Choosing the right fish
Before you get an aquarium, you need to think about which fish you want to keep in it. For example, if you’d like to keep angelfish, you’ll need a large aquarium – ideally 500 litres or more. If you want to keep guppies, you can do so even in an 80-litre aquarium.
Young fish, such as goldfish, are often sold in pet shops. Time and again, these fish are kept in small aquariums, often due to a lack of knowledge. However, goldfish need large – very large – aquariums to be kept in a manner appropriate to their species.
As aquarists, it is particularly important that we keep fish in conditions that are as species-appropriate as possible. The size of the aquarium is crucial in this regard. So you must choose your fish stock to suit your aquarium.
Furthermore, not all fish species can be kept together. Peaceful fish such as tetras, for example, should not be kept with territorial, aggressive fish that might attack the other fish.
In addition, only fish that have the same or similar requirements in terms of water parameters, water quality and water temperature should be kept together.
In an aquarium, you also need a ‘clean-up crew’ such as snails, shrimp and various bottom-dwelling fish, such as armoured catfish. These help to remove algae and keep the substrate clean.
Another important point is that you must not overstock your aquarium – in other words, do not put too many fish in it.
