It seems like a lot of newbies think that to get into this hobby, all you need to do is get a tank o'water, plop in a few tropical fish, sit back, and enjoy. Oh wait. Did you say tropical fish? Honey, on your way home from Burger King can you stop by the pet store and pick up an aquarium heater? And can you get one of those bubble maker thingies? Everyone's got one and they look pretty cool.
Well if that's your approach, then you have just created the mother of all Abu Ghraibs for fish. Once a tropical fish is pulled out of the water in its natural environs and placed in a plastic bag and transported to an aquarium, it is on artificial life support. And for the rest of its life it remains on artificial life support at the complete mercy of whoever maintains the system.
That cute, little fish you just bought was probably swimming around freely in its home waters just a few weeks ago. Since then, it has probably endured extreme temperature fluctuations, polluted and poor quality waters, overcrowding and fishy fear and stress beyond belief. And now it's going into your tank o'water. What's it going to be - Abu Ghraib or the Hotel Ritz?
Please, before you start an aquarium, do a little research. Learn about the nitrogen cycle, new tank syndrome. Then get a water test kit and regularly test your aquarium water.
Research the fish you plan to buy. Some fish are totally incompatible with others. They may require completely different water qualities. Some are very aggressive or territorial and will terrorize meeker species. Some are schoolers, some loners and hiders. Some like the bottom, some the middle and some the top of the aquarium.
Go to the fish forums online and ask questions, get advice. Go to a reputable aquarium store, look around, ask more questions. But use caution and a little common sense. That young man with the after school part time job probably isn't the best source for good, authoritative fish care information.
And finally, start reading up on fish diseases and treatment. There are spores, molds, bacteria and toxins galore floating around freely in the atmosphere. Sooner or later your fish will come down with something. Poor water quality will only exacerbate the situation. You can't take your fish to the vet. You've got to deal with it yourself. Fortunately the online forums are full of experienced people who can give you good advice if you recognize the symptoms in time. Unchecked, one infection can wipe out your whole tank again and again.
Don't let this scare you off. It's all really a whole lot easier than it sounds. You don't need to be a microbiologist or biochemist to be successful in home aquariums. It's actually simple and a lot of fun. But it's like anything else. Before you can play, you need to know the rules.
Rick Quarton
[http://www.homeaquariumsblog.com]
a blog about home aquariums
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