Growing up, our family maintained at least two tropical fish
tanks at all times. There was the “big tank” (the traditional
rectangle aquarium) and the “little tank” (the decorative
jug-shaped tank that doubled as a lamp). I remember tapping on
the glass gently to get the attention of the fish and being
delighted when they seemed to respond by swimming close to my
finger.
Ahhh . . . the joys and heartaches of keeping tropical fish. The
joy comes from the many relaxing hours you spend gazing at the
beautiful exotic tropical fish swimming around. The heartache
when you find them floating belly up, having succumbed to some
mysterious tropical fish disease or something wrong you did.
Freshwater Tropical Fish
First, I suggest finding some credible freshwater tropical fish
information and reading up on the subject before going out to buy
your first freshwater tropical fish. These fish are delicate. And
some need special care.
We had (at any given time): tropical angel fish, red Oscar fish,
plain guppie and fancy tail guppie fish, kissing fish (these are
fun to watch!), popeye fish (my sentimental favorite), scavenger
fish (keeps the tank clean), and even a small pet shark.
While many of these fish may all come from the same waters, they
may not all get along when plopped together in a small space. A
good tropical fish guide can teach you how to keep and breed
tropical fish and give you recommendations for tropical fish to
keep together. Believe me, if you make a mistake, you’ll see your
share of fish fights!
Feeding Fish
One of the most important basics of tropical fish care is
learning how and what to feed your fish. Tropical fish need a
special diet and goldfish food won’t do. When you buy your
tropical fish online or from a reputable tropical fish dealer,
you should also purchase the correct fish food for the specific
types of fish you are keeping. If you don’t know what to buy -
ask. And, please don’t overfeed the fish – they can die from
overeating.
Oh yeah. Better learn about semi-aggressive tropical fish for
tanks as well. We used to have a couple of mouth breeder fish
that really liked those cute little frogs we put in their tank to
add to the atmosphere. While frogs aren’t technically fish, we
never thought that our well-fed fish would enjoy frogs for
dinner.
I still shudder at the memory of seeing that poor helpless tiny
frog hanging from the jaws of that fish. We also saw aggressive
fish pick on and take bites out of other non-aggressive fish. If
you don’t separate them, eventually the non-aggressive fish will
die.
Freshwater Aquarium Care
Aquarium care maintenance is a real responsibility. This is where
your fish live 24/7 and they need a clean environment. This is a
chore that needs to be done regularly so keep that in mind when
considering setting up a home fish aquarium.
A good aquarium care guide can show you how to clean a fish tank
with the fish in it, or you can transfer the fish to another
holding tank while you clean the dirty one. How do you clean a
fish tank? Usually it involves taking a hose and draining out the
dirty water, then replacing it with clean fresh water. Don’t
forget to turn your pump back on after cleaning the pump filter.
If you have aquarium plants, you’ll also want to read up on
aquarium plant care.
Tropical Fish Diseases
Unfortunately tropical fish are prone to diseases. Tropical fish
medicine is available if your fish come down with fish ich or ick
(a sticky white film on their bodies), or some other disease. You
want to catch any disease in time before it kills them.
More Tropical Freshwater Fish Information
You can get complete fresh water tropical fish information online
that can tell you all you need to know and more about live
freshwater tropical fish. There are also good articles on
tropical fish keeping that are a good guide to keeping tropical
fish healthy and happy.
Tropical fish are a wonderful addition to your home. With proper
care and maintenance, you will get many hours of enjoyment out of
your exotic home aquarium.
Copyright 2005
Donna Monday
Everything you need to know about tropical fish care
http://tinyurl.com/5f8s9
