Choosing and adding fish

First, we will talk about choosing fish at the pet store. Before you even look at the fish in the store, see if it looks like a good, professional fish store.  Check for the following:

  • Clean tanks
  • The tanks have something beside fish in them. (plastic plant, gravel, bubble stream)
  • Employees ready to help
  • Clean floors
  • Everything outside the tanks is dry
  • labels on every tank.
  • If there are some tanks near the bottom that have fish that aren't yet for sale, that is a good sign.  This is where they put the fish for a few days so they can make sure the fish don't have any diseases before you buy them. 

         Before even choosing fish, make sure no fish in the tank have no  diseases.  If 1 or 2 fish are dead in the tank, it may be okay, but don't get fish from a tank with a lot of dead fish.  Then, look for a fish with the following things:

  • Activly swimming
  • Doesn't have the shimmies (when a fish is moving its fins and body, but isn't going anywhere). 
  • General good fin condition
  • Fins not clamped to body
  • fish is in usual tank section for that species
  • Good colration
  • not gasping for air
  • no missing scales
  • 2 eyes (believe it or not, you may not notice a fish has 1 eye until in is in your tank!)

         Also, make sure the fish your getting will go well in your tank, and will do well in your water conditions.  The fish you chose will then be placed in a bag, and most of the time, will be filled with oxygen from a tube.  Stress coat is sometimes added.  The bag will then be tied, and redy to go.  If you are given a paper or plastic bag, try to keep the fish in it, because the darkness reduces stress. 

          Now lets talk about adding fish to your tank.  When you get home, float the bag in your tank for 15-30 minutes, to equilize the tempature.  After floating, cut the bag open.  Sometimes, people put a cup of water from there tank into the bag but that usualy turns into a big mess so i don't recomend it unless you have a big bag.  Once you've cut open the bag,  it's time to net out the fish.  There are 3 ways to do this.  1) Just net the fish sraight out of the bag, and put it in the tank. 2) Get a bucket and put the net accross it (the mesh part over the side or center), and slowly dump the bag's contents into the net.  The water will go through, but the fish will land in the net.3) just cut the bag and let them swim out.This is NOT recommended because it could put dieses from the pet store water into your tank(thats bad!).    Enjoy your new fish!

For some good ideas for fish, Look at the "good community fish" page or the "semi aggressive" page

 Copyright © 2008-2010

Make a Free Website with Yola.