There is a lot to learn when you first start keeping fish and the simpler you can keep the process to start off with the better. Keeping salt water fish simply adds another ingredient to the mix. Salt effects water quality in its own unique way and it is far easier to start with freshwater fish.
Don't worry about knowing everything. If you do you will simply spend the next few years reading books and websites and never actually get round to starting your first aquarium, and that would be a shame because this is an extremely rewarding and relaxing hobby. Take ten or fifteen minutes every day to watch your fish and you will suddenly find yourself slowing down and relaxing more. In this day and age, that is probably not a bad thing.
Fish are relatively easy to keep with a little knowledge and practice. Most fish can adjust to a fairly wide range of water conditions without them experiencing any problems. What you need to do is make sure that you are mixing fish that enjoy the same water qualities in terms of pH, temperature and water hardness and then make sure that your water quality remains within the parameters that suit your fish.
When you first start our try to stick to the easier fish. These will be able to cope with a wider range of water conditions so are far more forgiving of beginner's mistakes. They also tend to be cheaper than other fish and are still very attractive coming in a wide variety of shapes and colours.
I would also recommend starting out with a planted tank Plants in your tank go a long way towards helping to maintain water quality because they use the nitrates in the water. Nitrates are always present in aquariums for the simple reason that fish waste is converted into nitrates through the nitrogen cycle. By using the nitrates as they grow, plants reduce nitrate levels and help to keep your tank free of algae and safer for the fish.
What you will soon discover is that tropical fish keeping is more about water keeping than anything else. If you can master the art of water keeping you will have mastered the art of tropical fish keeping and can quickly move on to the more exotic species that demand better water management and a much narrower range of water parameters
Nick North is a keen freshwater aquarium enthusiast and spends a great deal of his time writing articles to promote the hobby to anyone interested in taking it up as a pastime. He has now got his own website aimed at the new aquarium enthusiast which gives lots of useful information on starting your first freshwater aquarium. If you found this article useful check out the site at:
http://www.aquariumhintsandtips.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_North
Posts
