4 Top Tips for First-Time Fish Owners

Fish and cat
Photo by Hannah Reding on Unsplash

Having fish as a pet doesn’t usually seem too troubling. You feed them, change the water in their aquarium from time to time, and enjoy watching them swim around. However, owning a pet fish is slightly more challenging than that. If you are a first-time fish owner or intend to become one, here are some tips that will help you through the process.

Choose a Fish That Doesn’t Need a Lot of Attention

There are thousands of different fish that can be kept as pets. However, for your first one, you should pick out one that doesn’t need a lot of attention. For example, standard goldfish, betta fish, and Neon Tetras have a reputation for being great fish pets for beginners.

Consider Where You’ll Place the Aquarium

Put a lot of thought into where you’ll place the home of your new pet. Aquariums should be kept out of direct sunlight and away from sources of heat so the water temperature wouldn’t get too high and put fish in danger. 

Get Your Aquarium in Balance

An aquarium is a living environment that needs to have a balanced ecosystem for your fish to thrive and be comfortable. A new aquarium takes several weeks before it achieves this balance. During that time, make sure not to add too many new fish and keep changing the water on a regular basis while testing the quality of water and following instructions from the manual.

Take it One Step at a Time

You probably want to have an aquarium booming with life right away. However, this takes time. Make sure to take one step at a time, improving the setup and gradually adding new fish. Also, make sure to research everything and ask your local pet store staff for recommendations.