Watching a fish tank is a very interesting thing. Fish tanks are owned by people everywhere – businesses put them in lobbies, people have them in their houses, and zoos have them to look at. These tanks are very easy to set up and in no time you could have your own little ecosystem going.
Tropical fish aquariums are an excellent hobby to get involved in if you have an interest in animals, and some free time to spend. Anyone with some motivation and money should have no problem getting started.
I started out my tropical fish journey will a small 5 gallon tank. I had a couple of little Guppies, and a couple of Bala Sharks. I really enjoyed observing and taking care of the fish, and I soon realized that the 5 gallon tank simply wouldn’t do.
I acquired a 55 gallon tank from my dad’s friend – and that’s when the tropical fish journey got intense. With a tank as big as 55 gallons you can fit a lot of fish in it, and other aquatic species as well. I soon purchased frogs, schooling fish, lightly electric fish (ghost knives), an algae eater, and large Danios. I also purchased aquatic plants and other materials to place in the tank to make a natural environment for the fish.
Before you go out and buy a bunch of fish and throw them in some water, there are a lot of precautions and things you need to execute before housing tropical fish. Things such as ph and temperature must be constantly monitored and kept in a certain range. Ammonia and Nitrate levels also need to be monitored in the tank to ensure a good quality of life for the fish. You also need to make sure that you have a proper filtration device in the aquarium.
At the fish store that I go to, Highland Tropical Fish and Bird Haven – located on M-59 in White Lake, the workers there are always more than happy to help out. They do free water testing and they are loaded with advice.
“We’re always ready to guide people through the set-up process of starting a tank.” Said Bob – one of the workers at the store. “Its kinda up to us to make sure that these fish are being taken care of properly when we sell them – we want them to survive and we don’t want anybody to get upset about fish dying.”
I had a few fish deaths in the process of starting up my tank, but most of my fish survived. I even ended up having a pregnant female guppy and got to raise her babies from birth. Death of fish is an easy thing to deal with, and if you’re going to get really involved in the hobby it’s something you need to get used to.
Once you get a tank set up there’s nothing like sitting back, relaxing, and gazing at your fish. It brings you back to a simpler time and gives you a perspective of how other living things live and interact with each other. Fish will start to develop their own personalities and it can be quite amusing at times.