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Tropical Fish

Goldfish

 

The Golden Rules of Fish Keeping

Never overfeed the fish. It is the most common mistake made by beginners. Only feed as much as the fish can eat in plus minus two minutes without any food remaining in the aquarium. Remove uneaten food. See Feeding tropical fish.

Keep compatible fish - i.e. fish that require the same water quality and fish that will not fight and kill each other. See Selecting tropical fish.

Never overstock the aquarium with fish or other inhabitants. Never put too many fish in too soon.

Check aquarium temperature daily with an accurate thermometer.

Inspect fish daily to ensure they are acting normally - undiscovered problems have a way of escalating into serious crises.

Ensure filtration is always adequate. See Nitrogen Cycle.

Do periodic and regular water changes. Preferably 25% every 2 weeks. Removal and replacement of water is vital to maintaining healthy conditions within the aquarium. See Water Chemistry.

Always ensure any water that is added to an aquarium is safe for fish - remove any traces of chlorine or/and chloramines and adjust pH before tap water is added to an aquarium.

Perform regular maintenance of all filters. Ensure that filter media is unclogged and changed according to manufacturer's recommended procedures. Always wash filter media in old tank water, never under the tap.

Regularly test the water (Ammonia, pH, Nitrite etc.) especially for Nitrite - probably the biggest fish killer around.

Make sure that aquarium is not placed in direct sunlight, as this will encourage growth of algae.

Do not keep altering your aquarium environment once it has been set up. You should allow conditioning to become stabilised as this allows plants to grow and fish to gain a sense of security after the trauma of being moved around.