The last step when you build your aquarium is to pick the fish that will be a good match for it. There are hundreds of fish on the market that can be purchased in the pet shops and at the fish breeders. It is important to understand that not every fish is a good match for every aquarium and not all kind of fish can live in peace together in the same aquarium. So how can we know what kind of fish can live together and which fish is a good match for our aquarium? Through the following simple explanation you will able to find out easily in this article how to pick healthy fish, which decorative fish families can live together in the same aquarium and how many of them to buy..
Decorative fish families can be classified into three main groups:
Gold fish- The golden fish is the first group. They live in cold water and they belong to the carp family. These are very strong fish that aren’t sensitive to illnesses or to low temperatures. This is a big plus for people that is their first time growing fish in an aquarium. Their size runs between 5- 30 CM, which means that we can’t fit many fish in the aquarium and that there are a good fit for a big aquarium or a decorative pool. Gold fish are known for eating water plants therefore it’s not possible to grow them together with them. If you are looking for attractive fish we recommend that you look for fish that belong to a different fish family since there are not that many varieties of gold fish.
Tropical fish- The quiet tropical fish family is the biggest family there is. It has the biggest variety and the fish that belong to it come from all over the world. This family is rich with colors, shapes and sizes. These fish are sensitive to the aquarium’s temperature so it is important to adjust the aquarium’s heating body to 26- 29 Centigrade. The fish sizes runs between 3- 8 Cm which means that they can grow in a relatively small aquarium. They do not hurt the natural water plants in the aquarium therefore they can coexist with them. When choosing to grow these kind of fish it’s important to keep the water clean and of good quality to avoid fish deaths. This can be done by having good quality equipment and filtration systems. The big plus of growing these kinds of fish is that you can decide to have different kinds of fish with different sizes or different fish of different sizes in order to create an interesting look to your aquarium.
Cichlids- These fish belong to the predator’s family. They come in different colors and sizes too and are known for their colorful look. There are originally from Africa’s rivers. These are territorial, strong, aggressive fish. This means that it is not possible to fit many fish in a small aquarium. Theirs size runs between 6 – 8 Cm. It’s very important to choose the right combination of fish sizes since these fish are territorial and aggressive and they can kill each other. They are not sensitive to the water quality but since they are predator fish it is a must to keep the aquarium’s temperature at 26- 29 Cm. It’s not possible to grow them together with natural plants.
Now all we have to do is to match the right fish to our aquarium. It is important to note not to mix and match between the fish families.
So how many fish we can fit in an aquarium?
The amount of fish we can fit in an aquarium depends on many factors: The quality of the water in the aquarium, the filtering system, the size of the fish and the aquarium’s location. Basically in a normal situation we can fit:
For the Tropical family: 1 ½ liter per fish
For the predator’s fish: 4 liters per fish
For the gold fish family: Small – size- 3 liter per fish.
Please note: Do not place the fish the first time straight in the aquarium. We recommend to place the fish in the aquarium 14 days after the first set up including filling the aquarium with water. We recommend that you place the fish slowly. A quarter of the total amount that you purchased every few days until all the fish are placed. Place the fish in the Aquarium without the water in which it came in order to avoid contaminating the aquarium with snails or other harmful things that came with it.
We recommend that you buy your fish from a pet store that you are familiar with and trust. It is very difficult to identify illnesses in fish with an inexperienced eye. Having said so, here are some signs to help you assess the quality of the fish in the pet store and avoid problems in your aquarium.
- Clean water
- The fish are not hanging at the bottom of the aquarium or on the top. There are no dead fish in the store’s aquarium.
- There are no white spots that can appear to be fungus in the aquarium or on the fish.
- The fins of the fish are whole, and there are no sores on the fish.
Good luck!
We will be glad to assist you with any questions that you may have.
Written by Oren Ben Shimshon
