Types Of Tropical Fish And How To Choose The Best Ones

Tropical fish are imported from all over the globe, and there are more than four thousand different types of tropical fish. If you would like to have an aquarium in your home, tropical fish are your best option. Species such as Zebras, Jaguars, Bolivian Rams and Tetras are just some of the exotic varieties you can buy, and they are much less expensive than salt water fish. Each type of fish has its own personality and habits, and observing them is more than half the fun of owning an aquarium.

There is nothing worse for a new aquarium owner than getting your fish home only to watch them slowly weaken and die. You need to be sure the pet store you choose has a good reputation and uses quarantine techniques if they see any ill fish. Any new fish that come into the store also need to be quarantined for a few weeks to ensure they don’t spread any disease to other fish.

If you are concerned that a fish you are interested in purchasing may have a disease, there are some signs to look out for. Does it have cotton wool like fungus around the mouth? Are there any gashes or ulcers on the body, and do the eyes appear milky or bulging? Is their stomach bloated, their gills open or do they have an excess of slime or mucousy substance on their body? If the fish have any signs of disease, you should re-consider purchasing any from that particular store or you could contaminate your whole aquarium and kill off all your fish by introducing only one sick one.

Surprisingly enough, stress can result in more serious diseases for fish, as with humans. Environmental factors such as loud noises, unnecessary handling, overfeeding or tapping on the glass can all cause serious stress problems. If the water isn’t cleaned as regularly as it should be, your fish will be likely to get sick as well.

To create a healthy environment for your tropical fish, you have to maintain a healthy aquarium. You must clean the water regularly and also test the PH level and balance it accordingly. You need the correct number of plants for the tank size, and be sure to not overload the tank with too many fish for the area. It is an excellent idea to strain and replace around twenty percent of the tank water every few days, and give your new aquarium time to colonize before adding any fish.

For your tropical aquarium, you will need to add gravel, a heater, a thermostat and a filter. The temperature needs to be around 24 degrees at all times and the filter should be cleaned thoroughly according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Be aware when adding the water that there will be times when you need to put your hands in and you don’t want it to over flow everywhere. If you want, you may like to add some decoration pieces as well, but always confirm their suitability for tropical aquariums.