CaptainAquatics
- #1
Hi! If your reading this the chance you are new to the fish keeping hobby or you are a more experienced fish keeper just looking for something to read is high. I know personally I am always reading articles on things I already know about just for the fun of it! I have been keeping fish for over four years now and have kept of 60 different species of fish and currently have 10 aquariums, with some large fish and some small fish. This will be a in depth guide on how to keep your fish healthy. Before we begin I would like to say that this is just from my experience, some people may have different opinions on some of these things, this is just what I have found to be true.
First thing that you need to understand is that this is not a cheap hobby. Fishkeeping on its surface may seem simple, just buy a bowl and a fish and your done, but it really isn’t. Even for the most basic of setups you will probably want to budget out maybe $100+. The tank (yes tank) will be quite a bit and so will the equipment, then you must consider the decorations you will want to buy and the fish themselves! The point is that you will not want to cheap out of this hobby, you need to be ready to drop 25-50$ if a tank cracks, or equipment breaks. It is possible to do things cheaper, you could buy things used or buy different things from different places to help cheapen things up, however if you are new I do not recommend this as you likely will not know how to check if a seal on a tank is faulty, or if the tank has a hidden crack (remember that even a small crack can leak a lot of water!), just buy things new if you are starting out, if you are more experienced and have been keeping fish a while then you may be able to know how to check for things or clean rocks you find outside, just when your starting out buy the stuff right from the store. Of course if you really don’t want to spend the money on buying things new then do the research and spend time looking into checking seals and things like that so you don’t waste money on a tank that leaks, you don’t want that. Most of my personal aquariums I bought used, and they work just fine, however my first 2-3 tanks were always bought new, never used. Anyway, I have been rambling, just remember that if your new to the hobby don’t be cheap, buy a new tank and supplies so you don’t get ripped off.
The second thing I would like to talk about is debunking a myth. A fish WILL NOT grow to the size of its tank. Is it true that fish will stop growing if a tank is to small? Yes, however the fish’s organs will not stop growing and you have now sentenced that fish to a painful life with a shortened life span. Fish release hormones and when a fish is in an environment that is to small for it to keep growing, those hormones build up and tell the fish to stop growing. Its body listens however its organs do not so the organs will just keep growing and the fish’s body will be too small for them. Also, while I’m on the topic of myths let me debunk this as well: Betta fish CAN NOT live in a bowl, vase, or the “betta” tanks that are commonly sold that are only half a gallon. The minimum sized tank for a betta is a 5-gallon aquarium with a heater, filter, and any other equipment that all other fish need. The common fight against this is “bettas in the wild live in shallow mud patty’s and puddles!”, well it is true that bettas do live in shallow water, these are shallow streams and small ponds. They can swim miles in the wild, yes its in shallow water, but they do not just live in puddles.
Next thing I need to explain is something called the Nitrogen Cycle. If you have investigated fish at all chances are you have heard about this and might be wondering what it is. Simple answer is that it is a colony of bacteria that lives in the water that will make the water safer for fish. There are three main chemical components in your water you need to monitor: Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. The Beneficial Bacteria that lives in your filter will detoxify these. Of the three Ammonia is the most dangerous, Nitrite is the second most dangerous, and Nitrate is the least dangerous (although it is still dangerous). When fish poop they produce Ammonia, the bacteria will then break it down to the less harmful Nitrite, then to the least harmful Nitrate. There are a lot of misconceptions that you can cycle and tank in three days and just have to fill a tank and let it run and it will be cycled, this is simply not true. To cycle a new tank with no added BB (beneficial Bacteria) it will take several months (2-3). If you already have a tank (or know someone who does) you can ask to have some of the media from their filter, sit this in your aquarium and it will help the cycle along, sometimes even instantly cycling a tank. Now take this with a grain of salt as you will likely still experience ammonia spikes and you will need to water parameters very closely and do frequent water changes. If you do not have any friends with a tank, or any source of BB to get, then you will have to cycle from scratch. Cycling from scratch is a long process and can take several months to do. To properly cycle a tank you have to have some sort of ammonia source, you can do this buy adding some fish food to the tank, yes there aren’t going to be any fish in the tank but the food will break down and create ammonia. You will need to do water changes if the ammonia gets to high. You will know you tank is cycled when you can put food in your tank and ammonia does not show up, the only thing showing up should be Nitrates. This will not happen overnight, and it is a long and drawn out process, so be prepared for that. I know this is confusing so here are some links to some people who may be able to help you understand it a little bit more. I could make a guide on how to cycle a tank if you would like, just let me know but I think this article does it well. This article does mention Fish In cycling however I would not recommend this if you are a beginner fish keeper. Another thing to quickly mention is that it is likely that when you start your cycle that your water will be very cloudy, this is normal and actually good as this is likely a bacteria bloom, it will clear itself after a while but a water change won't hurt!
