Which fish are best for beginners?If you are just starting out, then it’s better if you start with a small tank with 2 -3 species in it. This will make it easier for you to look after the conditions inside the tank and take necessary actions if anything goes wrong.
Here are some of the species you can start with.
- Guppy
- Molly
- Angel
- Platy
- Neon Tetra
- Corydoras catfish
When you are buying fish at a local fish store make sure to check the following points and take precautions.
- Buy fish that are healthy and active in the tank.
- Do not buy any fish with spots on them, they may be sick.
- Do not buy fish with other sick fish in the tank.
- If the salesperson does not cooperate in picking up a fish of your choice or if they force you to buy a fish they want to sell, then refuse to buy. You must have a choice to pick the fish in the store.
- When the fish is being put in the bag make sure that they add some oxygen because you’ll be carrying it home by travelling and till you reach home the fish needs air. Most of the times the salesperson at the pet store will do this but make sure you take care of this.
- If you are buying more than two species of fish then make sure to ask them if these two species can live in the same tank. In the fish community you cannot keep any species with the other, there are certain rules that you must follow. If you chose the wrong pairs they will fight inside the tank and probably will kill each other. Here is a short video that talks about fish compatibility.
How to bring home fish?
When you buy fish from a pet store, you’ll get them in a polythene bag filled half with water. You’ll need to hurry and bring them home faster because fish will consume oxygen from this little water and will gasp for air. That’s why look for a pet store which is closer to your home and you can bring them home fast and safe. You can search on Google for local pet stores and you’ll definitely find one that is near to you. When you are bringing them home make sure you take care of these things.
1) See that the bag does not tear or leak from anywhere.
2) Avoid any sudden movements of your hand or the vehicle in which you are carrying it.
How to release fish in fish tank water?
For releasing fish into fish tank hold the half filled polythene bag in fish tank water upright for about 15 – 20 mins. This will exchange the temperature of water in the polythene bag and the fish tank and it will even out.
Then slowly release the fish into tank so they will swim out into the tank. You can use a fishnet to drop them from the plastic bag into the tank like shown in this video below. Do not mix the bag water into the tank because the bag water comes from the pet store and can be harmful. During this time do no turn on the aquarium lights and keep them off for the next 24 hours.