How to Choose a Pet Fish

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Learn about fish.

   Get books from the library, talk to people in pet stores, do research on the internet about fish.
   
   Some good sites are www.Fishlore.com, www.Aquahobby.com, www.seriouslyfish.com, www.fishprofiles.com and www.Badmanstropicalfish.com.
   
   Learn how to take care of them.
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   Step 2: Once you have learned the basic care of fish

   You might want to tour several, and see which one you think has the healthiest fish, most knowledgeable staff and best range of products.
   
   Write down the names of the fish you like
   - if you aren't sure the name of a fish, ask the employees.
   
   If they can't tell you the name of the fish, your attention is probably best of at another shop.
   
   Remember
   - thousands of fish store workers don't really know what they're talking about as they are often dreadfully misinformed and given no form of training
   - sometimes even the shop owner doesn't know the proper care of fish as they have spent no time researching them and has never kept fish at home! , Look online or in books.
   
   Find out how big they grow, what size tank they need, what they eat, what temperature they like their water, what pH they like their water, if they are peaceful or aggressive, if they are compatible with the other fish you like, how hardy they are (how forgiving they are of mistakes, like a missed water change), what water level they swim in, if they need to be kept in a school (a group of at least 5-6) or if they will breed in the aquarium. , Now you have the information on them, you can decide what species you want to keep in what numbers.
   
   Make sure you don't overstock the tank, and all the fish that need a school have a school.
   
   A good general guideline for stocking small peaceful fish is 1" of fish per gallon.
   
   This is to be used with common sense however
   - no 10 inch fish in 10 gallon (37.9 L) tanks! You must also alter this guideline for territorial fish, as even if the tank is properly stocked numbers wise, it might not work if all the fish need a big territory! It is generally best to ask around on online forums about your stocking list as you will get lots of opinions from knowledgeable people.
   
   Using your research, buy an appropriate aquarium along with a filter, heater, thermometer and decorations.
   
   Then cycle your tank. , Don't get them all at once! Don't get more than 6 at a time, so you don't overload your tank and you give it time to build up its bacteria colony's that keep ammonia and nitrites (don't know about these? You need to research the Nitrogen cycle!) at bay.
   
   Remember to wait 2 weeks before introducing more. , When you get the bag of fish home, float the bag in the tank for about 20 minutes to let the water in the bag slowly reach the same temperature as your tank.
   
   Then snip top of bag open and gently pour fish into tank.
   
   Enjoy your new pets!
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   Step 3: take a trip to your fish store to see what is available near you.

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   Step 4: When you get home

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   Step 5: learn about the fish you liked at the store.

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   Step 6: Decide on which fish you would like to keep from your list.

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   Step 7: Buy the fish.

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   Step 8: Introduce the fish to their new home.

Detailed Guide

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