If you have been looking into aquariums and are serious about fishkeeping you have to do water changes. Water changes are exactly what they sound like, you change a percentage of the water to keep it clean. Before I explain how to do these let me tell you about why you need to do them. Even if your tank is cycled it still needs to be clean, yes Nitrate is the least harmful of the three toxins that are made when fish poop, but it can still be dangerous and water changes are how you remove them. Water changes remove the nitrate from the water as well as other things in the water such as hormones produced by the fish, irons, algae, fish poop, ect. Water changes remove so much from the water, yes it can be boring, but it is necessary to do if you keep fish. I personally enjoy water changes, and I think you will find that it can be fun to work on a tank! Now for actually doing water changes there isn’t much to it, you should be syphoning the gravel once a week as best as you can, yes your hand will go in the water but that is fine, there is no harm in that. Make sure to rinse, not wash, rinse your hands to remove any oils, chemicals, or anything else that may be on your hands that may harm your fish friends. If you don’t want to carry buckets around your house for water changes I would recommend buying a python water changes (link below), they hook up to your sink and you can drain from the tank to your sink and fill from your sink to the tank. I just got one for Christmas this year and for four years I have been lugging buckets around and take my word for it, pythons are amazing. Another thing you will need to know about water changes is that you need to add water conditioner to your aquarium. Most tap water has chlorine or Chloramine which is highly toxic to fish. There are many different brands of water conditioner for aquariums, I would recommend prime (link below) as I know it is used by many fishkeepers. Personally, I have well water, so I do not need to have conditioner in my aquarium as well water does not have chlorine (or chloramine) in it. You will want to be changing 25-50% of your water each week depending on the kind of fish you have.
Python Water Changer:
Water Conditioner:
Filters are also a very necessary part of the aquarium hobby. They help keep your water clear and provide a good space for BB to grow. However, picking the right filter is a very important step in your fish keeping journey. There are many different brands of filters and different kinds of filters. The main kinds of filters are HOB (hand on back), Canister, and a sump. Sumps are good for larger tank and will work on smaller tanks but isn’t really needed. Canisters are good for most sized tanks, small, medium, and large tanks can work with canisters. HOB filters are good for small to medium sized tanks but aren’t as good for larger tanks. Here is the general rule I follow: HOB- 5-55 gallons, Canister- 40-100+, sump- 75-300+. Which one is truly best will change with each person you ask, HOB are the most simple to handle so I will be talking HOB from here on. In your filter you want three main things to start out: Filter sponge, Carbon, and zeolite. The sponge is to clean the particles and debris from the water, the carbon will help detoxify nitrate and nitrite (as well as detoxify and other harmful chemicals like copper, iron, ect.), and the zeolite will detoxify ammonia. Later on you don’t really need zeolite because chances are you will be more experienced in handling things in your tank like ammonia however I still keep them in my tanks, if to serve no other purpose than to be a back up in case your cycle crashes. I won’t be detailing how to put them together as that would be a very long and pointless explanation, each filter will come with instructions. Which one you pick is up to you and your preferences so have some fun researching them!
Now we can move on to some of the fun stuff! Picking your first fish is a decision that needs to be thought out. You may be wondering why I am putting picking a fish in front of the tank itself. The reason for this is that the fish you buy. The thing is I can’t say much here. A large part of this hobby is picking out which fish you want then researching that fish to find the care for it. I would like to recommend that you make an account on Fishlore.com, I am a member on this forum (CaptainAquatics) and there are experts in almost anything you could think of, so if you have a question someone here likely knows the answer! It is a great community with reliable information! Some fish I could recommend for a beginner are: Bettas, Mollys, Platys, Guppys, Cory Catfish, Angelfish, gouramis, and so many others. Each of these fish have certain tank requirements and care so you will have to research them! Have fun with it!
Next up is tank size, a good-sized tank I would recommend to beginners is a 29 gallon aquarium. This tank is large enough to give you some room to explore with fish options and is large enough that water quality is a bit easier to maintain. For scaping the tank I would recommend getting gravel as in my opinion it is easier to clean than sand. You can choose the décor and the plants and anything else, like I said just make sure to research.
To finish this up is some basic advise and tips:
If you have any questions you can PM me on fishlore CaptainAquatics
Hope this helps some of you that are just starting and if you have any questions/comments let me know as I may have missed something that I could edit in!
