So you’re ready to go with your fish tank set up. Or you’ve got your tank and you’re ready to populate it with a multitude of happy healthy aquarium freshwater fish, right? Ok now take your time and decide precisely what fish you want in there.
Possibly you are looking for fast moving, shoaling fish that will constantly entertain you by darting around the tank. Or perhaps your interest is for brightly coloured varieties. Or maybe you want something else entirely. However you look at it you’re going to fish for a fish tank.
Choosing the right mix of fish can be time consuming particularly if you intend to have a few species together. Remember to research before buying anything, because you risk fish loss and eventual death if you don’t!
Research: Not All That Complicated
Usually the staff at your local fish store are enthusiasts and they are only too pleased to answer any questions that you have regarding information about your future fish stock.
Here are a few questions that you should ask:
- Does this fish like open areas, or plenty of plants?
- What pH does this fish prefer?
- Is this fish aggressive?
- What are this fish’s feeding preferences?
- Does he eat at the top of the tank, or the bottom?
- How much space does this fish need?
- What does this fish prefer as far as temperature is concerned?
If you want a communtiy tank then you should try to match these as closely as possible. Get this as close as possible and your aquarium will have an excellent future.
Rather than working from a list of fish breeds which can be confusing you should be finding the fish yourself. This is why we’re recommending a different option. Go to your local fish store and have a good look around. Go to a few in your district! Take a piece of paper with you and make a note of the varieties of fish that you like the look of, talk to the expert about their needs and make a note of them as well.
When you get home cross reference the information you got from the fish store with information on each species. This is the most effective method for finding the right species of fish for you.
We All Love Food
There’s one thing that some people just don’t consider when purchasing multiple fish, and this is food needs. Different fish eat at different levels – some prefer the top some the bottom.
Mixing these are just fine, but try to avoid aggressive top feeders – pellets that go to the bottom might not get to the bottom feeders!
Try to choose fish with similar dietary needs, and a group that doesn’t steal together will live happily together, and happy fish tend to live longer and be brighter. You also need to make sure that your fish aren’t going to become their neighbours next meal. There is a real risk and this is no joke.
Another serious risk is aggressive fish biting smaller ones. Fish with long extended fins are almost always targets. Try to match aggression levels this works well. Bullies know when to back off, so serious issues are mostly avoided.
Aggression Problems
With the exception of less aggressive varieties you should try to avoid pairing more than one male, males tend to be aggressive to each other. Be careful about the pairings, even similarly coloured fish can be set off. Two or three females to each male usually works best but there are always exceptions.
The Worst Thing You Can Do
You must never ever just leave to chance your choice of fish for a multi-species aquarium. This is sadly something that many owners do. So do your research and you’ll end up with a tank full of happy, long living fish, leave it to chance and it will end in disaster.
John A Thomson is a freshwater fish expert. For more great tips on freshwater aquarium fish visit freshwateraquariumsecretsonline.com
