Aquarium fish for beginners
There are so many different types of fish you can keep in an aquarium; tropical warm water, cold water and marine fish are the most commonly available. It is recommended that marine fish should only be kept by experienced fish keepers. In this article we will look at choosing your first tropical warm water or cold water fish.
Most of us have an idea of the type of fish we’d like in our aquariums, but it’s vital to understand a few things before buying fish.
If you’re starting a new aquarium, hold back to start with and add only a small number of fish.
We’d recommend you add a Fast Filter Start to the water as the filter starts to mature. (see – What’s your filter for). It’s also worth doing this whenever you add new fish to an existing aquarium.
Choose the right fish for your aquarium; think about how big the fish will grow and whether they’ll get along with existing fish.
Bear in mind where your new fish will swim in the aquarium; there are fish that prefer to live at the top, middle or bottom of the aquarium. Keep a good mix of fish for all-round interest. See – Which fish swim where?
Tropical fish are a popular choice for beginners due to their vibrant colours and generally hardy nature. Whereas cold water fish can be easier to care for as they don’t require a heater, making them more practical.
Some popular beginner fish for aquariums (tanks between 5-10 gallons) include:
Tetras
Guppies
Platys
Mollies
Corydoras
For other types of fish like Goldfish, Cherry barbs, and Cichlids, a larger tank is usually required due to their size needs. If you want a mixture of fish, it’s best to research each species’ behaviour beforehand, as some fish can be territorial or aggressive towards others.
You can keep more than just fish in an aquarium. Shrimps and snails add interest, colour and movement, and can be helpful in keeping your aquarium clean.
When buying your fish, choose them from a reputable aquatics retailer – always choose bright, healthy and active specimens.
Take your new fish straight home. Staying in a bag for longer than necessary will cause them stress. The sooner they are settled in their new home, the better.
Once home, turn off the aquarium lights, open the top of the bag, roll down the sides and float the bag on the water for about 20-30 minutes. After this time, add a little of the aquarium water to the bag. Keep on doing this, on and off, for about 5-10 minutes. This helps the fish get used to the new water conditions. Finally, release your new additions by tipping the bag on its side and pouring the contents into the tank. Check there are no fish caught in the bag.
Leave the lights off for another hour to let the new residents settle in. Keep a close eye on your new buddies; make sure they have settled in and aren’t being bullied by the other fish.
Take care with feeding. Feeding additional fish puts extra pressure on the filtration. Bacteria in the filter need to multiply to cope with the extra waste from the new additions so feed sparingly for the first few days and add a filter starter treatment such as Fast Filter Start. (see – Understanding the nitrogen cycle?).
Feed carefully and ensure all food is eaten; uneaten food should be scooped out with a fish net.
After introducing new fish into your aquarium, it’s essential to monitor water conditions regularly. Test for parameters such as pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels to ensure that your water remains safe and healthy.
High levels of ammonia and nitrite can be toxic to fish, so keep an eye on these levels, especially in the first few weeks. See – Testing your aquarium water.
It’s recommended to perform regular weekly water changes (25%) to maintain water quality. This helps dilute any harmful substances that may build up over time.
Having too many fish in your tank can be a problem – especially if there is a lack of space. This can lead to issues in your water quality and can lead to health problems in your fish. Different fish have specific space and social needs, so it’s important to consider these factors when deciding how many fish need. For more information see – How many fish?
As a general rule, you should have 1 litre of aquarium water for every 1cm of tropical fish. So for example, if you have a total of 40cm of fish (not including the tail or fins), you would need at least 40 litres of water in your aquarium.
For cold water fish, you would need 1 litre of aquarium water for every 0.5cm of fish. This is because cold water fish typically grow larger than tropical fish and require more space. Therefore, if you have a total of 40cm of cold water fish, you would need at least 80 litres of water in your aquarium.
These measurements help ensure that each fish has enough space to swim and thrive while maintaining stable water conditions.
