Freshwater Aquarium

There’s nothing more relaxing than an owning an aquarium–the flash of brightly-colored tropical fish swimming around, the burble of moving water, the curtain of bubbles, the funny little “No Fishing” decorations. It’s entertaining, peaceful, and a great way to unwind at the end of a long workday.

Of course, there’s more to it than that. Aquariums of all sizes–from a goldfish bowl with a single fish to a 500-gallon saltwater tank–require a great deal of care, both to set up and to maintain. Between testing the pH of the water, picking out a filter, selecting compatible fish, preventing and curing the common ailments of fish, oxygenating the tank, and all of the other to-dos of an aquarium, some might think it would take an advanced degree to have even a small fish tank. At the very least, it’s bound to scare off some would-be hobbyists.

Barron’s book, “Aquarium Fish,” takes a lot of the mystery and the madness out of the chores of setting up a tank, offering up practical advice for setting up and maintaining your aquarium. There are chapters devoted to setting up your tank for the first time. There are chapters on keeping the water just right for your fish, on feeding the fish, breeding the fish, maintaining a healthy diet, etc. For more advanced hobbyists, there are even chapters on creating a natural environment for specific fish, detailing the environments for certain rock-cave-dwelling fish among others.

The best part of this book, however, is the section which profiles hundreds of freshwater fish that are commonly available for purchase. This section is broken down by family: rainbow fishes, barbs and danios, livebearers, catfishes, among others. There is even a section on aquatic oddities and one for plants for your aquarium.

With full-color photos and vital information on the care of these fish, this book becomes a must-have for an aquarium owner. For each individual fish, there is information on size, needs, and, most importantly, compatibility in a community, making it much easier to choose the proper fish for your own tank.

On another note, this is a well-constructed book with beautiful photos and pages heavy-duty enough that they are not likely to be easily-destroyed by a splash or two of water, so you can keep it handy when you’re working on your tank.

This isn’t the book for advanced aquarium hobbyists. For one thing, it is geared toward freshwater fish only. For a second thing, although the information is detailed, I suspect it is lacking in the depth of detail that an experienced hobbyist might seek out. This book is wonderful, however, for those in the beginning and intermediate levels of experience.

With the help of “Aquarium Fish,” published by Barron’s, it is possible to make the experience of owning an aquarium rewarding and–yes–relaxing, too.

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It’s very important as part of your plan for having successful aquarium to take note of the type of inhabitants. One of the most important elements of you aquarium will naturaly be fish.

Never buy fish before finding out about its requirement first.
You really need to take your time to ask questions and be very observant when you are in the aquarium store. There are lots of aquarium stores with unknowledgeable owners, so you don’t base your decision on their advice alone… make sure you take a look at the fish yourself.

If you can make friends with some of the staff in the store they will possibly tell you more about the lifestyle of the fish you are intending to pick.

Below are some basic guidelines to consider when buying new fish.

- The following points all need to be considered:

- Is your fish tank at the right temperature?

- Are your water conditions correct?

- How big does it get? - It may be small now, but will your other fish be at risk when it grows?

- Is it a territorial - or will it be happier in a group?

Can you supply the right food for it?

Remember that the key to successful fishkeeping is happy, stress-free fish, so don’t be tempted into buying an incompatible species jut because you think it’s attractive - you’ll regret it.

Sometimes it can be difficult to be patient, particularly if the dealer has a species of fish that you really want. But it’s important not to rush things. Don’t try to add too many fish to your tank at once - and always check that the fish are healthy.

For more great aquarium related articles and resources check out http://goldfish.aquariumspot.com

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So you have decided to start an aquarium fish hobby, but now you need to know how to set up all that equipment. Does it matter what order things get done? Yes it does, and it matter how it is done too. If you get your new aquarium off to a proper start, you will have a successful, relaxing hobby. If you start off on the wrong foot, you will run into problems for a while down the road, wasted money, dying fish, smelly water… you may even give up! It is very important to follow proper steps, here are some guidelines that you should follow:

Step 1: Make sure the aquarium stand is level. This is very important for even weight distribution so that your aquarium does not crack.

Step 2: Clean out your new aquarium with cool clear water and a cloth. Do not use any soaps or cleaners. Make sure to use a commercial aquarium cleaner product if you are cleaning out a used fish tank.

Step 3: Attach the background to the aquarium with clear packing tape.

Step 4: Rinse the gravel or sand with cool water. Hot water can cause the epoxy on colored gravel to peel off.

Step 5: If you are using an air pump with an air stone, run the airline and connect them together.

Step 6: Add the gravel or sand. One pound of gravel per gallon of water is all you need.

Step 7: Fill your aquarium up

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