If you go into any aquarium shop you will see many different tropical fish that you can put into your tropical freshwater aquarium. As a beginner there is a bewildering choice but which ones should you choose? You will want fish that are easy to keep and perhaps easy to breed. Mollies and guppies fulfill both these criteria and are an excellent choice for your first tropical aquarium.

The Molly

Mollies are hardy fish and easy to keep. They are adaptable to a wide range of water conditions and are livebearers and easy to breed. They prefer a warm tank with temperatures between about 72F and 80F and at least fifteen gallons. Although there are two types of Mollies generally kept in tropical aquariums, sail finned Mollies and short finned Mollies, I would recommend the short finned Mollies for a beginner. These include the very popular Black Molly. Sail fin Mollies are more attractive but are not so easy to keep.

As with all tropical fish it’s a good idea to include some live food in their diet although Mollies can be fed on tropical fish flake food. They also like to eat algae and you can add spirulina flakes occasionally.

Mollies are peaceful fish and can be kept in a community aquarium with other tropical freshwater fish such as swordtails, catfish and tetras.

The Guppy

Guppies are easy to keep a very popular tropical, freshwater fish for beginners. Male guppies are attractive with fancy tails and come in a variety of colours. Females are duller but you will want to have some females if you wish to breed them. Guppies should be kept in groups of five or more as they look beautiful swimming in shoals. like the Mollies they need a warm tank with about the same temperature. They will eat flake food but appreciate a supplement of live food whenever possible.

Guppies are good community fish and co-exist well with other peaceful fish.

Black Mollies by Bartekbas

For the beginner just starting their first tropical aquarium here are some points that will make it easier to set up and maintain a beautiful and healthy aquarium.

Before you Start

Before you even begin to set up your aquarium research is needed to choose the fish. A community tank contains different species chosen to live peacefully together. There are many fish to choose from, including Guppies, Hatchetfish, Lyretails, Platys, Neon Tetra and Penguin Fish. Guppies are a popular community fish that are very easy to breed. Avoid aggressive fish such as Tiger Barbs and Rosy Barbs that may appear to be peaceful when young but grow up into bullies. You should also check how large the fish will grow and avoid placing too many larger fish in a small tank. The more fish you have in the tank the more maintenance you will need to do.

Once your tank has been cycled and stocked follow the points below to keep it healthy.

1. Avoid overfeeding. Food left in the tank decays and produces toxic chemicals. Only feed as much as the fish can eat completely within about three minutes. Twice a day feeding should be plenty. If the fish do not come to the surface when you feed then they are being fed too much.

2. Never replace all of the tank water. For a lightly stocked tank replacing 25% to 50% of the water once a month should be adequate. For a more heavily stocked tank water may need to be changed once a week. Vacuum the gravel with a siphon tube at the same time and remove some of the decorations for cleaning. Never remove everything for a clean. It will destroy the beneficial bacteria that you took the time to cultivate when you cycled your tank.

3. When the water level drops replace with tap water treated to remove any chlorine and chloramine. If there is no chloramine in your water supply you can leave a covered bucket for a day pr two to allow the chlorine to evaporate.

4. Keep a small tank prepared as a quarantine tank in case any fish develops signs of disease. This will also be useful for keeping newly purchased fish away from your main tank until you can be sure that they are healthy and disease free.

5. At least once a week test the water for ammonia, nitrite and pH so that a problem is not allowed to build up. If these levels are not optimum perform a partial water change. This will usually fix the problem without the use of chemicals.

6. Lastly find a local fish hobbyist group and join in. You will learn a lot from talking to other enthusiasts and have fun.

Keeping fish is a great hobby and an endless source of fascination to you and you family. Enjoy your aquarium and with a little care your fish can enjoy happy and long lives!

What should you look out for and what are the symptoms of the common tropical fish diseases? This guide should help you spot some of the commonest problems that occur in tropical freshwater aquariums.

White spot – Ichthyophthirius multifilis or Ich is very common and characterised by small white spots on your fish. Ich is caused by a parasite and will be fatal unless quickly treated. You can treat the tank with a medication for this parasite but remove any charcoal filters if you have them. Also sterilise any filters, nets or artificial plants by placing in boiling water. Follow the instructions on the medication carefully, continuing for at least six days after you last see any spots on the fish. This is important to stop any future outbreaks. Make sure you monitor your fish closely after treatment as Ich has a nasty habit of returning.

Fin Rot – This is also caused by a parasite and tends to surface if the fish are stressed, perhaps because the water conditions are not ideal. It’s a good idea to place infected fish in a quarantine tank for treatment with a commercial preparation as the treatment can kill plants and nitrifying bacteria. A quarantine tank with clean water is also good for the fish if poor water quality has lead to the fish’s stress. If the disease is in it’s early stages you can treat by placing the fish in clean water, changing the water daily and adding aquarium salt at the rate of one teaspoon for each gallon of water. A week of this treatment should be enough and when you see new fin growth you can return the fish to your main tank.

Flukes – If you see your fish rubbing themselves in on rocks and objects or ‘flicking’ on the bottom they may have skin or gill flukes. These are parasites called trematodes and cause damage to the skin and lesions. They are hard to get rid of completely but you can use commercial preparations or salt baths daily for three or four days.

