101 Tips To Fresh Water Fish Keeping

[SamUK]

We all have different ways of doing things and our own DIY tank ornaments etc, well i thought it would be kewl to make a list of them all for any begginners reading on here.

Ill start it and add more as i think of them/ not getting my dinner out the oven. Ill try not to use all the easy ones lol.


1. A clear 2 litre bottle makes a good home for a Black Ghost Knife. Lets you see your BGK whilst it thinks its hidden!

2. Ebay, Ebay, Ebay!! Looking for any fishy equipment then always check Ebay. You can search for items within X miles of your postcode using the advanced search.

3. Always have a spare heater and filter if possible so your ready for any random breakdowns.

4. Turn your heater off when doing water changes (Or be sure its mounted below where the waterline drops).

5. Make sure you have good surface movements in your tank. Ive found its always best to have the filter breaking the water and causing ripples. This helps oxygenate the water.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

good thread!

6: remember a rule of thumb is just that, apply a bit of common sense!

i'll think of more in a bit

 

[jarmado]

7. don't overfeed.

 

[Squid]

8. Don't stick your glass themometer to the side of the tank whilst you wait to set up the tank. Turns out they fall off and smash on the bottom.

9. Make sure you have the tank in the right place before adding the water. Seems that they weigh more than Vanessa Feltz once full. Bare in mind you might want to add things like external filters that need room for tubing behind the tank.

 

[helsekia]

great thread.

10.check the adult fish size before buying

 

[jarmado]

10.check the adult fish size before buying

if you plan not to kill them before that.


11. fishless cycling if possible

 

[shaunza2010]

12 buy aqua safe
13 buy water test kits

 

[rich]

14. Read up before you buy or do anything - learn from other's mistakes

 

[jarmado]

12 buy aqua safe

or API stress coat.

 

[Squid]

12 buy aqua safe

or API stress coat.

lol... or anything that will make the water safe for your little fish. (or big fish)

 

[gizmo001i]

15. Always ask for advice from your LFS (Remember they deal with fish on a far larger scale than most of us).
16. No question is stupid if you don't know the answer

 

[Arfie]

17 - Buy a new clean toothbrush for cleaning in the tight corners

18 - Buy a new clean nailbrush also ideal for scrubbing algae off the glass/ornaments etc

19 -Buy clean water jugs, these can be used to fill/empty/topup the tank water, catch and hold a fish, or to correctly dose medication.

20 - When medicating, Get a jug (see above) add some tank water, add the correct dose of meds to the jug and then pour it in, if you get it wrong you can pour it away, if you get it wrong in the tank you could kill your fish.

21 - When feeding, dont open the food above the tank, this can easily lead to you dropping a tub of food into the tank.

22 - Do not use anything in your tank that is used anywhere else, this includes - buckets, jugs, cloths, pipes, brushes etc.

 

[Ginge]

23- DOnt always trust your LFS.

 

[pieman]

24- Buy the largest tank you can afford, small tanks are unstable.

 

[chrisdoesntmiss]

25. Fish are Friends, not food. Ensure to buy species that wont show excessive aggression to each other.