Stocking an Aquarium
Now that your aquarium is cycled, it's time to put some fish in there! Stocking an aquarium can be exciting, but there are a few things you need to know before you walk into your local fish store and start pointing out fish to take home.
You should always research the personality and water requirements of any fish before you purchase it.
A good guideline for beginners is you are allowed one inch of fish per gallon of water.
This rule should help you ensure that you do not over stock your aquarium.
An over stocked aquarium adds unnecessary stress and will only lead to trouble down the road.
How would you feel if 20 other people were stuffed into your living room? You should also be aware of the compatibility of each of your fish.
You're obviously not going to place an aggressive fish in with your school of tetra, or they would become lunch! Stocking your aquarium is completely up to you, but one great tropical community tank combination I recommend to beginners for tanks larger than 10 gallons is, a few corydoras catfish, a school of tetra, and a gourami.
This is a great combination for beginners because each of these fish are peaceful and can be acclimated to the same water conditions.
The corycatfish cruise along the bottom sifting through the substrate, the school of tetra bunch up in the middle of your tank, and the gourami wonders around exploring his new home looking for food.
With any tank I build I always try to have a combination of bottom dwellers, midlevel swimmers, and a larger "show" fish.
When stocking your tank, you should never introduce all fish at once.
Although your tank has completed cycling, you need to introduce your fish slowly so your filtration can keep up with the demand.
A few fish a week is good, of course this all depends on the size of the tank.
Remember that when stocking your tank, always take into consideration the adult size of your fish.
It may be a small fish now, but it could soon outgrow your tank.
A good local fish store should be able to assist you in stocking your tank.
I would like to add a side note about goldfish.
Goldfish are cold water fish and do best in ponds.
Unlike tropical fish, goldfish require 3 gallons to every inch of fish.
Also, take into consideration that goldfish can grow to be 6″ to over a foot long and live to be 15-20 years! Yes, that 40 cent goldfish you see at petsmart really does get that big and live that long, just not in a bowl.
Acclimating your fish When you bring your new fish home, it is crucial that you slowly acclimate them to your aquarium water.
How to acclimate your new arrivals First, it's a good idea to turn off your aquarium lights during acclimation to reduce stress on your new arrival.
Next, float the plastic bag they came in, in your aquarium to allow the temperature of the bag to adjust to your tank water.
After about 15 minutes, you can add a cup of your aquarium water to the bag and continue to add another cup every 5 minutes.
If the bag gets full, simply take a few cups of water out to make room.
Basically what you are trying to do is slowly introduce your tank water to the fish so it can adjust to its new environment.
Continue this process for about 30 minutes.
Next gently pour the contents of the bag through a net into a bucket.
Once the fish is in the net, place your net in your aquarium and allow him to swim out on his own.
Leave the lights off for a few hours so you don't spook your new fish.
Feeding your fish Now that you have all of your fish, I bet the little guys are hungry! Research each of your fish to find out what foods you should feed them.
Your local fish store should also be able to help you with this.
I know most fish food directions say to feed your fish what they can eat in 3-5 minutes but in my personal opinion that is a bit too long.
My fish can eat ALOT in 5 minutes.
I only feed my fish what they can consume in about 1 minute.
Depending on the type of fish, I may only feed them once a day, twice a day, or even every other day.
A lot of beginners get into trouble by overfeeding their fish.
It is easy to overestimate how much to feed, but overfeeding can be harmful to your fish and lead to unnecessary nitrates.
For most tropical community fish, tropical flakes should work just fine.
You may want to consider frozen or freeze-dried bloodworms as treats.
Hey your dogs get treats, why not your fish? For corydoras catfish, I always have good luck with sinking shrimp pellets.
Remember to feed these guys after the lights go out, because they are most active at night.
Other fish may have different requirements, so please ensure you have the proper fish food for each of your fish.
You should always research the personality and water requirements of any fish before you purchase it.
A good guideline for beginners is you are allowed one inch of fish per gallon of water.
This rule should help you ensure that you do not over stock your aquarium.
An over stocked aquarium adds unnecessary stress and will only lead to trouble down the road.
How would you feel if 20 other people were stuffed into your living room? You should also be aware of the compatibility of each of your fish.
You're obviously not going to place an aggressive fish in with your school of tetra, or they would become lunch! Stocking your aquarium is completely up to you, but one great tropical community tank combination I recommend to beginners for tanks larger than 10 gallons is, a few corydoras catfish, a school of tetra, and a gourami.
This is a great combination for beginners because each of these fish are peaceful and can be acclimated to the same water conditions.
The corycatfish cruise along the bottom sifting through the substrate, the school of tetra bunch up in the middle of your tank, and the gourami wonders around exploring his new home looking for food.
With any tank I build I always try to have a combination of bottom dwellers, midlevel swimmers, and a larger "show" fish.
When stocking your tank, you should never introduce all fish at once.
Although your tank has completed cycling, you need to introduce your fish slowly so your filtration can keep up with the demand.
A few fish a week is good, of course this all depends on the size of the tank.
Remember that when stocking your tank, always take into consideration the adult size of your fish.
It may be a small fish now, but it could soon outgrow your tank.
A good local fish store should be able to assist you in stocking your tank.
I would like to add a side note about goldfish.
Goldfish are cold water fish and do best in ponds.
Unlike tropical fish, goldfish require 3 gallons to every inch of fish.
Also, take into consideration that goldfish can grow to be 6″ to over a foot long and live to be 15-20 years! Yes, that 40 cent goldfish you see at petsmart really does get that big and live that long, just not in a bowl.
Acclimating your fish When you bring your new fish home, it is crucial that you slowly acclimate them to your aquarium water.
How to acclimate your new arrivals First, it's a good idea to turn off your aquarium lights during acclimation to reduce stress on your new arrival.
Next, float the plastic bag they came in, in your aquarium to allow the temperature of the bag to adjust to your tank water.
After about 15 minutes, you can add a cup of your aquarium water to the bag and continue to add another cup every 5 minutes.
If the bag gets full, simply take a few cups of water out to make room.
Basically what you are trying to do is slowly introduce your tank water to the fish so it can adjust to its new environment.
Continue this process for about 30 minutes.
Next gently pour the contents of the bag through a net into a bucket.
Once the fish is in the net, place your net in your aquarium and allow him to swim out on his own.
Leave the lights off for a few hours so you don't spook your new fish.
Feeding your fish Now that you have all of your fish, I bet the little guys are hungry! Research each of your fish to find out what foods you should feed them.
Your local fish store should also be able to help you with this.
I know most fish food directions say to feed your fish what they can eat in 3-5 minutes but in my personal opinion that is a bit too long.
My fish can eat ALOT in 5 minutes.
I only feed my fish what they can consume in about 1 minute.
Depending on the type of fish, I may only feed them once a day, twice a day, or even every other day.
A lot of beginners get into trouble by overfeeding their fish.
It is easy to overestimate how much to feed, but overfeeding can be harmful to your fish and lead to unnecessary nitrates.
For most tropical community fish, tropical flakes should work just fine.
You may want to consider frozen or freeze-dried bloodworms as treats.
Hey your dogs get treats, why not your fish? For corydoras catfish, I always have good luck with sinking shrimp pellets.
Remember to feed these guys after the lights go out, because they are most active at night.
Other fish may have different requirements, so please ensure you have the proper fish food for each of your fish.
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