Fishkeeping for Beginners ? Common Mistakes to avoid

Posted by Pushpa on January 4th, 2019

Fishkeeping is a great hobby though it might take a few years to master. It is thus, quite natural for the beginners to make mistakes during the process of setting up their fish tank. The bad thing about these common fishkeeping mistakes is that they can put the lives of your fish at risk!

Here we have tried to sum up the most common mistakes rookie fish keepers make so you can speed up your learning process and keep your fish alive and healthy.

• Choosing a very small aquarium – When you start something afresh, you want to start small. On finding small fish tanks as discount products, many beginner aquarists are tempted to go small. But this is the first step towards an imminent failure. In a small aquarium, key water parameters change very quickly, leaving no room for error. Generally, beginners are recommended to opt for a tank between 30 and 60 gallons.
• Not allowing your tank to stabilize – Certainly the most common of all errors is the temptation to add fish and set the tank up straight away. Before you add fish, you must make sure your tank has stabilized which means that your water parameters (pH, temperature, hardness) have to be stable. The harmful materials in the aquarium water must be neutralized and the water should be allowed to stand for a day or so to stabilize parameters. 
• Adding too many fish at once – every fish keeper is excited to see his aquarium buzzing with activity. But this urge to add too many fish at once is, unfortunately, another common mistake of new owners. A healthy fish tank requires fully developed bacterial colonies to support a full load of fish. These bacteria are necessary to rid the aquarium water of toxins that are harmful to your fish. So it’s best to add a few small fish initially.
• Overstocking – Overstocking the aquarium can cause problems with your filtration system making it near impossible to maintain your water parameters. The existing inch per gallon rule, though debatable, provides a good fundamental yardstick for stocking fish. It is advisable to take 80 percent of the net gallons of water in the tank as the maximum number of inches of fish to keep in the tank.
• Improper filtration – It is essential to get the appropriate filtration system for your aquarium. Ideally, a good filter should filter all the water in the tank through it at least three times per hour. If it’s unable to do so then it is definitely small. Just remember that if you are doubtful about filter size, move to the next size up.

Fish-keeping can be hard work but it is great fun and absolutely requires patience. There are many websites where you can find some great quality fish tanks for sale. Just follow these simple pieces of advice on how to prevent common mistakes, you will surely succeed in your new and exciting hobby.