How to Setup a Fresh Water Fish Tank

Two great videos from YouTube about how to setup a fresh water fish tank.

Betta Spendens or Japanese Fishing fish or just Bettas

Bettas are a popular fish for fresh water tanks, they are also known as Betta Splendens, Japanese Fishing fish and Siamese Fighting fish. Bettas come in many amazing colours, as well as a few different varieties in the species. They can live up to 4 years, and are pretty easy to take care of. They also have quite a personality and can be trained to do tricks, if you are patient enough.

Beautiful red Betta

Bettas originated from the rice paddies of Thailand, they can survive in small tanks but will do better in a larger tank where they can swim and be happy. Bettas tend to have outgoing personalities and will enjoy your company, swimming to the front of the tank to greet you when you come into the room.

Don't put two males together in a tank, they can get aggressive and one will end up worse for the ware and possibly dead.

For a fun pet fish that looks great and enjoys your company I don't think you can go past a Betta, they can be your very own Nemo, or if it is a female a Wanda.

What Type of Fish will I Get?

Choosing the right type of fish for your tank can be a complex quest. Always remember that the fish you get that are small, will eventually grow into what could be a monster fish. So, always think ahead, what will this little fish be in 2 years? 5 years etc. 

Then there is the matter of will they all get along swimmingly? Well that really depends on the type of fish you put in your tank. Some fish are communal fish and get along quite nicely with other fish, then there are other species that would rather eat their tank buddies then get along. So, the trick is to do your research first make sure you know what you are getting into. 

Oscars, these are aggressive fish and can grow to 3 pounds and up.

Oscars: belong to the Cichlid family. These are not going to get along with other small fish, more than likely they will end up on the dinner list. These fish can grow up to be quite large, so you will need a large tank, they also require frequent water changes as they tend to dirty up their environment quickly.

Tetra's: are communal fish and very popular, they are not too expensive and school together in groups so they can look very attractive as they can come in a multitude of colours.

Gold Fish: these are good communal fish and easy to take care of, requiring little extra maintenance and will eat most commons flake fish food. They can range in colour from white, black, gold to multi-coloured.

A black and gold Gold fish.

Setting up your First Fish Tank

For starters you need to find a good spot to put your tank, you will need access to a power point for your filter, heater and a light.

You will be placing gravel on the bottom of your tank, most pet stores sell different coloured gravel. Just make sure to wash it out first before you use it, get it nice and clean or your tank water will be murky/dirty.

Fish tanks all sizes and for all budgets.

Fill the tank with clean water, then place any plants you may have in the tank. Again most pet stores sell the correct type of plant to use for a fish tank, these are not your typical garden plants. It can look nice if you put some ornaments in the tank, or pieces of log and larger stones/rocks. Make sure you wash all items off before you put them in the tank.

Next install the filter, there should be a how to setup instruction with the filter. You will need to put the heater, and a thermometer in the tank, find a good spot and follow the instructions that come with these items.

Fish tank plants

We are ready to start working on cycling your tank. This is a process of building up the good bacteria in your tank to support your fish, without this good bacteria your fish will not last too long. Use a good quality neutralizer, this will take out any chlorine and balance the Ph. level, most fresh water fish like a Ph. level of 7.

Let your water sit for about 2 days before you put in a few fish, introduce your fish to the tank slowly. Let them adjust to the water temperature by placing the bag the fish came from the store in the water unopened. This will let the water surrounding the bag to heat the bag water to the same  temperature. 

When you feed your fish do it sparingly you don't want too much uneaten food to spoil the water. Leave the tank with just a couple of hardy inexpensive fish to begin with, so that the good bacteria can build up.

After about 4 weeks your tank should be stable and you can introduce new fish, just a few at time so as to not upset the tank cycle. Every week you will need to take out about 1/3 of the water and replace with fresh water, make sure you treat the water first with the neutralizer, let it sit in a container for about a day before you introduce it to the tank.  

There are numerous websites on keeping fish as pets, the following link is a good one for those who are not sure on what to do when you are starting your hobby: For beginners and advanced aquarium info.  http://aquariuminfo.org

Some pretty Silver Dollars

Finding My Nemo or is it Wanda?

So, here I am pondering the infinitely impossible question?

Where is Nemo, or should it be Wanda? 

Nemo my little buddy

With so many different species of fresh water fish, it can be a tough questions to answer. Which one will I chose? Considering that they all have their own little personalities, and characteristics, they are all different even from amongst their own species. 

Why call the fish Nemo? I guess I just loved the movie, and my two year old son loved it even more than me. What about Wanda? For those of us that have been on this third rock from the sun long enough, then we should remember the movies 'A Fish called Wanda,' a very funny Monty Phyon movie, they don't make movies like that anymore.

Right now at this point of time in my life I am keeping it simple with a small nine litre tank and one fish. I have a love for the Betta species and so my new little friend is a beautiful red Betta, his name is Nemo.