Fish for the home aquarium
There are so many types of fish. Tangs, wrasse, blenny, clownfish, damels, cold water, carnivore, herbivore and more. In this short and sweet article I will summarize the easiest way to go about choosing your fish selection or even adding new fish to an existing aquarium.
Nearly all fish you see in a saltwater aquarium come from the wild. So the first step is research the fish and here are some things to consider. Was this fish caught responsibly? Is this fish over collected for the aquarium trade? Who is the importer? Do they use cyanide? Or even better is the fish aqua cultured? Doing some simple research you are helping to make this hobby more sustainable for the future by not making uninformed purchases.
Next you want to consider if you are purchasing a fish for a “Fish Only” or “Reef Tank”. Depending on what type of aquarium you are keeping there are many fish you want to stay away from as they are not compatible in certain situations. For instance mandarin fish would not survive in a fish only aquarium as they require a large diet of small invertebrates. Many types of wrasse are also very detrimental to the health of a reef tank as they actually consume coral as a part of their diet. So do your research and make sure these fish are compatible to your current aquarium situation.
How big will this fish get? Be sure to find out exactly how large your new addition will grow to. Many tangs grow up to 2 feet and no serious aquarist will recommend one in a tank shorter than 6 feet and 2 feet wide. Wild caught fish have never ending swimming space. How would you like to be locked in a 10×10 room for the rest of your life? Give them some room to swim. If you have a small tank, get small fish that don’t swim to far in the wild.
Reef Tanks Fish Selection
If you are going to be keeping a reef tank on of the most important things I can stress is to choose fish based on what actually swims the reef and is generally beneficial to your aquarium.
Algae is a nuisance so find fish that consume it on a regular basis such as a lawnmower blenny.
Parasites are never a good thing so find a type of fish such as a scarlet wrasse which eats flatworms and other unwanted pests. But stay away from fish that need to stay in the ocean such as cleaner wrasse.(Removal of Cleaner Wrasse fish is very detrimental to wild reefs as they are what keeps those wild fish parasite free).
Do you prefer a sand bottom? Purchase some fish such as sand sifting gobies that keep that sand sparkling clean.
So as you can see when keeping a reef tank make selections that make not only your life easier, but also create a natural self-sustaining environment.
Fish Only Aquariums
Fish only systems can be a bit tricky sometimes as many new aquarist want to keep fish in a tiny aquarium that just grow way too big for the average aquarium.
Choose fish that don’t outgrow your aquarium. Don’t EVER purchase a fish thinking “When it gets to big I will just sell it or donate it” This is what gives the industry a bad name. Be responsible with your decision. Do a search for invasive lionfish for example.
Big fish eat fish. Make sure you are choosing animals that will not consume each other.
In essence with just a little common sense, responsibility and research you will be well on your way to having a flourishing fish or reef aquarium. There are endless resources on the net to find out compatibility and diets on just about every species held in the aquarium industry.
Richard gilliland is the author of this article on Tunze Powerheads.
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