Aquarium fish for beginners: which ones to choose and how to contain?

Aquarium science is a fascinating activity, it makes it possible to create beautiful water worlds and touch the secrets of underwater life. It is interesting to watch the fish, it harmonizes the internal state, soothes. Keeping and breeding fish captivates both adults and children. But young breeders disciplines such a hobby, teaches care and love for the world around them.

It is better to populate your first aquarium with unpretentious inhabitants, for example, viviparous fish. They do not require special care, quickly and easily breed. Females do not spawn, but “give birth” to fully-formed fry. Below is a list of live-bearing aquarium fish.

1. Guppy - the simplest fish, while very beautiful, especially males. Guppies have many species that vary in color. The long tail, fins and abdomen can be of different shades: red, orange, green, blue, blue. It is very interesting to breed fish, it is possible to cross among themselves representatives of different species and get the original color of fry. The maximum size of males is 4 cm, females - 6 cm.
2. Swordsmen - You can recognize them by the unusual caudal fin. In males, part of the tail is elongated and pointed, in appearance resembles the blade of a sword. Most often in the aquarium you can find red swordsmen, but these fish have a large number of species of various shades. In a large aquarium, they can grow up to 10 cm (excluding the tail "sword").
3. Pecilia - outwardly similar to swordsmen, but their tail is of normal shape.There are many varieties, each aquarist will be able to choose a fish for everyone. There are red, spotted, yellow, orange and silver pecilia. The size of an individual can be from 4 to 12 cm.
4. Mollinesia - A close relative of Pecilia. There are also a large number of types and coloring options. The most common all black fish. They can grow up to 10 cm, but most often there are no more than 7 cm in length.

You can choose spawning fish, there are species that are simple in content, which are suitable for beginners. During spawning, females lay eggs from which fry develop. Below are the most unpretentious spawning fish and their descriptions.

• Danio rerio - an elegant fish, grows in length no more than 5-6 cm. Despite the small size in the aquarium it looks very impressive. Blue and white stripes run along the body, starting from the gills and stretching to the tip of the tail.

• Cardinals - miniature fish with a bright color, a fluorescent band passes along the body. The maximum size is only 3 cm, they can live in a small aquarium. It is best to keep the cardinals in a large flock - 10-15 pieces.

• Neons - fish with a shiny, iridescent abdomen. They look especially interesting against a dark background. Grow up to 4 cm, a small flock can even be placed in a 10-liter aquarium.

• Corridors - Peaceful catfish. They live in the lower layer of water and love to dig in the ground. They are looking for food at the bottom, so it is necessary to ensure that the feed reaches the bottom layer of water. There are special feeds in the form of granules that drown well.

• Ancistruses - great cleaners. Using a suction cup, they remove fouling from decor items and the walls of the aquarium. They grow quite large - up to 15 cm.

• Gourami and lilyus - labyrinth fish. For their maintenance it is not necessary to install an aeration system in the aquarium. Labyrinth species capture air from the surface of the water. The fish have an attractive appearance, there are many subspecies and color options. Gourami grow up to 10-12 cm, and laliuses grow up to 7-9 cm.

• Cherry barbs - schooling fish up to 4 cm in length. Abdomen and fins are bright scarlet. This is the most peaceful subspecies among the rest of the barbs.

It is believed that 3-5 l of water is needed per aquarium fish. This is a very conditional calculation, because much depends on the size, nature and other features of the species. And you should also consider in which layer of water the fish live. Gourami, for example, prefer the upper layer of the reservoir, and even if there are enough of them in the aquarium, you can still add a couple of catfish to them. After all, bottom and labyrinth fish spends most of the day at different levels of the aquarium, so they will not interfere with each other.

Many for the first time choose a 10-liter aquarium. Beginners believe that a small pond is easier to care for, but it is not. In a small space, the aquatic environment is faster polluted. And you can’t move a lot of fish into such a limited space:

• guppies - 4 pcs.;
• neons - 4 pcs.;
• cardinals - 2 pcs.;
• Danio rerio - 2 pcs.;
• dwarf catfish - 3 pcs.;
• molliesia - 1 pc.;
• Pecilia - 1 pc.;
• barbs - 1 pc.;
• Lalius - 1 pc.

The aquarium, which can accommodate 4 fish as much as possible, is not so interesting, therefore it is better to choose a larger tank. In a tank of 20 liters it is already possible to contain 2-3 times more fish, for example, 8 guppies or 2-3 mollies. A 50-liter aquarium will allow you to create interesting combinations of aquarium fish of different species. Such a capacity is considered the best option for beginners. Below are the options for different types of fish and their number for the tank per 50 liters:

• 8 guppies + 8 neons + 3 corridors;
• 5 mollies + 3 swordsman + 5 pecilia;
• 10 neon + 5 zebrafish + 2 ancistrus;
• 3 pearl or marble gourami + 4 lalius + 2 any peaceful catfish;
• 10 cherry barbs + 5 swordsmen + 3 corridors.

