Tropical Fish Tank First-Timers, An Introduction

Possession of your own aquarium is fun, and I have been keeping my own love for many years! There is more than 60 million of us "fish" worldwide, and if this is a hobby which you're interested, it's worth a little time to learn how it is all about before you start.

So what is an aquarium? In the simplest terms, it is a transparent container where you can keep, nurture, observe and enjoy live fish. The gold fishbowl with a few fish in the counts, but what most people mean when they talk about the aquarium, a large aquarium (usually rectangular) with different kinds of fish and aquatic life in balance with each other.

There are two types of aquarium environment - fresh water and salt water. Fresh water is definitely easier for people who are new to the hobby, as the salt water (or "sea") tanks take up a lot of attention and skills to the fish alive.

So your next step is likely to find out which types of fish you want. If you're lucky, you have fishy friends you can ask questions, but that even a trip to your local pet store or specialty fish store, you get a lot of good advice from the sales clerks. Tell him that you are a beginner, and you want to look at freshwater fish, and they give you lots of choices! Show a fish that talks to you will tell you what temperature your tank should be, and start some sort is probably easiest.

Then I get a good book on basic aquarium care, and read it before you get started!

Then start collecting your tank and equipment. You want to find a sturdy tank that is large enough for your room to add fish as your experience grows. Practical home aquariums range from about 11 liters (3 gallons U.S.) can reach about one cubic meter (300 U.S. gallons) in size.

You need gravel, or another substrate for the bottom of the tank. You need a filtration system, the removal of waste and phosphates from the water, stove and a cooler or mechanism to maintain the temperature of the water right. You may need an air pump oxygen into the water, depending on your tank setup. Also ask about a small chemical kit for measuring and correcting the pH balance in the water.

You want to examine the plants, rocks, and other "aquarium furniture" that goes into the tank. Choose carefully, because the wrong materials can be harmful or even toxic to your fish!

Get your tank up and make sure the water temperature and pH balance is correct BEFORE you go back to the store to get your fish! If you've done everything correctly, your fish will be healthy and happy, and you have an exciting new hobby to learn and love!