Freshwater Fish

1. TESTING.
Before introducing any freshwater fish into your tank, buy yourself a good water test kit. Ideally it should contain tests for:Ammonia,Nitrates,Nitrites and Ph. Readings, except for the Ph should all read zero before introducing any freshwater fish.
2.TEMPERATURE.
Make sure that the temp. in the tank is suitable for your chosen occupants. Freshwater(generally) 21-27C. Marines(generally)26C Coldwater(generally) 13.5-20C.
3.FILTRTION.
Depending on the size of the tank and the intended occupants, filtration can be mechanical,biological or both. They can be air driven or power driven. Filtration is the heart of any tank. It's the life source of the environment. You will need to know the species of fish you wish to keep and then do some homework about the types of waters and/or environment their natural habitat is and filter accordingly. There are an array of filters on the market and you will be sure there is one for your setup.
4. STOCKING LEVELS.
Freshwater trops. recommended 12sq.cm of surface area to 1cm of fully grown fish. Marines For a fish only setup 2.5cm of fish for 9ltrs of water and for reef only 2.5cm of fish to 27ltrs of water. Ponds: 250cm of fish to 5000ltrs of water.
5. KNOWLEDGE.
Learn as much as you can about the species you intend to keep.
6. INTRODUCING YOU'RE FRESHWATER FISH.
Fish should be introduced into your new setup gradually. Overloading your tank will cause problems. Remember your filter wil need to build up friendly bacteria to break down the byproducts from your fish.
7.QUARANTINE.
This is a question I'm most asked by newbies. Do I really need to quarantine my freshwater fish? The short answer is YES. Introducing new fish to a new system will invariably bring its own problems, so if you can why risk it? Using the same water as the main tank, introduce the fish in the Quarantine tank for a week or so and if there's no probs. then introduce them into the main tank.
8. FEEDING.
Twice daily is more than enough. Only feed as much as will be taken within 3 minutes, otherwise it will decompose at the bottom of your tank, causing other problems, such as high Phosphates and Nitrates and unsightly algae.
9. WATER CHANGES.
Regular water changes, around 25% per week is good for your tank and good for your fish.10. CLEANING FILTERS. These should be cleaned regurarly according to the manufactures instructions. It is best however if you don't clean the sponges in raw tapwater, but use some of the water syphoned from the tank. This way the beneficial bacteria are not killed off and only the debris is cleaned away.

freshwater fish

Freshwater Fish

Hi all,

Well, yesterday was my birtday and I just became 46. After a hard day of work I had a nice dinner
with my wife and she told me the kids had a surprise for me. They bought me a book about all the secrets
of tropical fish. They know I like freshwater fish, its a hobby of mine.
I got tons of books about freshwater fish already so I thought "nice,one to add to my collection".

But the day after, I started reading it and boy was I in for a SURPRISE !
It has answered all my fish problems.
I have visited a pet shop many times to ask simple questions about my saltwater fish tank and they look at me like I have 2 heads!
This is the first time in my life that I owned a fish tank and I was getting so frustrated.
I was thinking of getting rid of it but I love to watch the fish and the ones that lived have become my family pets!
So finally there is a book out there that tells people that fish can survive with a little help.
I call your book my Fish Bible!
Now all I have to do is go to my library here in the house and look up what I might be doing wrong or what I might be doing right.
for this great book ! You really have to check it out.
Check it out

Yeah and Robert owns a few blogs on
tropical fish ,aquarium fish ,saltwater fish and freshwater fish !

freshwater fish

Freshwater fish

Freshwater fish

Freshwater fish are pets like other pets and you have to know what you're doing and I will try to help you with it.
First of all you have to buy a tank. Look for a tank that is big enough to store the fish you want
(keep note that some fish need bigger tanks as they need more place so do your homework !)
I'd suggest to go for a bigger tank cause having some extra room is a good idea.

