Things to Avoid
Fish bowls
- Most fish cannot survive long without a filter (and heater for tropical fish).
- This especially applies to goldfish, because they produce so much waste.
- Only bettas can survive in a bowl long-term, and even they will be much healthier and happier in a tank with a small filter and heater.
Not cycling properly
- Cycling takes patience, but it is absolutely essential to getting a tank up and running smoothly.
- Skipping cycling can lead to "new tank syndrome;" basically, a fancy word for all of your fish mysteriously dying.
Getting wrong types of fish; researching the needs of each species before buying can help you avoid these mistakes:
- Fish too big for the tank; The idea that fish "grow to their containers" is a myth. Stunting their growth is bad for their health, and large fish might even break your aquarium.
- Putting aggressive fish in a community tank; species like cichlids and Chinese algae eaters may be aggressive towards smaller, slower or more peaceful fish species.
- Overstocked tank; it's easy to put too many fish in a tank. This leads to overcrowding and dirty water.
- The general rule is 1" of fish for every gallon of water. This only applies to small species (you can't put a 10" fish in a ten gallon tank). Larger fish will need more space and produce more waste.
