Aquarium Fish Keeping

Aquarium fish keeping is America's second most favorite hobby. It has outranked such popular pastimes as stamp collecting and gardening. It is very close to photography, which is number one. Like other popular hobbies, aquarium fish keeping is a creative pastime.

Many hobbyist specialize in breeding colorful and exotic species from such faraway places as Thailand or China. Still others seem to ignore the problems inherent in creating life and prefer to maintain a magnificent collection of different exotic fishes. In all parts of the world, ranging in colors from the vibrant blue or scarlet red of the Cardinal Tetra to the olive drab of the Corydoras catfish. No one challenges the contention that just watching fish when swimming in an aquarium in your own living room can be relaxing, entertaining, and educational. Where else can the life cycles of fishes, plants, snails, and other aquatic forms be observed under such ideal circumstances.

Where else but among fishes, can you find such varied techniques of reproduction such as egg laying fishes,which incubate their eggs in their mouth, or live bearing fishes which eat their own babies almost as soon as they are born allege use a technique to save the young. Then there are fishes which jump out of the water to lay their eggs on the aquariums rim, and there are still others which inject their eggs into the body of living clams. Perhaps the most interesting breeding technique is that of the famous Siamese Fighting Fish, which makes a nest of bubbles floating on the surface, and then spits his spawn into this floating nest to keep them near the oxygen rich water they need to develop. Yes, all these techniques are easily observed in your own home aquarium, and this is just one phase of the interesting hobby of aquarium fish keeping.

One of the greatest appeals of aquarium fish peeping for the beginner is that it is possible to become a hobbyist with a minimum investment of money. Even a small aquarium of about 5 gallons capacity is large enough with which to begin. Any you need only a small bunch of plants or easier yet plastic plants, to set the stage. These aquarium plants serve several purposes. One purpose is to decorate the accordion and make it a thing of beauty. Plants also serve as hiding places for timid or young fish. Many dishes need a bit of vegetable matter in their diet, and aquarium plants serve this purpose ideally. Plastic plants, however, are better than live plants for the beginner since they will not die while he is learning more about other aspects of his hobby.

Remember though, that almost every fish will eat bite-size fish, even their own offspring. Do not put small fishes in tanks with very large fish. Also, some fish are not suitable for mixed tanks such fishes are either extremely carnivorous or aggressive, or have other bad faults. So before you purchase any new fish, be sure they are compatible with the fish you have. Or if you are just starting out, make sure they are compatible with other fish.