That doesn't have to happen to you. The two biggest errors made when stocking a new aquarium are adding too many fish at a time and choosing the wrong fish. Tip the scales in your favor by following these basic, but important, steps.
How Many Fish?
When you are standing there drooling over all the beautiful fish at the pet shop, remember one word -- moderation. In most cases only two or three fish should be introduced to a tank initially. Once the nitrogen cycle is established and the tank is stable, additional fish can be added.
However, the same rules apply when adding the next round of fish. Moderation! Add only a few at a time. If there is nothing else you remember when adding new fish, it’s moderation.
Factors in Choosing Fish
Fish owners tend to go for fish with the most physical appeal. Not that pretty fish are always poor beginner choices; but there are other important factors to consider. A good beginner fish should have these qualities:
- Tolerate a variety of water conditions, particularly conditions during startup
- Accept a variety of foods, and are easy to feed
- Will not reach grow to be overly large
- Are not aggressive
- Are compatible with a variety of other fish (unless you want a single species tank)
Small schooling fish are generally good first fish, but don't add an entire school at once. If you want more than one species, don't start them all at the same time. Instead build one school up slowly before starting the next.
Tetras are one schooling fish to avoid in a new tank. They are more sensitive to water conditions than other fish, and often will not survive the initial startup cycle. It’s generally best to wait until the tank is bit more mature before adding Tetras.
Good First Fish List
- Barbs – Cherry, Gold, Rosy, Ruby or Purple, and Tico Barbs are good. Avoid Tinfoil and Spanner Barbs due to size and Tiger barbs because they tend to nip and be quarrelsome.
- Danios – Zebra, Leopard, and Pearl Danios are good. Avoid Giant Danios, due to size.
- Rasboras – Harlequin and Scissortail are good.
- Catfish – Bronze or Gold Corys, Spotted Cory, Bandit Cory, and Panda Cory, are good. Avoid Plecos unless you have a large tank or are willing to get rid of them when they get large.
- Rainbowfish – Boesmans,
Neon, and Celebes are all good.
- White Cloud Mountain Minnows
- Catfish - Many catfish are sensitive to the startup cycle, or grow too large to be good first fish. For example, the common Pleco is a hardy fish, but it gets very large. The Otocinlus is small, but very sensitive to toxins that are present in a newly started tank.
- Goldfish - Goldfish are coldwater fish that produce a lot of waste, which means they require a larger tank all to themselves. The preverbal goldfish bowl really isn't an idea home for the goldfish. If you want a goldfish, give it a nice roomy tank with only goldfish in it.
- Live Bearing Fish - If you have children, you may be tempted to get live bearing fish. Because they require special conditions (most notably salt in the water), and are more susceptible to disease, they are not ideal first fish. If you do opt for live bearing fish, choose one species only. Select your fish very carefully at the pet store and provide them with the appropriate care and habitat for that species.
Now that you've decided on the species of fish, there is one more important step – choosing healthy fish. When you go to the shop don't take just any old fish. Look them over carefully.
Avoid fish with wounds or nipped fins as they are more susceptible to disease. Check the eyes. Cloudy eyes are a sign of poor water conditions and or disease. Don't get fish with sunken bellies, as they have been underfed or may be suffering from disease.
Making good first fish choices can make all the difference in your new tank. Still have problems or questions? Most items are covered here on the site, but if you can't find an answer, e-mail me.