When you're in the store make shure to take some extra equipment with you cause you'll need it.
I suggest getting:

1. Heater
The heater is the most important part of a tropical tank. For most freshwater fish, 25Cis a good average.
4 watts per gallon is ok, buteach heater will state the size aquaria it accommodate for.
For the larger aquaria, it is often best to have two smaller heaters for a couple of reasons, one because should one break,
u still have one to keep your tank going until u can replace it, and two should you have 1 big heater, and the thermostat got stuck on, it would raise the temp of the tank far more and in less time than a smaller one would.
All heaters now have a built in thermostat which turns the heater on and off when needed to keep the tank at a stable temperature, the heater should never be un-plugged.

2. Filter.
Best to check if the filter fits your tank. this is very important !.The size of the filter depends upon 3 factors :
- tank size
- # freshwater fish
- plants
There are lots of different types of filters : internal filter,external filter,gravel filter and box filters (I advise to skip this one cause they are for small tanks).

3. Gravel
The gravel is mainly for aesthetic purposes, but it also is vital if you are keeping live plants as they need a substrate of some sort to anchor them selves down with.
If you have a planted tank, then 2-3inches of gravel is advised, but if u have an unplanted tank, then u may use ½ - 2inches of gravel.
The gravel also holds some of the bacteria in the tank, and if the tank has an under gravel filter, then the gravel will contain nearly all of the bacteria in the tank.


Its best to start with the gravel and other decorative ornaments, place it in a bucket , stir the gravel ensuring that no dust is left. Once this has been done its probably a good idea to pour boiling water over the gravel and shake it in the container before straining it off, the boiling water will kill any bacteria or other nasty organisms and prevent them getting in your tank!

Use a clean cloth and a bucket of clean water and clean thoroughly the inside of the tank, look for any leaks or cracks (hopefully there will be none!) Then empty or sponge out the water you have left in there. Your aquarium should now have no nasty residues or dust in it! Position the tank in the place you want it remembering that once filled a tank can not easily be moved use a level to ensure the surface you place it is on is flat, if not then the glass will put under stress and may crack, also remembering how heavy the tank will be make sure the place you put it on is strong enough to hold it, and if on an upper floor that the floor is strong enough for it.


1) Add the gravel, place it evenly in the tank, do not waste too much time on a design as when you add the water it will get disturbed again.

2) Fill the aquarium half way with dechlorinated water, once half full you will be able to sculpt the gravel the way you want it to look. If you wish to have plants then they'll need at least 5cm of gravel in order to establish a root system. Also add plants and any decorations you wish to add now as they will be easier to plant and position now.

3) Install the equipment place the filter in and secure it using the suction caps which have been moistened with water from the tank. Keep them turned off till the tank is full of water, once securely in position proceed with step 4.

4) Finish adding the water use your hand or the side of the tank to prevent the water splashing heavily into the tank and potentially upsetting your gravel and plants, use your hand above the water to soften the impact when the water actually hits the water surface of the tank.

5) Turn the system on Make sure all the equipment is working, the heater will take a couple of hours to get your tank to the desired temperature. The filter should kick in immediately producing both bubbles and water movement.

Thats it you now have an aquarium set up and ready to go! Well not quite!! Leave the filter and heater running for two or three days before you purchase your first fish for cycling the tank, alternatively you could go for a fishless cycle in which case you will have to delay adding the fish for several weeks while adding pure ammonia every day in order to build up a decent colony of bacteria in the filter. When adding the fish float the fish bag in your aquarium to allow the water inside the bag to adjust to the temperature of the tank, so when you introduce the fish there is not a big temperature shock, for 15 minutes gradually introduce a bit of tank water at this time and after 5 minutes release them into the tank. Please note that for first fish you should only have a few freshwater fish, for a 20 gallon tank 6 platies is ample for cycling the tank, adding more will just lead to fish dying because the ammonia produced by their waste is toxic.

freshwater fish

Freshwater Fish

Freshwater Fish - Welcome to the new blog

Over the next few weeks I will be posting articles on aquarium fish and how you can set up a beautiful aquarium and keep, even breed tropical fish in your spare time.

Freshwater fish