Freshwater Aquarium Fish

Freshwater tanks are a lot easier to maintain than a saltwater
aquarium. The fresh water fish may not be easy to keep but the
set up is a lot less complicated, you do not have to be chemist
to run one of these tank set ups. Basically in your tank should
be your filter, your heater and your lights. You will also need
a thermometer. After the tank has been sitting for a few weeks
getting the bacteria to cycle then it is ready for some
freshwater fish!

There are different kinds of fresh water fish that you can get.
There are of course large and small and different species of
each. If you are just starting out and your tank is only for
decorative purposes then stick with small fish, but if you see
this as becoming a great hobby and you are going to stick to it
then don’t bother with small fish as they are a waste of money,
it is better to get the bigger fish! Bigger species of fish
aren’t harder to keep than smaller ones, just different. When I
say bigger species I don’t mean that they are bigger to start of
with, but most of the “bigger species” can grow to at least half
a foot long. Cichlids and Malawi’s are the usual favourites of
fish enthusiasts, although they are both freshwater fish they
both need different types of fresh water.

African Malawi’s prefer hard water, and a lower PH. American
cichlids like to have a different temperature and PH level. Also
there is a certain type of fish, known as Discus which is very,
very expensive and hard to keep. There PH level has to be
maintained almost exact throughout their tank life or it can
result in death, they also like their temperature higher than
most fresh water fish, nearly thirty degrees.

When choosing your fresh water fish make sure that they are fish
that you like! Not to mention make sure that the fish that you
choose are going to be relatively easy for you to keep, there is
no point in purchasing hard to keep fish if you are not going to
spend the time and take on the responsibility to look after
them! Fish are living creatures to and they need a lot of
looking after, so don’t purchase them if you are not prepared to
do so.