website statistics

Latest Additions


Diamond Tetra - Moenkhausia Pitteri Diamond Tetra
Jaguar Catfish - Liosomadoras Oncinus Jaguar Catfish
Croaking Gourami - Trichopsis Vittatus Croaking Gourami
Corkscrew Val - Vallisneria Americana v. Biwaensis Corkscrew Val
Madagascar Lace - Aponogeton Madagascariensis Madagascar Lace
Purple Cabomba - Cabomba Pulcherrima Purple Cabomba
Buying A Tank - General Tips Buying A Tank
The Four The Four 'Vores
Water Changes - Maintaining high quality tank water Water Changes
Trickle Filter Trickle Filter
Whitespot / Ich Whitespot / Ich
Airstone Airstone

Please login to enable posting of new articles.

» Discus this article.


Common Mistakes
Avoid the basic new comer pitfalls

New fish keepers often purchase fish and aquariums without undertaking much research. Fish are frequently purchased based on misconceptions such as 'you can fill the tank with water, allow the temperature to set and you're good to go'. Unfortunately for the fish, this scenario is rarely, if ever, true.

Here are a few examples of common mistakes:

Using Un-Treated Tap Water
Tap water contains a variety of harmful metals and Chlorine. Although they are perfectly suitable for human consumption, they can be harmful to a fishes health. Tap water should always be treated with an additive such as AquaSafe.

Overloading An Un-Cycled Tank
New tanks and filters do not have the colonies of bacteria that are needed to remove the deadly wastes from the water. Each fish that is introduced to the tank produces extra waste from its respiration and excretion. The bacteria grows slowly and until it is in great enough numbers to consume the amount of waste that the fish are producing, the deadly ammonia and nitrite levels in the tank will rise. Eventually the fish will suffer gill damage and die. The levels should be closely monitored using test kits and only a few hardy fish should be introduced until the tank is fully established (typically a month or two).

Failing To Acclimatize Fish
It's often difficult to wait out the acclimatisation period when you're eager to see your new prized fish swim with its new tank mates. However, this unnecessary stress is the reason many new fish do not make it through the first couple of days in their new environment. Always acclimatize new fish, for more information read our acclimatization article.

Infrequent Water Changes
Fish need fresh, oxygenated water, just like we need fresh air. Depending on the volume of water in the tank, the water should be partially changed in varying amounts. The smaller the tank or the more overloaded a tank is, the more frequently the water should be changed. The process of changing tank water may be a chore but it helps to remove stale, potentially toxic water and preserve the long term health of your fish. Find out more in our water change article.

Mixing Incompatible Fish
While many fish are compatible with each other, certain species and variants are simply not tolerant of each other. Some species will harass by chasing and nipping at fins, while others will eat or fight until the death with another tank mate! Always research a fish species before buying a new fish, you can check our fish profiles for compatibility information.

Improper Plant Conditions
The level of lighting, spectrum range, co2 and minerals/iron/fertiliser all have a bearing on the health of your plants. If balanced properly your plants should thrive for a long time, but if not you will soon see unsightly brown lifeless leafs. To workout your lighting levels you can use our calculator page. Individual plant requirements are available in the plant profiles section. 		 

Article posted on 7/12/2006 by darxide

Sources

N/A  
Donation FAQ | ©2006 Mark Stevens |