Velvet or Oodinium is another parasite that affects tropical freshwater aquarium fish. It is sometimes mistaken for Ich but velvet looks more like a fine dusting of powder rather than white spots. It is also more likely to occur if the fish are stressed by poor water conditions or a sudden decrease in temperature. It is fatal if not treated quickly but easier that Ich to cure. Use a commercial treatment and increase the water temperature to 82F. Salt baths can also help recovery.

Image by FJP

The Glowlight Danio (danio choprai)

This is a small Danio that is a surface dweller and, in the wild, feeds on insects and their larvae. It has an orange band on its body and vertical bars on the flank with yellow edged fins. It is a good community fish and lives peacefully with other community fish.

The Zebra Danio (Danio rerio)

The zebra danio gets its name from the fice blue stripes on its body. In the males the blue stripes are interspersed with gold stripes. Females have silver stripes. The zebra danio is about 2 1/2″ long when adult although it is rare for one to grow to this size in an aquarium.

The Rose Danio (Danio roseus)

This danio has rosy coloring on its lower body and appears purple/blue in sunlight. They grow to between 1″ to 1 1/2″ and generally live about five years.




How easy are Danios to keep?

Danios are very easy to keep and make good community fish. They are all surface feeders and can be given a mnixture of flake and live food. If you intend to breed danios then increase the proportion of live food. They will eat anything you give them so make sure that other fish in the tank do not miss out! They are active swimmers so do better in a larger tank and appreciate a strong current provided by a pump as they live in swiftly flowing streams in the wild. They are also good at jumping so keep the lid in place or they may well jump out!

Danios are best kept in larger groups where they can swim in shoals. They prefer temperatures of between 68F and 80F the lower end being cooler than many other tropical freshwater fish like.

Breeding Danios

Zebra danios are very easy to breed, other danios are harder. They will lay eggs scattered on the gravel floor of the aquarium which will hatch in two to three days. However if you intend to breed danios it is better to have a separate breeding tank and remove the parents after spawning or the eggs will be eaten.

Neon tetras coloring

The beautiful coloring of the neon tetra is due to the lovely iridescent red and blue stripes in contrast to the light blue or greenish coloring along the back and the silver white coloration of the abdomen. It grows to only 3cm. It is not easy to distinguish male from female but the female has a slightly bent stripe and a larger belly. If the fish is stressed the iridescent stripe tends to fade temporarily. Most neon tetras sold are captive bred and can adapt to good range of conditions in home aquariums.

What conditions are suitable for neon tetras?

A pH of between 6 and 7.8 is suitable and at least a 24inch aquarium. They are best kept in a heavily planted tank, without bright lights and warm water of between 75 and 80F. As they are small don’t keep them with much larger or aggressive fish. Keeping them in small shoals is recommended as they are happier this way and they will look wonderful swimming together in your tank.

How should I feed my neon tetras?

These fish can be fed on flake food but it’s always a good idea to supplement this with live food whenever possible. Brine shrimp, daphnia bloodworms are all acceptable.

photo credit: Leino88

photo credit: cliff1066™

How should you care for Angelfish?

Angelfish come from tropical rivers so need a warm aquarium, kept at about 27C with slightly acidic water. They can be fed flake food but will do much better if given live food on a regular basis. As with all aquarium fish they should not be overfed. They are relatively peaceful but should not be kept with much smaller fish as they may prey on them.

How easy is it to breed Angelfish?

Angelfish are relatively easy to breed if given live food and suitable conditions. making sure you have a breeding pair of Angelfish may be a problem as it is not easy to tell whether you have males or females! As noted earlier they form monogamous pairs, often long term and it may be difficult to breed an individual if one of the pair dies. Angelfish are ready to breed when about six months old and can continue until around the age of three years. A breeding pair will lay eggs on any flat surface such as a leaf or flat decoration, laying between 100 and 1000 eggs. The pair will provide water circulation over the fertilised eggs by swimming close to them and using their pectoral fins to move water over them. The fry hatch in about a week and can be fed on brine shrimp.

Where to Locate Your Aquarium

The first thing to decide before you make a purchase is the location for your new aquarium. You must take account of the final weight of the aquarium when filled with water if you intend to place it on a shelf or table. A twenty gallon tank, once filled, will weigh about two hundred pounds! Do you need a stand or a specially designed cabinet?

Aquarium Size

Aquariums for the home come in a huge range of sizes from tiny glass bowls to huge five hundred gallon tanks. You will want an aquarium that is the right size for your home and for your fish. The first thing to consider is the location you intend for the aquarium. Measure the area to ensure the aquarium you choose will fit.

One thing to consider is that a bigger aquarium requires less maintenance. Small aquariums are much harder to keep the water balance correct, are easy to overcrowd and rotting food or vegetation can have an immediate affect on the health of the fish. A good size for a beginner is between twenty and thirty gallons. Decide how many fish you wish to keep. Very roughly you can keep one inch of fish to every gallon of water, but remember this is a rough estimate and a lot will depend on the type of fish and how well maintained the aquarium is. Always understock a tank rather than overstock!

