Fish keeping: Few tips for beginners

What makes fish keeping one the best hobbies?  Here are some tips for the beginners:

Before you start

Fish keeping is an expensive hobby, especially at the initial level. So, if you are planning to get a tank, gear up to do some extensive research– think about the fishes you want to keep, check out the best tank equipments and other relevant issues.

The most important thing about fish keeping is “patience”. This may look like an easy hobby but patience is key for proper maintenance and well being of the fishes. 

For beginners it is mandatory to read a lot about this hobby and also the nature of the fishes they wish to keep in their tanks. The more research you do, the less trouble you will face during your fish keeping journey.

For starters,, if you are planning to get an aquarium, join the various fish keeping groups on Facebook. You will find quite a lot of fish enthusiasts on posting tips and tricks on the trade both on Facebook and YouTube. These groups, especially the ones on YouTube, have tutorials on everything you should know about fish keeping.

What kind of tank is best for beginners?

Your tank can be of any size. There is no actual right or wrong size to begin with. If you are planning for a tank, buy the largest tank you can afford. Because the bigger the tank is, the easier it will be to maintain and the water chemistry will be more stable. .

Spend more money on filtration; accommodate as much filtration as you can to your tank. Over filtration keeps the tank water clean and stable.

And do not forget to arrange lighting for your tank. An auto light timer is very helpful for keeping fish healthy.

What kind of fishes would interest you?

Goldfish is one of the most popular aquarium fishes. There are at least 300 varieties of goldfish. Among them, some of the more popular varieties are – Common Goldfish, Black Telescope, Comet, Fantail, Lionhead, Oranda, Ryukin, Telescope, Veiltail and Curled-gill Goldfish.

Others include the Cichlid, Crowntail Betta, Black Moscow Guppy, Threadfin Rainbowfish, Pencil Fish, Marble Angelfish, Blue Mickey Mouse Platy and the Sucker Fish.

The price of the fishes varies depending on variety, size and health.

Before buying any fish, find out its maximum size, preferred water conditions and feeding requirements first. Never buy fishes on impulse. It is also important to know beforehand whether the fish you want to buy can mix with the existing fishes.

How to keep it clean and dandy?

If you have got your desired tank and fishes, the next thing for you to remember is never overfeed the fishes. Overfeeding the fishes will pollute the tank water.

Nitrogen cycle is another important factor in fish keeping. Before getting a beautiful and nice aquarium full of cute fishes, you must gather adequate knowledge on the nitrogen cycle of an aquarium. This will save your time and money in the long run and reduce stress as well.

If you put too many fishes into the tank, they may die. Overstocked tanks suffer many problems like lack of oxygen, inadequate filtration and an increased risk of different diseases.

It is best to keep a diary for noting down everything about your fishes, tank, water, lighting, filtration and feeding schedule. This diary will come in handy.. If need be, you can easily get expert opinion if you have notes. You can also give this diary to your retailer in the event of problem solving, and the retailer may give you clues as to what went wrong.

How to avoid fish diseases?

Testing the water of the tank at regular interval is yet another important thing in fish keeping. If any of your fish seems sick, test the water. Anything more than ‘0’ in readings of ammonia or nitrite is unacceptable, and even low underlying levels can cause stress and disease to your fishes.

If any of your fishes fall sick, do not delay to isolate the sick fish. Otherwise, the rest of the fishes also might fall sick.

Best of luck!