One of my ongoing hobbies has been fish keeping. It is more commonly just called having an aquarium or fish tank. There are countless websites and blogs that cover the hobby, so this one is just going to touch on it just a little.
This is a hobby that can be as involved as you want it to be. It can be as simple as a small tank on your desk with a Betta in it, or huge 500 or 1000 gallon salt water reef tanks. The only real limits are space, time, and most importantly, money.
You can get started for under a hundred dollars for a small tank with a little filter. It would be fine for a couple of small goldfish or a Betta (one only as they fight to the death). Many people start with a simple 1.5 gallon aquarium like the Tetra LED Aquarium Cube 1 5. This is an acceptable aquarium for just a few fish, say maximum three small ones. It is a huge step up from a fish bowl, and comes with some responsibility. You HAVE to monitor the waste levels often or you will quickly have dead fish. You often have to do water changes to deal with the fish waste. This is about the smallest aquarium you should run. I know there are “Betta” tanks out there that are smaller, but I feel they don’t give the fish much room to swim and they quickly get polluted.
Believe it or not, the larger the aquarium, the easier it is to care for. For a “real” aquarium, I suggest going with a minimum 30 gallon on a stand. A 55 gallon would be better, and it is what I got for my first one. It wouldn’t hurt to go with a 75 gallon, but they can get expensive.
So, how do you get started? First, you need to decide how dedicated you are going to be to this hobby. These are living things we are talking about here. Pets. Their lives depend on you and you doing what you are supposed to do. Once you get an aquarium going, it is a daily job to keep up with it. At the very least, the fish will need to be fed once or twice a day. The water will need to changed weekly or monthly, depending on the aquarium.
If you have decided the responsibility is acceptable to you, good for you! Now we can get started.
Find a location for your new underwater world. It should be some place away from direct sunlight to help prevent algae issues. Darker areas tend to work better, but it doesn’t have to be in a pitch black room. You will need a power outlet close by. It also helps if there is a source of water close by, such as a kitchen or bathroom sink. Even a bathtub or wash tub will work. At some point, you will be carrying buckets of water. Plan accordingly.
Check your floor. It needs to be able to support the weight of the aquarium, stand, water, decorations, and everything else that goes with it. Keep in mind that water weighs 8.4 pounds per gallon. This can end up with a 55 gallon aquarium weighing close to 500 pounds. The aquarium stand should be resting on several stringers under the floor. The more there are, the better. A concrete floor is an even better option.
The next step is to decide on if this is going to be a saltwater or freshwater aquarium. Saltwater adds quite a bit of complexity, but you can end up with some amazing fish and corals. You could recreate Finding Nemo if you wanted to. My recommendation is to go with freshwater for your first one. It is much more forgiving if you make an error and the startup costs are less.
Now spend some time researching. Research fish. Do you want a tank with a lot of smaller fish, or just a few larger fish? I suggest looking at peaceful community fish for your first aquarium. I suggest most Tetras, but research! Other good choices are Danios, Platys, Mollys, and maybe a Gourami or two. Research! Go to the pet store or local fish store and look. Take photos of what you like. Try to get a shot of the name tag and price tag. Spend some time on the Internet.
Avoid Cichlids at first (many are aggressive), as well as Plecostamus (they get big!). Don’t get a Chinese Algae Eater! They might start with algae, but stop when they grow a bit. Oh, they also get big. Many fish look small, but will grow upwards of 14 or more inches. Your research will be rewarded with a happy tank.
What color gravel do you want? Decorations are up to you. My first tank had plastic plants. It looked pretty good, if a little fake. I prefer a natural looking tank, but the sky’s the limit. If you want the pirate ship, go for it. Add an air pump and put in the diver and the treasure chest. The fish won’t care.
Do you want to add living plants? I prefer them as it gives a natural look, and the plants will use some of the fish waste as food. There are many aquariums out there were the fish were the decorations and the underwater landscape was the focus. Research planted tanks to get some idea. Even if you don’t want to get that deep into that part of the hobby, a few easy to care for plants will make the aquarium just a little bit nicer.
I will be following up with another post or two on how to actually set up the tank and some of the gotchas I’ve learned over the years.
The important thing is to spend the time to get familiar with the hobby. Fish keeping is rewarding and a well running aquarium is a thing to take pride in.
Fish Keeping, part 2
Fish Keeping, part 3
Fish Keeping, part 4