Fishes are considered pets

Introduction

Fishes are considered great pets. If you have an aquarium in your house or office you can relax by watching them. Collecting fish is considered the second largest hobby in the world. Throughout the world, there are nearly 25,000 species of fish. One best thing about fish is there is a large assortment of shapes, sizes and colors.

Why do people consider fish as pets?

Inexpensive to keep
Inexpensive to feed
Keeps the environment clean
Requires less space when compared to other pets

Selecting fish for your Aquarium

Deciding the right kind of fish for your aquarium is very difficult. But if you read about the varieties of aquarium fish and their characteristics you will be able to make the right purchase. Before buying a fish it is important that you keep your aquarium ready. While setting up your aquarium do decide whether you want house tropical fish or cold water fish. Both species require warm or cold temperatures to live in. Some fishes are so fragile that a temperature drop of a few degrees will kill them. Always choose fish that are hardy and require same environmental condition. Make sure that the fish you choose for your tank are all compatible with each other.

Once you have decided as to whether your aquarium should have a heater or not, decide on the fish. You can find different kinds of tropical fish in the market. Although they need a heater, they are considered more colorful than cold water fish.

Beginners should buy fresh water fish than marine fish. Fresh water fish are easier to manage than marine fish. You can either buy guppies, mollies, angel fish etc. White cold mountain fish are considered more colorful. Freshwater fish require heater.

Among marine aquarium fish species, damsel fish, clown fish etc are best for beginners where as dragonets and lionfish should be kept only by experienced. Avoid sharks and batfishes.

Setting up your aquarium

Basic things to remember before setting up your aquarium

Keep your aquarium ready before buying fish because they need a ready environment
Decide on the size of aquarium. For beginners, a 10 or 20 gallon may be ideal.
Aquariums are made up of glass or acrylic. Before buying an aquarium look for scratches or cracks.
Filter is required to keep the water clean. Different types of filters are under gravel filters, box filters and outside filters.
Heater if you plan to keep tropical fish.
Decide on the type of decoration. Type of gravel, type of plants and other decorations like natural rock, driftwood and so on.
Temperature should also be given utmost importance.

Types of fish

There are four types of fish that you can keep in the home aquarium:

Tropical fish: These types of fishes live in salt or freshwater but needs a warm temperature to live.

Coldwater fish: These can live in salt or fresh water but needs cold water temperature.

Marine fish:  This type of fish lives in salty seawater. Marine fishes need tropical climate.

Freshwater fish:  This type of fishes require heater. You can find them in inland rivers and streams. They generally require less care.

Diet:

There are various kinds of foods available for saltwater and freshwater fish.

There are two types of foods which fishes like to eat:

Live foods – These consists of plants, animals and micro-organisms. They are better than processed food because they contain protein.
Processed foods – These consists of fresh, frozen, freeze-dried and canned foods. Fresh foods can be small bits of meats, vegetables and fruits. Canned foods provide a balanced diet. Frozen diet can be shrimp or bloodworms as they provide a good source of digestive protein.
Most of the fishes should be fed two or three times a day.

Fish care tips:

·        Clean your water two times in a week

·        Turn off your heater before changing water.

·        Avoid overfeeding your fish

·        Buy fishes that can suit your water conditions.

·        Buy those types of fishes that can fit your tank.