great way to avoid this is to always have a few different types of community fish in your aquarium. If you do not know what types of fish are considered community then you can always ask someone who works at your local fish store for some help, or even pick up a book at the book store about aquariums and community fish.
Fish Number Four:
Otto’s. Otto’s are a small darker colored fish that live on the bottom and sides of the tank. These little fish help clean up what your algae eaters and your snails miss. This is a big help especially if you have a larger tank, or you do not have the time to clean your aquarium every month. These little guys usually only come in one color and do not grow very big, so be careful when placing these Otto’s with larger fish. You never want to put any of your fish in danger so if you have very large fish then you might want to eliminate buying an Otto for your tank.
Lastly,
Fish Number Five:
Mollies. Like community fish mollies seem to have an all around good demeanor and make all of the fish in your tank feel welcomed to be there. Mollies come in all different colors and sizes so you are able to choose the one’s that you enjoy looking at the best. Mollies are also very cheap and do a good job of having babies if that is something that you are interested in seeing in your aquarium. Like all of the other fish, someone at your local pet store will be able to show you exactly which fish are mollies so you will be able to have this great type of fish in your tank.
As you can see setting up an aquarium can be very easy, and so is choosing the right fish for your new tank. Good luck and enjoy your new pets!
