Aquarium Care for Freshwater Fish

Aquarists Keep All Types of Freshwater Fish!
  Seeing a beautiful fish at a pet store or winning a goldfish at the fair can be the beginning of a very exciting journeying… becoming an aquarist!

Keeping tropical fish is fun and very rewarding. The adventure begins with getting an aquarium for your new aquatic pet. Then learning how to feed and care for it. Freshwater fish care is not difficult but there are a few basics.

This article will introduce you to some of the basics for keeping and caring for freshwater fish. Then as you become comfortable, you may want to begin keeping the unusual or more difficult types of tropical fish. Enjoy the journey!

   “Aquarium Care for Freshwater Fish” – Author: Vlad Gorgan

Have you ever wondered what the difference between freshwater fish and saltwater fish is? Here is one general thought. Freshwater fish are hardier, which makes them so much more lovable than saltwater ones. In order to be able to keep any freshwater fish, you need to set up a basic aquarium, comprising of the fish tank, rocks or substrate on the bottom, a water filter and a lighting system. As far as the fish are concerned, you cannot have incompatible fish in the same tank. They have to be a match from the point of view of the temperature and the water pH. Also, it is recommended to have approximately same-sized fish, for the risk of eating each other not to exist after a shorter or longer period of time.

When it comes to freshwater fish, they should receive fish food twice a day and only small quantities of food, approximately how much they can eat in two up to five minutes. What if you do not know how much food t give them and you give them too much? Well, in that case, the extra food will become debris, dirtying the fish tank. Generally, you should clean a fish tank every week and also you should check the water pH and the water temperature, so that it does not come to fish being affected in any way. If the conditions in the tank are not appropriate, then most of the times, your fish will get ill. Fortunately, you can easily observe that, but you then have to take care of them and treat as soon as possible, because usually, fish are not very resistant and they just as easily die.

When your fish get sick, you can buy them stress coats from shops and treat any sign of distress and another thing you should do is to never put too many fish in the same fish tank, as this is another reason for fish getting sick.

Coming back to the aquarium water, when you change it, you should only change a third of the total volume once, in order not to harm the fish in that water. Remember to change the water once every 2-3 weeks, using a siphon or a bucket. Also, you should never let any debris or extra algae in the water and you should check the temperature to remain constant at about two degrees. The filter should also be changed very carefully and at the right time. No matter what operation you perform, you should do it with your hands clean.

Keeping freshwater fish is a very pleasant hobby, barbs, live bearers, danios or other such fish being extremely resistant to large amounts of nitrates. What is always very important is to know how to assure them the best living conditions and never to introduce more than four fish in a fish tank in one week. This related to how many small fish you should add up every week. Be fresh by keeping freshwater fish!

Here is some additional information on Aquarium Care for Freshwater Fish:

• Freshwater Aquarium Setup and Maintenance – How to set up an aquarium for the best results
• Fish Care – Maintenance Schedule – A few quick basics about caring for tropical fish
• Cycling Your Aquarium – Starting the aquarium cycle for a healthy aquarium