The best way to choose the size of the tank is to purchase the biggest tank within your budget that will fit comfortably in the location you have chosen.

Aquarium Shapes

Since the introduction of acrylic aquarium, different shapes have been added to the traditional rectangular shape including cylinder, hexagon and round aquariums. There are also aquariums designed to be wall mounted and coffe table aquariums. Despite all these innovative designs the rectangular aquarium is still the best as the the area of water surface compared to the water volume is large which is important for allowing the exchange of gases with the air. Other shapes, with a smaller surface area compared to water volume, will often need more frequent water changes and more maintenance.

Do You Need a Glass or Acrylic Aquariums?

Both materials for aquariums have their advantages and disadvantages. The traditional glass aquarium is heavy and can spring leaks at the seams. Leaks are easy to fix however and usually only occur in an older aquarium. They are usually cheaper than acrylic aquariums. They only come in rectangular or square shapes.

The newer acrylic aquariums are lighter than glass and come in all sorts of innovative shapes. They rarely spring leaks as there are no seams. They are more expensive than glass aquariums but generally last longer. They are easy to scratch however so never clean with any kind of abrasive chemical or other chemicals which can fog the glass. Acrylic aquariums used to yellow with age but the newer materials stay clear throughout their lifetime.

Advantages

Acrylic Aquariums : long lasting, leak free, innovative shapes

Glass Aquariums : Cheap

Disadvantages

Acrylic Aquariums : expensive, easily scratched

Glass Aquariums : Heavy, tend to spring leaks

So you want to have your own freshwater tropical aquarium fish, but don’t know where to start? Luckily, I’ll explain the steps you need to take in order to setup a fish tank and select a species of fish that will adapt to the environment you have envisaged.

There are two types of tropical fish, and they are saltwater tropical fish, and freshwater tropical fish. Here I’ll be explaining the ways to setup a tank containing freshwater tropical fish.

Aquarium Cycling

Before putting your pet tropical fish in your fish tank, your fish tank needs to go through a phase known as aquarium cycling. It’s important this phase is undertaken before you put your fish in your fish tank, otherwise you may run into a variety of problems. I know it can be tempting to get straight into it and immediately put your fish in the tank once there’s water in there, but hang on for just a moment!

The Nitrogen cycle is the first phrase of aquarium cycling, and involves ridding the water of all the excess nitrogen that it has before the water is deemed fit for animal life. Sounds a little complex? Don’t worry. Your best way to prepare the water in your fish tank so that you can place tropical fish in it is by planting your tank. This involves putting lots of nice sea plants within your tank that help to rid excess nitrogen and make the water suitable for your fish to swim in.

The next thing you’ll need is a filter that is able to absorb foreign materials and particles from the water, ensuring that it stays fresh and recycled at all times. You may also consider purchasing an air stone, which come in addition to your air filter. This will allow your fish tank to display various bubble effects.

In terms of selecting your actual fish tank, any tank should do unless you want to customize your aquarium to a specific species of tropical freshwater fish. Speaking to your pet shop owner is a good idea as they’ll be able to help you select a fish tank specific to your needs.

In terms of selecting the actual species of freshwater tropical fish, you need to be mindful that some species don’t get along with one another. It’s not uncommon for some species to bully, or even eat other species. The last thing you want to do is spend a small fortune acquiring the rarest and most exotic of freshwater tropical fish only to have them eaten by some antisocial tropical fish breed who doesn’t think they’re as beautiful as you do!

Once your fish tank is setup, and you have selected the types of fish you wish to place in your tank, all that remains is literally putting them in! Be mindful that feeding patterns and lighting can affect the way your fish live and behave. Be aware of potential fish diseases as well as good and bad types of fish food that you can feed specific species of tropical fish.

One of the most popular tropical, freshwater fish is the guppy. As well as being easy to keep and tolerant of a wide range of water conditions, guppies are one of the easiest aquarium fish to breed. They are livebearers and bear small, live fry. Unlike many other fish species it is easy to see if you have male or female guppies as the males are highly colored with fancy tails. the females are much duller.  In this article we will explain how to breed guppies successfully.

As one male can fertilise many females, who can produce more than one batch of offspring from each insemination, it is not necessary to have even numbers of each sex. Females will produce the fry after thirty days and may have as many as sixty babies, the number depending on the size of the female. Older, larger females will have more than younger females.

To prepare a female guppy to have healthy fry she should be fed live food in addition to the normal tropical flakes. Daphnia, blood worms and brine shrimp are all good choices as they are rich in protein. When the female is about to give birth she can be moved to a separate tank or a breeding compartment in the main tank which will separate the fry when they are born. If you don’t want to separate the female provide plenty of plants, especially floating plants, for the fry to hide in away from other fish which will eat them if given the chance.

If you are serious about breeding guppies then a tank dedicated to breeding should be used although many people successfully breed them in a community aquarium. Feed the fry on brine shrimp or finely powdered tropical flakes. Make sure you do partial water changes at least weekly. Fry will grow rapidly to adulthood in about two months.

Guppy fry image by statico

Guppy image by judhi