First thing that you need to understand is that this is not a cheap hobby. Fishkeeping on its surface may seem simple, just buy a bowl and a fish and your done, but it really isn’t. Even for the most basic of setups you will probably want to budget out maybe $100+. The tank (yes tank) will be quite a bit and so will the equipment, then you must consider the decorations you will want to buy and the fish themselves! The point is that you will not want to cheap out of this hobby, you need to be ready to drop 25-50$ if a tank cracks, or equipment breaks. It is possible to do things cheaper, you could buy things used or buy different things from different places to help cheapen things up, however if you are new I do not recommend this as you likely will not know how to check if a seal on a tank is faulty, or if the tank has a hidden crack (remember that even a small crack can leak a lot of water!), just buy things new if you are starting out, if you are more experienced and have been keeping fish a while then you may be able to know how to check for things or clean rocks you find outside, just when your starting out buy the stuff right from the store. Of course if you really don’t want to spend the money on buying things new then do the research and spend time looking into checking seals and things like that so you don’t waste money on a tank that leaks, you don’t want that. Most of my personal aquariums I bought used, and they work just fine, however my first 2-3 tanks were always bought new, never used. Anyway, I have been rambling, just remember that if your new to the hobby don’t be cheap, buy a new tank and supplies so you don’t get ripped off.
The second thing I would like to talk about is debunking a myth. A fish WILL NOT grow to the size of its tank. Is it true that fish will stop growing if a tank is to small? Yes, however the fish’s organs will not stop growing and you have now sentenced that fish to a painful life with a shortened life span. Fish release hormones and when a fish is in an environment that is to small for it to keep growing, those hormones build up and tell the fish to stop growing. Its body listens however its organs do not so the organs will just keep growing and the fish’s body will be too small for them. Also, while I’m on the topic of myths let me debunk this as well: Betta fish CAN NOT live in a bowl, vase, or the “betta” tanks that are commonly sold that are only half a gallon. The minimum sized tank for a betta is a 5-gallon aquarium with a heater, filter, and any other equipment that all other fish need. The common fight against this is “bettas in the wild live in shallow mud patty’s and puddles!”, well it is true that bettas do live in shallow water, these are shallow streams and small ponds. They can swim miles in the wild, yes its in shallow water, but they do not just live in puddles.
Next thing I need to explain is something called the Nitrogen Cycle. If you have investigated fish at all chances are you have heard about this and might be wondering what it is. Simple answer is that it is a colony of bacteria that lives in the water that will make the water safer for fish. There are three main chemical components in your water you need to monitor: Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. The Beneficial Bacteria that lives in your filter will detoxify these. Of the three Ammonia is the most dangerous, Nitrite is the second most dangerous, and Nitrate is the least dangerous (although it is still dangerous). When fish poop they produce Ammonia, the bacteria will then break it down to the less harmful Nitrite, then to the least harmful Nitrate. There are a lot of misconceptions that you can cycle and tank in three days and just have to fill a tank and let it run and it will be cycled, this is simply not true. To cycle a new tank with no added BB (beneficial Bacteria) it will take several months (2-3). If you already have a tank (or know someone who does) you can ask to have some of the media from their filter, sit this in your aquarium and it will help the cycle along, sometimes even instantly cycling a tank. Now take this with a grain of salt as you will likely still experience ammonia spikes and you will need to water parameters very closely and do frequent water changes. If you do not have any friends with a tank, or any source of BB to get, then you will have to cycle from scratch. Cycling from scratch is a long process and can take several months to do. To properly cycle a tank you have to have some sort of ammonia source, you can do this buy adding some fish food to the tank, yes there aren’t going to be any fish in the tank but the food will break down and create ammonia. You will need to do water changes if the ammonia gets to high. You will know you tank is cycled when you can put food in your tank and ammonia does not show up, the only thing showing up should be Nitrates. This will not happen overnight, and it is a long and drawn out process, so be prepared for that. I know this is confusing so here are some links to some people who may be able to help you understand it a little bit more. I could make a guide on how to cycle a tank if you would like, just let me know but I think this article does it well. This article does mention Fish In cycling however I would not recommend this if you are a beginner fish keeper. Another thing to quickly mention is that it is likely that when you start your cycle that your water will be very cloudy, this is normal and actually good as this is likely a bacteria bloom, it will clear itself after a while but a water change won't hurt!
