Getting Started with Freshwater Tropical Fish

"Getting Started with Freshwater Tropical Fish","

The key is all in the planning - firstly, where will the aquarium live in your home?  Once it is filled with water it's not moving anywhere, so choosing the right place the first time is critical.
  Don't forget also to have an electric supply handy nearby, so you can plug in the light, filter and heater that you will almost certainly need.
  Keeping freshwater tropical fish is addictive, and you will never wish you had bought a smaller aquarium.
  I would also recommend buying an aquarium, which is wider than it is tall, as the size of the water surface is also important for your tropical fish, so a tall, thin aquarium is far from ideal.


Once you have purchased your aquarium and found a good home for it, now is the time to put the filter, light and heater in place, and fill it with water and gravel in preparation for your freshwater tropical fish.
  Plan the fish you would like to have in your aquarium before you start.
  I would suggest that if this is your first aquarium you look at getting a community tank, where you get a variety of different fish, which live happily together.


Some freshwater tropical fish like to spend most of their time near the surface of the water, some prefer the middle of the aquarium, and others are happiest down at the bottom, so it is advisable to get a mixture so you get a balanced aquarium.
  When calculating how many freshwater tropical fish your aquarium can hold, remember that when you buy them from the pet store they are young, and could well have a lot of growing to do.