The success of keeping fish depends on proper feeding. In pet stores a large selection of dry food. There are cereals and granules that not only provide good nutrition, but also enhance the color of the fish. Water inhabitants are fed 2 times a day in small portions. It is believed that in 3 minutes everything should be eaten. If the feed remains, it is removed from the aquarium. Leftovers rot over time, release harmful substances and pollute water.

It is not recommended to constantly keep fish on a "dry ration", the diet should be varied with live food:

• bloodworm;
• pipe maker;
• Artemia
• coretra;
• gammarus.

Such high-protein food is especially necessary for fish before spawning. Worms and larvae are thoroughly washed and, if necessary, cut into small pieces. You can buy frozen live food, it is safe in terms of infections, albeit less nutritious. For feeding, you can purchase a special feeder in the form of a cone with a net. It is very convenient: all the food is inside this structure, until the fish eats it.

Some species of fish adore plant food, especially catfish. Leaves of lettuce, dandelion, cabbage, cucumber slices and zucchini are scalded with boiling water and lowered into the aquarium. You can use a fork as a load. There are some more products “off the table” that will appeal to aquarium pets:

• sea ​​fish;
• milt;
• caviar;
• squid;
• egg yolk;
• beef heart.

Before you start the fish, you should prepare the aquarium. It is equipped with filtration and aeration systems, as well as fluorescent lamps. Good lighting is necessary not only for fish, but also for algae. Living plants must be present in the reservoir, they contribute to the formation of a favorable environment for fish. Several snails are launched: physicists, coils and melanias will maintain cleanliness in an artificial reservoir.

The water in the aquarium should correspond to the required parameters, which differ slightly for each type of fish. Aquarium heaters are used to raise the temperature, and special air conditioners are used to soften the water. In the pet store you can buy test strips, which determine the hardness, acidity of the water and the amount of nitrates. It is important to maintain all water indicators within acceptable values, because they strongly affect the color of fish, their behavior and health.

Once every 7 days, part of the water in the aquarium is replaced with fresh. To do this, 25% of the liquid is drained, and fresh settled water is poured in its place. Breeders do not recommend a complete replacement; this will disrupt the ecosystem that has formed in the aquarium. Water is completely drained only in some infectious diseases of fish. In this case, a high-quality disinfection of decor items, soil and the walls of the tank is carried out.

Fish can get sick. This is not always due to insufficient care.Fungus and parasites can be brought into the aquarium with plants, soil or new fish. You should be careful when sharing new neighbors, just bought fish should be kept separately in quarantine. The following signs will indicate the disease:

• white coating and cloudy spots on the body;
• destruction of fins;
• ruffling scales;
• white feces;
• strange behavior, for example, a fish swims sideways or lies at the bottom;
• too bloated abdomen;
• bulging eyes.

It is important to drop the fish with suspicious symptoms on time before it infects its neighbors. Many diseases are successfully treated with short-term baths using antibiotics and other drugs. In pet stores, a large selection of remedies for fungus and infections. But before starting treatment, use the tests to check the nitrate content in the water. Poisoning with this substance is the most common disease in fish. In order for the nitrate level not to exceed acceptable values, it is necessary to adhere to the following rules:

• clean waste soil with a siphon;
• Do not forget about weekly water changes;
• before adding to the pond, filter and defend tap water;
• Do not overfeed fish and remove uneaten food.

Viviparous fish breed well and quickly at home. They do not even need special conditions for this. Guppies are particularly fertile - females in their life can bring offspring up to 10 times 15-30 fry. But adults can destroy juveniles, so if the fish spawn in a common aquarium, then you should take care of protecting the kids. Thick plant bushes, pottery shards, driftwood and decorative houses will become a reliable shelter for fry. But it is best to put them in a separate tank.

For breeding spawning fish, special conditions are required:

• separate capacity;
• rising water temperature;
• preliminary seating in different aquariums of a female and a male;
• feeding live food.

The spawning process is very interesting. During the mating dance, the female throws eggs, and the male fertilizes her. Some males pre-build a nest and carefully look after offspring. Gourami, for example, make a nest of foam on the surface of the water, into which each egg is carefully collected. Most often, immediately after spawning, the female is sedated, and sometimes the male, too.

Fry develops on 5-8 days. They begin to swim around the aquarium in search of food. The ideal lure at this time is Daphnia. You can use specialized dry food, as well as egg yolk. Toddlers grow quickly, and when they get stronger and become like adult fish, they can be launched into a common aquarium.

You need to know that not all fish get along with each other. Therefore, for peaceful coexistence it is necessary to take into account a number of important points.

• For guppies and other fish with long fins, the proximity to barbs can be dangerous. The latter can bully and bite into the beautiful fins of the veil fish.
• In some species, a territorial dispute may arise between males. For example, this is characteristic of gourami. It is better to keep 1 male and several females in the aquarium.
• The size of the fish should be taken into account, it is better not to keep small species with large ones.
• And the most important thing is not to settle peaceful fish with predators. So, cichlazomas can easily eat a flock of neons.

About five unpretentious species of fish, see the video.