Choosing The Right Tropical Fish

When you fist start planning for your new aquarium the choice of fish and options of equipment can be a little overwhelming. Firstly there is the tank, what size? Where will I locate it? Then comes the question of what type of equipment should I choose, this is before you think about the type of species you are going to keep.

The first decision you should make is what type of Tropical Fish are you going to keep there are plenty of options, Community (Neon Tetras, Corydora etc), African cichlids, South American Cichlids, Biotope (an aquarium perfectly matching a species requirements). If you are going to keep large species then a large aquarium with good filtration is a must but if you're only keeping small species perhaps a community aquarium then a smaller aquarium will be fine.

You should ask yourself the following questions before deciding on a species:

-How large will the fish be once fully grown
-Once fully grown will the fish attack smaller fish in my aquarium
-Is the fish territorial
-What water parameters does the fish require (ph, hardness) and can I provide these
-Will it eat my plants
-Will it dig up the substrate in my tank
-Is the lighting suitable for the given species (too bright or too dim)
-What does the fish eat some fish are very fussy and will only take live foods
-Is the fish happy living alone or does it need a group of its own in the aquarium

Now you have decided on the type of fish you are going to keep you need to choose a location for the tank, avoid direct sunlight, loud noises and ensure the floor it is going to be placed upon will handle the load (a square meter of water weighs 1 ton!).

Now that you have chosen the type of fish you are going to keep and chosen a location it is time to think about decoration. The choices here are endless however you should match the natural habitat fish you intend to keep also do some research in to the species if you intend to plant your aquarium, Cichlids and some other species will destroy plants in a matter of days.

As a rule Community aquarium should have a gravel or sand substrate with places for the fish to take refuge and plants (presuming the kept species will allow) African Cichlids if you intend to keep mbuna (rock dwellers) then the aquarium should be full of rock with lots of places to hide. Some Africans are open water swimmers so need plenty of free open water.

There is a mass of products for decorating the aquarium on the market, some are novelty the traditional bubbling diver with his treasure chest for example. There are also some very realistic artificial bog woods which give your aquarium a very natural feel. The other advantage is you are making your fish feel at home and fish that feel comfortable in their surroundings are more likely to show good colouration as well as being more likely to breed.

When selecting new tropical fish for your aquarium, its important you are well informed if new to it, and have a good selection of healthy fish to choose from.

View a great selection of the Finest Tropical Fish online.

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