The Aquarian's Net |
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Have a fish-related Question? Post it in the Help Forum Join the Club! The eAquarian Society |
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The Aquarian's Net |
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Have a fish-related Question? Post it in the Help Forum Join the Club! The eAquarian Society |
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Fish Keeping 101 ~ a collection of articles aimed towards the aquarium fish beginner, but with useful information for everyone.
July 26, 2000
The following list of set-ups are ones that I would not recommend to a beginning hobbyist, with a brief explanation of why I wouldn’t suggest it. I’ve also included the suggested minimal set-up size, though in most cases size isn’t the only reason I would recommend avoiding the following fish as a beginning hobbyist.
Not Suggested:
Oscar (60-gallon+) |
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| This fish grows two big for a beginner’s aquarium, and they are quite messy. You will need a very good filter and constant water changes to keep them, and beginners usually don’t. | ||
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| My feeling is that
the Goldfish is the most boring fish on the planet. If the fish isn’t interesting, it
won’t help you further into the hobby, and you’ll miss out on all the wonders
there are to be had. Now the goldfish is hardy and can survive in just a bowl if you clean it enough, but far too many goldfish suffer at the hands of a beginning aquarist who refuses to put any effort into keeping the pet, don’t be one of them if you do buy a goldfish. |
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| Though tetras are a very pretty fish, they also tend to be short-lived and picky on water quality. Often a neon tetra is a hobbyists first fish, but realize that even in the best of conditions you’ll be lucky to keep it alive for a year. I’d instead recommend one of the barbs available, as they are hardier, and live longer. | ||
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| Frankly the guppy is a great beginner’s fish except for the fact that it has a very short life span, and that it’s not very hardy. I’d recommend a platy instead. | ||
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| Puffer’s can be a great fish, but they also are very temperamental and almost always require special feeding arrangements. Nothing too hard, but I’d recommend that beginners try something else. | ||
Discus (60-gallon+) |
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| Though very beautiful, Discus are not hardy enough to survive in most beginner’s tanks. They need larger tanks to grow, but most beginners don’t start with large well-kept tanks. | ||
(sorry no image available currently) Piranha (60-gallon+) |
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| Piranhas are outlawed in most states b/c people buy them and then put them in lakes when they’re tired of their new pet. They get too big for a beginner’s aquarium, and aren’t really interesting outside of eating other fish. Leave them in Public Aquariums. | ||
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| The angelfish can at times be very temperamental. Though some strains are quite hardy, others are week and may not last a week in a beginner’s aquarium. | ||
(sorry no image available currently) |
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| Some people have had luck with them, but they tend to kill my fish when they get larger, and they do get big. Try a Botia instead. A Clown loach or something similar would be great, and they tend to be a bit more fun to watch. | ||
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| Though some of them are very pretty, they are not nearly as hardy as their African cousins, most of the ones commonly available are larger, and they require more work as far as cleaning the aquarium. I’d instead recommend an African cichlid. | ||
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| Send questions or comments to webmaster@theaquarians.net Copyright © 1999 Russell Carroll. All rights reserved. Last modified: February 09, 2004 |
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