First Time Fish Buyers Guide
The best fish for first time buyers is, of course, the goldfish. It is relatively low maintenance and requires the simplest and most basic of items to care for. First of all, a tank that is large enough to accommodate your fish when fully grown is necessary. Buying a tank large enough for your baby fish, only to realise it’s far too small for a fully grown fish will be a massive and expensive inconvenience, so it’s worthwhile researching first. Water that is above 22C/73F is likely to cause heart and nerve damage as well as causing problems with the immune system of your fish, therefore water should remain at a temperature between 20C to 22C
When you actually go to the pet store to pick up your fish, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Don’t buy the smallest, cutest fish you can find without researching how big it can get. Ensure all the fish in the tank are healthy as, the chances are, if one fish is looking sickly, the others will soon follow. All fish should have a good colour to them and be fairly alert and lively. The tank should be clean and large enough to accommodate the number of fish in it. Particularly good pet stores will have a quarantine tank for fish that have become ill - this is a sign that the fish are being well taken care of by an experienced seller.
As the water from the bag you bring your fish home in will be different to the water in your tank, you must make absolutely sure to acclimatise your fish before letting it swim free. The temperatures will be different, as will the chemicals in the water, and any sudden changes can be fatal to a new fish. Experienced owners recommend piercing the bag the fish is in and lowering it into the tank. Doing this will balance the temperature between them, and will also allow chemicals to filter in and out, giving the fish opportunity to slowly adapt. The only problem with doing it this way is the ammonia from the bag is then floating around in the tank, therefore some owners don’t pierce the bag.
Guide to Buying Your Fish Your tank must be a substantial size to accommodate not only the number of fish you wish to buy, but the size they will eventually grown to. Large, standard glass tanks are usually the best option and can be made more interesting with a variety of accessories like pumps, miniature models and florescent lighting. You can also get a filter to help to keep the water as clean as possible. Plants also provide an interesting and interactive environment for your fish, offering them places to hide, but some fish, like goldfish, are notorious for eating plants. Non-toxic plastic plants will do the job fine.
Some fish require feeding at specific times of day. This is entirely dependent on the breed, so doing some research into your desired fish first is a good idea. Some fish will prefer being fed at night and some will prefer being fed in the daytime. They can also very easily be overfed. They don’t need the same scale of food that we require. Almost all commercially available fish food will contain all of the nutrients necessary to keep pet fish healthy so, unlike other pets, they don’t necessarily require additional dietary supplements. Fish must not be fed live food that hasn’t been treated however, as they may well contain parasites that can cause problems.
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Tags: Fish, home improvement, pets, reference and education, wildlife