It is typical to go to any pet store that specialized in aquariums and without having much knowledge of the subject you buy your first aquarium, usually, a kit (which includes an internal filter, food, light, and thermometer), buy sand or gravel of doubtful quality and surely painted, and four floors, usually plastic.
The same day you buy several fish, you go home very excited, you assemble everything and add the fish. From here your problems begin. For a week or 10 days, you have all the dead fish and you don’t know why.
Do you feel identified? It has happened to me and I am sure that 90% of people who start in this exciting hobby have experienced this or a similar situation. Don’t worry, you’re here and I’m going to help you.
1. Tropical Fish in Cold Water Or Cold Water Fish In Hot Water.
The temperature of the aquarium water is another very important factor in the life of our fish.
This mistake is made when fish that live in cold water is mixed with fish that live in tropical waters in the same aquarium.
As I have mentioned before, a search of chips will clarify 100% of the doubts about compatibility.
2. Buy Fish without Knowing Their Basic Needs
This error is focused beyond pH or temperature values.
What I mean is, that you may have controlled the pH, hardness, and temperature, but do you know if the species of fish you have lived well in your aquarium?
Depending on the original geographical area of each species, the aquarium will be one way or another. For example, there are fish that live in dark waters with many leaves on the bottom and almost no plants, others on the contrary since they live in clear waters and countless plants that they use as a hiding place.
It is very important to know the minimum number of liters they need to live.
The fish that we find in stores are usually small and you have to know what size they will reach as adults to know if the aquarium is suitable or not for that species.
For example, the typical fish badly called “bottom cleaners”, the pleco, is very small when it is in the store and many uninformed people buy it, but do you know what the problem is? It can measure up to 60 cm.
3. Overfeed the Fish
A task as simple as feeding the fish becomes a headache for many aquarists.
When do I have to feed the fish?
How much food should I put in the aquarium?
The result is that many end up overfeeding their fish.
You have to know what kind of fish you have in the aquarium. We could classify fish into two types, those that eat during the day and those that eat at night.
If you keep diurnal species you should feed them when the aquarium lights are on.
If, on the other hand, you keep nocturnal species, you should feed the fish when the aquarium lights are off.
There is a fairly widespread rule that says: you have to give the amount of food that the fish are able to eat in two or three minutes at the most and siphon away the excess food.
The best method to feed the fish correctly is to give small amounts, but several times a day, ensuring that all the fish eat.
In any case, everyone has their aquarium and as you gain experience, you yourself will realize how and how often to feed your fish.
4. Overfeed the Fish
A task as simple as feeding the fish becomes a headache for many aquarists.
When do I have to feed the fish?
How much food should I put in the aquarium?
The result is that many end up overfeeding their fish.
You have to know what kind of fish you have in the aquarium. We could classify fish into two types, those that eat during the day and those that eat at night.
If you keep diurnal species you should feed them when the aquarium lights are on.
If, on the other hand, you keep nocturnal species, you should feed the fish when the aquarium lights are off.
There is a fairly widespread rule that says: you have to give the amount of food that the fish are able to eat in two or three minutes at the most and siphon away the excess food.
The best method to feed the fish correctly is to give small amounts, but several times a day, ensuring that all the fish eat.
In any case, everyone has their aquarium and as you gain experience, you yourself will realize how and how often to feed your fish.
