Fish Keeping For Newbie

There are a lot of myths and superstitious in fish keeping hobby. A lot of people started this hobby and learn from their mistakes. The mistakes often lead to the sacrifice of the poor fishes. I have to admit that I am no exception. Those days, there was no internet. However, I hope by sharing the information online, the same mistake can be avoided by other people. Yes, there are also a lot of forums on the internet these days that will be helpful. Some of them are already in my links. So, it's no longer an excuse to repeat the mistakes.

Here are some basic information:

1. Get a bigger tank - It's easier to maintain a bigger tank than a small one. Minimum is a standard 2 feet tank (about 15 gallon) which is also cheap except for branded ones. If disease hits your tank, it will spread slower comparing with a small tank. In additional to that, you will have more selection in terms of fishes, driftwood, rocks, etc

2. Do not change 100% of the water. Fishes need bacteria to live. Just like human, if there's no bacteria in our bodies, we will die! If you don't believe me, please do some research.

3. Get rid of chlorine before using the tap water in your tank. You may add anti-chlorine or leave the water overnight for 24 hours to remove the chlorine.

4. Do not get a large fish for your tiny tank. Some fishes sold may look small at the LFS (local fish shop) because they are still juvenile. They may turn into a giant eventually. I do not recommend an oscar/goldfish/flowerhorn/arowana/etc to be placed in a 2 feet tank. Even small active fishes such as tiger barbs and zebra danios are not recommended for a 2 feet tank - they need more space.

5. Fishes compatibility - do some research before purchasing any fish. Make sure they're not too aggressive, too shy or incompatible with your existing fishes.

6. Planted tank always looks nicer, healthier and more natural, provided you choose the right plant, supply sufficient amount of light, nutrient, substrate and for some cases...CO2 (carbon dioxide). Plants help absorbing unwanted elements discharged by the fishes.

7. It's always good to have a filter. Even a cheap internal box filter run by an air pump is better than none but it's not effective for a big tank. The best filter I come across in Malaysia is Eheim canister filter but you must be willing to pay for the price. I don't fancy the China made filter run by a power head siphoning the water to a box on placed above the tank because the current is usually too strong especially for a planted tank. It maybe suitable if you plan to keep loaches that love strong current but please don't quote me - I have not tried it myself. Furthermore, the power head generates heat increasing the temperature of the tank.

8. There is a debate regarding whether to add salt or not for a freshwater aquarium. My answer is yes and no. It depends. If you have a planted tank, my answer is no. If you keep Mollies, my answer is yes. If you have a bare tank with other livebearers (i.e. guppies, swordtails or platies), it's optional. If you keep cories, the answer is no. In other words, it depends on what you're keeping. However, I notice a lot of LFS (not all) in Malaysia use a lot of salt in all their tanks (not one table spoon or two but a handful of salt). Before purchasing the fish, check with the LFS whether they use salt in their tank. If the species is not supposed to live in brackish (mixture of salt water + fresh water) environment, you will have to slowly reduce the amount of salt over the weeks and eventually stop using it. Species that do not like salt should not be kept in brackish environment in the long run.

9. What are the good beginner's fish? Usually people tend to start with guppy, swordtail, molly, platy, neon tetra or even goldfish. My answer is neither of them. These days livebearers (guppy, swordtail, platy and molly) often carry disease because they're not well taken care of at the farm. So they're no longer as hardy as you expect. I personally think neon tetra is facing the same problem now. Goldfish generates too much waste - it's definitely not a beginner's fish. No tiger barb too unless you only want to keep a group of tiger barbs in your tank. My list of beginner's fishes are:

- Honey gourami (very hardy but it does not like water current)

- Betta/fighting fish (very hardy but it does not like water current and cannot mix with other species especially the ones with bright colour)

- Ember Tetra (beautiful tiny red fish. Best keep in a group or 6 and above)

- Lemon Tetra (they may act aggressive among themselves but harmless. Best keep in a group or 6 and above)

- Head & Tail Light Tetra (greedy and beautiful if you have moonlight. Best keep in a group or 6 and above)

- Yellow Phantom Tetra (best keep in a group or 6 and above)

- Gold Barb (they need a bigger tank because they're very active. Best keep in a group or 6 and above)

- Zebra Danio (they need a bigger tank because they're very active. Best keep in a group or 6 and above. Not the dyed version)

- Harlequin Rasbora (one of the best schooling fish. best keep in a group or 6 and above)

- Espei Rasbora (one of the best schooling fish. best keep in a group or 6 and above)

- Hengeli Rasbora (one of the best schooling fish. best keep in a group or 6 and above)

- Cherry Barb (best keep in a group or 6 and above)

- Glowlight Tetra (best keep in a group or 6 and above)

10. Do not buy any fish that you can spot dead fish in the tank. You could be bringing back disease and sick fish if you do so.


Fishes that I hate and do not recommend to anyone:
1. Dyed fish - a product of mutation and human cruelty by "tattooing" the dye onto the poor fish
2. Water-Bubble Eye/Celestial goldfish - Anytime the eye burst, it will die.
3. Balloon variety of fishes i.e. Balloon molly, balloon goldfish, etc - Another product of human cruelty.
4. Flowerhorn - Another mutant.
5. Blood Parrot Fish - And another mutant.
6. Goldfish in general - they're poo factory.
7. Man-made glow in the dark fish - We have enough natural glow in the dark species. Why create another mutant?