Top 10 Fish Tank Tips Here are the 10 best ways to keep your aquarium bubbling with happy, healthy fish. Give everything that goes into the tank a good rinse in normal tap water, beforehand. To avoid sickie fishies, never use soaps or chemicals to clean anything. Keep the water safe for your scaly sidekicks by using a water ager or conditioner, every time you add tap water. Add to your finny family slowly – don’t add more than a couple of fish each week, when starting out. (This depends on your tank size too, of course.) Allow a few weeks to fill your aquarium with fish. By doing your tank right, you’ll save time and money, pet-lovers. Remember that even a Blowfish’s tummy is about the size of his eye, so only feed your fish small amounts. Give your tank a partial water change every two weeks to maintain high-quality H2O: That’s about 20 percent, or one bucket for every 50L, fishies. Poseidon recommends topping up your aquarium with water that’s similar in temperature to what’s there. 

And don’t forget to use water ager to neutralise chemicals. Ask our resident fish petspert if you have any questions swimming around in your head. Call your local fish store for advice when you’re buying fish, or if anything’s troubling your little bubble-blowers.When stocking an aquarium with fish, it’s usually recommended to choose one top dwelling species, one species that stays in the middle water layer and one bottom dwelling species to start with (unless the aquarium is < 15 gal/57L, then you should stick to only one or two fish species). In this article, we focus on the middle to upper water layers by discussing schooling fish! Keep reading for a list of easy but beautiful schooling fish that are peaceful, hardy and suitable for beginners without being boring. Harlequin rasboras are one of the more popular schooling fish, for good reason. They’ve been a favorite among fishkeepers for many years because of their hardiness, vibrant color and peaceful behavior and are actually on the list of best beginner fish.

These little schooling fish don’t require a complicated aquarium setup. A rectangular tank of at least around 13 gallons/50L should be enough for a small group of 6-7, although bigger is better and allows for a larger group. Because harlequin rasboras prefer soft, slightly acidic water they are most suitable for blackwater biotopes, although they can adapt to many different water conditions as long as the aquarium is properly cycled. You can add Indian almond leaves to darken the water and imitate their natural habitat. The Puntius/barb genus as a whole often gets skipped for community tanks due to the aggressiveness and nippy tendencies of the tiger barb, which is a pity because there are many more types of barbs and not all of them are agressive. Cherry barbs (pictured at the top) are a great example. Although they can occasionally nip at fish with longer fins, they’re actually peaceful and prefer an aquarium with other peaceful species. A group of at least 8 is preferable, although a tight school will usually not be formed.

Some sources report that an aquarium of at least 5 gallons/18L is suitable for cherry barbs, but this is definitely not the case. At least 18 gal/70L is a much better place to start, as these fish grow to a size of around 2 inch/5cm.square fish tank hood If you’re interested in keeping tetras but want something other than super bright colors for a change, the subtle silver and black of the black skirt tetra might appeal to you.marine fish tank sand Black skirts are one of the easiest tetra species and can be found in almost any aquarium store. fish tank for sale in atlantaThey don’t demand specific water values, although they will appreciate it when the lighting is slightly subdued by floating plants and a dark substrate. orb fish tank heater

An aquarium of at least around 20 gallons/80L is a good idea, as black skirt tetras are active and need plenty of swimming space. Live plants are appreciated, but keep them limited to the edges of the tank!cheap fish tank wood Closely related to swordtails, another long-time aquarium favorite, platies are one of the most popular fish in the aquarium hobby as a whole. cheap fish tank thermometerThey are livebearers that don’t require very specific care and are quite peaceful, which makes them suitable for most community aquariums. While their popularity makes them easy to find in local pet-/aquarium stores, it also has a downside: commercially bred color varieties can be weak due to inbreeding and they are often impulse bought and kept in unsuitable housing. Like any other tropical fish, platies need a filtered, heated aquarium that’s large enough for a group of at least 6-7 fish.

A planted tank around 20 gal/80L is a good place to start. Unlike many of the other fish on this list, they don’t do very well in soft water and a pH of at least around 7.5 is appeciated. Keep in mind that platies breed very quickly, so if you don’t have room for the fry it’s best to keep only males. If you do want to keep females, make sure you have at least two for every male as they will be chased relentlessly. To help the fry survive, you can add some Java moss as a hiding place. One of the most popular tetra species available, glowlight tetras are small silver fish with a red stripe along their body. An almost fully white albino version is also available but may be a little more difficult to find in aquarium stores. Like the other tetras discussed here, glowlight tetras prefer slightly acidic, heavily planted waters and a blackwater setup is actually the most natural choice for them. Their super peaceful nature makes them one of the best community fish and they will do well combined with most species that require similar water values.

Other tetras are a good option and the ones discussed in this article can actually all be combined if your aquarium is large enough. Just be sure not to house your glowlights with any fish big enough to eat them! A setup of at least around 18 gal/70L should be enough to house a proper group of glowlight tetras.Though a bit less well-known than the “classic” tetra species, bloodfin tetras definitely shouldn’t be forgotten when it comes to easy schooling fish. They are active swimmers that don’t require specific water values or temperature as long as regular maintenance is done and can definitely brighten up an aquarium with their striking silver and red colors. Although like most tetras they may try to have a nip at long-finned tankmates, bloodfin tetras are mostly peaceful and do well in tropical planted community setups. Keeping a large enough school helps make them feel safe and can prevent most nipping behavior. A dark substrate and some floating plants are appreciated but not necessary.

Like most other schooling fish on this list, white cloud mountain minnows are often the victim of improper care and housing. Some sources report that tanks as small as 2,5 gallons/9,5L(!) are suitable for one or two white clouds, but this is unfortunately a myth. Tanks of this size are not suitable for any fish, let alone an active schooling fish that needs to be kept in larger groups. An aquarium of at least 15 gal/57L is an absolute must. While they can withstand a wide range of temperatures, white clouds are best kept in an unheated aquarium (if the room temperature is unstable, use a heater set to 60-72 °F/15-22 °C to prevent stress). In the wild, they are found in densely planted mountain streams with soft, slightly acidic water. All this makes white clouds perfect for aquarists looking for something other than the regular tropical community. They do great in hillstream type setups with loaches and other species from similar waters. These fish are fun to keep and males will regularly display interesting breeding behavior, showing off their colorful fins to attract the females.