Pet fish are great. The keeping of them is relaxing, educational and certainly fun. Most aquarists keep tropical freshwater fish in their aquariums; they are typically inexpensive, easy to keep, and above all available in a very wide range of sizes and colors. From easy shoaling fish like the neon tetra, glowlight tetra or hatchet fish; colourful livebearers, such as guppies and swordtails to more demanding species of cichlid like the discus, angel fish or even the African cichlids of Lake Malawi and Tanganyika.
Most species available in stores are quite at home in a freshwater community aquarium, but some aquarists prefer species tanks; an aquarium dedicated to just one or two species, perhaps catfish, killifish or anabantids - the fact is there are so many species to chose from.
Really dedicated aquarists might try their hand at keeping marine fish - however these species are a lot more sensitive to changes in water temperature and quality, and require a far greater commitment both financially and in terms of maintenance.
However keeping any fish happy requires a knowledge of water chemistry, food, and the fishes preferences, and that's where websites like this come in.
Tropical fish species. There is a species database, with information on feeding, aquarium maintenance, photographs, and breeding tips of some of the very many species of freshwater tropical fish available - if you are looking for a certain fish, try the alphabetical index above, or look for fish by country or by grouping.
Tropical fish breeding. If you have sucessfully (or unsucessfully) bred any tropical fish species, why not fill out our multiple-choice questionaire; give other aquarists an idea of what to do, or what not to do. There is no one way to be a sucessful fish breeder, but all data is compiled and automatically analysed to suggest the most likely recipe for sucess.
Aquarist articles. There are articles on every aspect of fishkeeping; from beginners pages on tank set-up, to breeding some of the hobby's more unusual species.
Fish images. Have a look at some of the most recent fish photos added to the site.
The long term breeding method - is a means of raising fry without resorting to a special breeding tank, collecting eggs and suchforth. Effectively the fish are kept amongst thick vegetation, with an abundance of small food, greatly reducing predation from adult fish. The resultant offspring are typically smaller in number, but generally very fit and bursting with vitality.
Brine shrimp as livefoods - hatching Artemia as a first food for fry, growing them on for adult fish, decapsulation for feeding or hatching. Everything you need to know to get the best out of this excellent (and highly reliable) food source.
Setting up a Lake Malawi Cichlid Aquarium - tank design and set up, and species compatability - everything you need to know about starting out with, and maintaining a community of these rift lake cichlids.
Setting up a Lake Tanganyika Cichlid Aquarium - this is one of the most interesting biotopes for the intermediate to advanced aquarist - especially when keeping the bottom dwelling species with their rocky cave setup, and the really small shell dwelling cichlids. This article explores tank set-up and species choice for a range of Tanganyika aquariums.
The biggest killer of tropical fish is overfeeding. Uneaten food decays and pollutes the water, even with adequate filtration. Adult fish should remain unfed one day each week, and almost all commonly available species will be completely fine if unfed during a two week vacation
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