Some people will store their fish in pretty much any container after bringing them home from the pet store. These people usually find that the fish doesn’t last for very long unless they’re kept in a proper container, however. Some fish will die if they’re kept in a bowl that is too small or any bowl at all. More and more fish owners are speaking out against bowls, pointing out that these containers do not give fish the space or environmental conditions they need in order to survive. People need to choose aquariums that are going to give their fish the best chance.
Before people decide on the aquariums that they want, they need to know the types of fish that they want. Fish are among the most diverse animals on the planet and it is that much more important for people to recognize their diverse needs as a result. People who buy tanks that are intended for freshwater fish when they have saltwater fish in mind are going to lose their fish in the long run. Some fish are easier to care for than others and some fish are always going to provide a challenge. People need to imagine themselves changing the water in an aquarium regularly and actually maintaining such an environment before setting it up and committing to it.
Factors in Choosing the Right Aquarium
Size is everything when it comes to an aquarium. People need to remember that fish are animals that evolved to live in very large bodies of water. Going from a place with no boundaries to a tiny living and swimming space is significant, even for the fish that were born in captivity. Fish look very small from a human perspective but they need to have a lot of water around them because they are always swimming and the environmental conditions of their tanks need to be maintained within a narrow framework.
People who have a lot of fish are going to need bigger and bigger aquariums. People who want to have a bunch of fish are going to need very large aquariums and they’re going to need to make sure that all of the fish they have are capable of coexisting with one another.
The size of the aquarium required will also depend on the type of fish. Few fish should ever be stored in little fish bowls or small aquariums. One of the only fish species that can handle such living arrangements are the Betta fish. Betta fish desperately have to be kept away from other males since they will typically kill each other.
Male betta male fish will literally attack their own reflections because they believe that they are face to face with another Betta fish, since fish are not capable of recognizing themselves in a mirror. Betta fish clearly present their own problems and most other types of fish are going to need larger aquariums.
Aquariums are also easily distinguished by their water types. Freshwater, saltwater, and brackish fish are all going to need very different environmental conditions in order to survive. In many cases, they require aquariums of very different sizes. Saltwater fish are marine fish and need very large tanks. People will typically need tanks that are so large they cannot be stored in certain apartments. It is that much more important for people to invest in a very large aquarium if they plan on getting saltwater fish.
Challenges of Maintaining Aquariums
It should also be noted that saltwater tanks are very difficult to maintain. Actually getting the salinity levels right is going to be so difficult that many will struggle with it on a regular basis. People constantly have to test the salinity levels of their saltwater tanks to make sure that they’re staying within the proper range.
People are ultimately designing a miniature ecosystem when they are setting up an aquarium and it is important that they understand the gravity of the situation. They’re setting up a space for animals that are not going to be able to survive without very specific conditions. Fish in particular are especially animals that depend on environmental chemical factors being in the appropriate range. People who are not up to the task of maintaining saltwater tanks should try to invest in freshwater tanks instead.
Freshwater tanks are still no picnic, of course. In some ways, fish are harder to take care of than other pets since people aren’t really creating new model ecosystems for their dogs or cats. Dogs or cats can live in what is more or less the human habitat. Fish need their own specific micro-climates in order to really survive. Some of these micro-climates are easier to maintain than others.
People will still need to treat the freshwater they add to their fish tanks in advance, usually waiting for the water to be fully treated over night before actually adding it to the freshwater tank itself. Some people skip this step and their fish will not necessarily die as a result.
Freshwater fish are resilient and the water that people use is still going to be close enough to their natural habitat that pet owners manage to give them a comparatively good chance in life. Salt water is completely alien to humans, as are the conditions of the deep ocean in general, so it is not surprising that so many of those fish struggle to survive in such a habitat.
People need the appropriate water filters for their aquariums. These filters should be positioned at the bottom of the aquariums as well, since they’re most effective in that location. Beyond that point, however, the tricky part with aquariums is just committing to long-term care and maintenance.