If you have been looking into aquariums and are serious about fishkeeping you have to do water changes. Water changes are exactly what they sound like, you change a percentage of the water to keep it clean. Before I explain how to do these let me tell you about why you need to do them. Even if your tank is cycled it still needs to be clean, yes Nitrate is the least harmful of the three toxins that are made when fish poop, but it can still be dangerous and water changes are how you remove them. Water changes remove the nitrate from the water as well as other things in the water such as hormones produced by the fish, irons, algae, fish poop, ect. Water changes remove so much from the water, yes it can be boring, but it is necessary to do if you keep fish. I personally enjoy water changes, and I think you will find that it can be fun to work on a tank! Now for actually doing water changes there isn’t much to it, you should be syphoning the gravel once a week as best as you can, yes your hand will go in the water but that is fine, there is no harm in that. Make sure to rinse, not wash, rinse your hands to remove any oils, chemicals, or anything else that may be on your hands that may harm your fish friends. If you don’t want to carry buckets around your house for water changes I would recommend buying a python water changes (link below), they hook up to your sink and you can drain from the tank to your sink and fill from your sink to the tank. I just got one for Christmas this year and for four years I have been lugging buckets around and take my word for it, pythons are amazing. Another thing you will need to know about water changes is that you need to add water conditioner to your aquarium. Most tap water has chlorine or Chloramine which is highly toxic to fish. There are many different brands of water conditioner for aquariums, I would recommend prime (link below) as I know it is used by many fishkeepers. Personally, I have well water, so I do not need to have conditioner in my aquarium as well water does not have chlorine (or chloramine) in it. You will want to be changing 25-50% of your water each week depending on the kind of fish you have.
Python Water Changer:
Water Conditioner:
Filters are also a very necessary part of the aquarium hobby. They help keep your water clear and provide a good space for BB to grow. However, picking the right filter is a very important step in your fish keeping journey. There are many different brands of filters and different kinds of filters. The main kinds of filters are HOB (hand on back), Canister, and a sump. Sumps are good for larger tank and will work on smaller tanks but isn’t really needed. Canisters are good for most sized tanks, small, medium, and large tanks can work with canisters. HOB filters are good for small to medium sized tanks but aren’t as good for larger tanks. Here is the general rule I follow: HOB- 5-55 gallons, Canister- 40-100+, sump- 75-300+. Which one is truly best will change with each person you ask, HOB are the most simple to handle so I will be talking HOB from here on. In your filter you want three main things to start out: Filter sponge, Carbon, and zeolite. The sponge is to clean the particles and debris from the water, the carbon will help detoxify nitrate and nitrite (as well as detoxify and other harmful chemicals like copper, iron, ect.), and the zeolite will detoxify ammonia. Later on you don’t really need zeolite because chances are you will be more experienced in handling things in your tank like ammonia however I still keep them in my tanks, if to serve no other purpose than to be a back up in case your cycle crashes. I won’t be detailing how to put them together as that would be a very long and pointless explanation, each filter will come with instructions. Which one you pick is up to you and your preferences so have some fun researching them!
Now we can move on to some of the fun stuff! Picking your first fish is a decision that needs to be thought out. You may be wondering why I am putting picking a fish in front of the tank itself. The reason for this is that the fish you buy. The thing is I can’t say much here. A large part of this hobby is picking out which fish you want then researching that fish to find the care for it. I would like to recommend that you make an account on Fishlore.com, I am a member on this forum (CaptainAquatics) and there are experts in almost anything you could think of, so if you have a question someone here likely knows the answer! It is a great community with reliable information! Some fish I could recommend for a beginner are: Bettas, Mollys, Platys, Guppys, Cory Catfish, Angelfish, gouramis, and so many others. Each of these fish have certain tank requirements and care so you will have to research them! Have fun with it!
Next up is tank size, a good-sized tank I would recommend to beginners is a 29 gallon aquarium. This tank is large enough to give you some room to explore with fish options and is large enough that water quality is a bit easier to maintain. For scaping the tank I would recommend getting gravel as in my opinion it is easier to clean than sand. You can choose the décor and the plants and anything else, like I said just make sure to research.
To finish this up is some basic advise and tips:
- Always make sure to research everything. Researching is probably the biggest part of this hobby and I cannot recommend to people to research your fish tank, just by reading this you are taking the right steps!
- Remember that each fish is different, just because a fish is labeled peaceful doesn’t mean it is going to be, some fish are just meaner than others and in some cases, they are nicer than others.
- Spend time with your fish! In my opinion the most rewarding part of this hobby is being able to sit back and watch your aquariums.
- Don’t get lazy, keep up on water changes and maintenance. You don’t want your fish to suffer or have a poor life because you didn’t want to do water changes, your fish won’t die if you miss one day of water changes, just don’t make it a habit!
- Make a water change schedule, that way you know which tanks need to be cleaned!
- Enjoy the hobby! It is a great community and if you spend anytime looking around I think you will find that you will get addicted real fast
If you have any questions you can PM me on fishlore CaptainAquatics
Hope this helps some of you that are just starting and if you have any questions/comments let me know as I may have missed something that I could edit in!