Aquarium keeping is one of the fastest growing hobbies in many countries around the world, this hobby has stood the test of time and remained one of the most well known and enjoyed hobbies for many years now.
Setting up the aquariums is fairly straight forward, there is a wealth of information available for newcomers to the hobby so more and more people are taking on looking after a wide variety of different fish species that can be found all over the world.
There are basically three main types of aquarium set ups, freshwater, saltwater, and brackish.
The most popular of these set ups has to be the freshwater aquariums and this class can also be broken down into two further categories, coldwater and tropical.
Freshwater aquarium fish require no salt in their water, brackish set ups require a small amount of salt in the water and obviously saltwater set ups rely on the correct level of salt in the water, this is known as the salinity level.
Salt in the water can actually be detrimental to many aquarium fish that live in freshwater, scale less fish such as the Loach family can suffer from burns as the salt burns into them, and other species of freshwater fish can also suffer so always check before adding any medicinal salt to a freshwater aquarium. What freshwater aquarium fish do rely on is good clean water that is of a high quality and refreshed with partial water changes to add back vital minerals that will be absorbed by the aquarium fish, partial water changes will also help to control the level of nitrates in the water column as these can also affect the health of your fish.
As stated above, freshwater aquarium fish are found all over the world, they come in many shapes, sizes and colourations. Different species of aquarium fish will have different requirements so these must be met by the aquarium keeper, selecting the correct mix of species is also vital to keeping a well balanced tank with your aquarium fish living their life to their full life span.
Freshwater aquarium fish can be divided into three main categories as regards to their temperament and their ability to cohabit an aquarium with other fish, these are as follows:-
Community Fish (Peaceful Species of aquarium fish)
Semi-aggressive Fish
Non-community Fish (Aggressive species of aquarium fish)
Community fish are peaceful species that are usually herbivorous or omnivores; they can share an aquarium with other species of aquarium fish without attacking their tank mates or attempting to eat them. This is why a community tank gets its name; the fish live together in a community and form their own little social network together. There are many species of aquarium fish that fit into this category, most of the live bearer species are usually classed as peaceful, these include Platys, Guppies, Mollies and suchlike. Most species of Tetras are also classed as peaceful but always check, fish profiles can be found everywhere on the internet and these will provide you with the relevant information.
Semi-aggressive fish are species of freshwater aquarium fish that may be able to share an aquarium with other species of aquarium fish and indeed with their own kind. They may harass or bully smaller species of aquarium fish so you do need to take care when selecting their tank mates. Semi-aggressive species include some species of Gourami, many species of Cichlids and Barbs.
Aggressive fish are usually left to experienced keepers; these fish will attack smaller species of aquarium fish and often see them as food. These tend to be territorial and like their own area of the aquarium without other fish entering their space. Such species include many of the larger Cichlids (especially the Rift Lake Cichlids), Arowana, carnivorous Catfish and even fish such as Piranhas. These normally have to be kept in species tanks or kept with tank mates of a similar size and temperament.
Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com
About the Author:
Jan Hvizdak is a dedicated fishkeeper and keeps various freshwater aquarium fish including Angelfish, Bristlenose catfish and Corydoras species.
