Here are five important points to keep in mind when you are selecting fish to populate your aquarium: 1.
What environment is this fish used to as its natural living conditions? If, like many of us, you had a fish in a bowl as a child, and had the experience of waking up one morning to find it floating dead in the water, it may have left you with the feeling that fish are very temperamental pets.
This is not really the case.
It's important to understand that each species of fish comes from a particular part of the world's water systems, and is biologically adapted to that environment.
In choosing to keep fish, we accept the fact that they are out of their natural place, and so we must recreate the conditions as closely as possible.
If we can do that, we should not usually have problems.
So, you must know about those natural living conditions.
At the most basic level you at the very least need to know whether this fish lives in fresh, salt or brackish water, and is it a tropical water or temperate water fish? 2.
What size can this fish grow to? You must consider the size of your aquarium here.
The rule of thumb is that you'll need to have one gallon of water in your fish tank per one inch of fish you intend to keep.
It's simple math - if you want to have 4 fish that are all 5 inches long, that's 20 inches (4 x 5).
So, you'll need at least a 20 gallon capacity fish tank.
That's straightforward enough, BUT where some people go wrong here is that they fail to allow for their fish's future growth.
Most often the fish you will purchase at a pet store still have some growing to do.
Do your homework.
Find out how large each fish you want to keep is likely to become as an adult.
3.
What is this fish's nature, and compatibility with the other types in my tank? Primarily there are 3 things that affect a fish's temperament toward other fish: species, gender, and size.
Some species are naturally aggressive toward other fish, while others are more docile "community fish".
Some fish will behave differently toward males and females within its own breed (especially during spawning).
And, of course, many fish will be bold toward smaller fish, but timid around a larger tank-mate.
Aren't they just like a lot of humans in that regard? So, you need to carefully consider which fish you are considering putting together in an aquarium.
You can research all of this online, or speak to your local pet store staff if you are confident they have the knowledge to guide you.
4.
What kind of food does this fish eat? Different fish require different diets.
Some are basically vegetarian, while others are carnivores.
This raises some practical issues.
Is the food this fish needs readily available, and how expensive is it? Will the various fish I want to have in my tank eat the same food, or am I prepared to provide them different diets.
Most importantly, will the dietary requirement of one fish cause another of my fish problems if they happen to eat it? 5.
Is this fish in good, healthy condition? Be observant.
You don't need to be a vet to tell whether a fish is in good condition.
Look at its body, paying attention to the fins and scales.
The fins should not have tears, cuts, nicks or abrasions, and the scales should be smooth and shiny.
Look for any signs of fungus on the fish, or spots that don't belong on its particular breed.
Be aware that some fish might not 'look' ill, but they may have internal problems.
For that reason, observe the fish's behavior for a little while.
Is it sluggish, staying at the bottom of the tank? Or is it hyperactive, darting around in a frenzy? Again, if you do your homework before you buy, you'll have an idea what this fish's normal behavior is when they are healthy, and you can make a comparison.
To sum all of this up, you're hopefully going to have your fish for some years to come.
Many breeds will live for 10 years if they are well cared for.
It is therefore well worth asking these 5 questions carefully and taking some time over your choice of fish.
In fact, it's all part of the fun of the aquarist hobby!