Fish Keeping – An Introduction
When it comes to keeping pets, first image that jumps to mind is dogs and then maybe cats. If you like to keep a pet but are unable to do so due to less pace and even lesser time, consider keeping fish as a pet. Since fish cannot soil your carpet, neither can it force you out of your bed to take it for a walk and pull you at a leash, having them around can be very relaxing. But if you thought keeping fish is all fun and no sweat, then you need to think again as you would not like to wake up one fine morning to a tank full of dead fish. So, it’s very important to know about the probable difficulties you may face beforehand.
There are different kinds of fish, like Marine, Coldwater, Tropical and Pond fish. Marine, Coldwater and Tropical fish are kept indoors in aquariums and are easiest to maintain whereas, Pond fish are kept outdoors. Marine fish are most difficult and most expensive to keep hence are not for the beginners.
Before setting up a tank you need to finalize on what kind of a fish you want to keep so that the tank can be readied accordingly. If you plan to keep more than one variety of the fish then it’s important to check their compatibility.
It’s important to keep the pH level, water hardness and temperature of the water in control as any disturbance in these can irritate the fish and they may end up fighting and hurting each other.
Once you decide what kind of fish you are going to keep, its time to set up the aquarium. In their natural habitat, light, oxygen and food are provided by nature, but in aquarium this is pet keeper’s duty. To clean the water you need to install a water filter, which also doubles as an air pump to supply oxygen in the aquarium. Fish food should be selected according to the kind of fish you have. Lights are to be fixed on the lid of the aquarium and should be controlled by a timer. A heater is also needed in winters to keep the temperature at an optimum level. Water of the aquarium should be changed from time to time in order to keep it beautiful and fish healthy.
