Choosing Your Fish
Now that your aquarium is up and running, it is time to go fish shopping and get fun choosing your fish.
Choosing the right fish for your aquarium requires some thought; you don't just choose them by looking at the colours, because some fishes are territorial, some are fighters/ nibblers, some likes to hide behind plants, and others are quite peaceful and willing to share the tank with others.
(1) Don't choose too many many for your aquarium size; a good guide is to allow 2 inches of fish per gallon of water. Overcrowding causes disease due to stress and creates problems; ie, excess faecal matter; also you are more likely to overfeed which causes contamination and discolouration of the water.
(2) Buy your fish from a reputable dealer, because some dealers knowingly sell fish that are sick. This would spread disease rapidly in your tank, killing other fish and leaving bacteria in your tank to cause further problems.
(3) Buy fish in pairs or more for social compatibility; a single fish does not seem to mix with the others in the tank.
(4) Some fish thrive in salty or brackish water and will not do well in plain water; others like the Mistic Shark (a beautiful fish to admire) will go crazy if there is too much movement in the vicinity of the aquarium. This fish moves at lightning speed,crashes many times into both ends of the aquarium , damaging himself and other fish he collides with. Sometimes this can be fatal.
(5) Some fish uproots your plant and eat the leaves (Tin foil Barb), some chew the gravel and spit it out, exposing the under gravel filter(Koi), while others just enjoy making a mountain out of the gravel. Gourame like to occupy the top of the tank while others are bottom dwellers; this causes problems in feeding, because fish food flotes and some sinks. Some fish like privacy , so provide a plastic pipe ,approx. 6 inches in length and 4 inch diameter.
Because of these reasons ,great care shoould be taken when choosing fish.
