Keeping Fish as a Pet

Are you interested in keeping a fish as a pet? Caring for a pet fish is much different than having a dog, a cat, or other animals as pets. This is mainly because fish do not show much emotion and have a hard time to express themselves with humans unlike other pets such as dogs or cats. This article will explain the basic needs that a pet fish requires and how to care for a pet fish.

Prerequisites of keeping fishes as pets

A pet fish should be kept in a clean bowl, aquarium or pet fish tank. It should be noted that the size of a bowl or aquarium does matter. A smaller size may be not suitable as some fish can grow to large sizes and this can cause overcrowding if keeping many fishes.

Caring Fishes in Aquarium/Bowl

The water in the bowl or aquarium must be kept filtered in order to remove any ammonia. Ammonia is a toxic gas that can cause harm to many fish which is why it is important to remove any ammonia as even small doses can negatively affect the fish. Ammonia is produced as a by-product from fish when they go about their daily life. In large bodies of water such as a sea, lake, or ocean, the ammonia is simply washed away and does not harm the fish. The ammonia produced by a fish in a large body of water is considered to be negligible compared to the vast size of the body of water. However, in a much smaller body of water such as a bowl or aquarium, the ammonia will affect the fish and cause harm.

In order to remove ammonia from a bowl or aquarium, a filter should be installed. This special filter contains bacteria which break-down the ammonia. It should be noted that chlorine can destroy the bacteria which is why tap water is not recommended as a water source as it contains chlorine.

Caring cool pet fishes

Cool Fishes

Other important aspects of caring for pet fishes are proper feeding, testing the water for any toxins, and changing the water in the bowl or aquarium regularly. Feeding the fishes must be done consistently; however, try to avoid overfeeding as this can have a negative impact on the fishes. There are many testing kits for water that can be used to determine if there are any toxins in the water that the fish live in. This is why it is important to change the water regularly in order to avoid possible toxins or contamination of the water. If you plan to add decorations to the bowl or aquarium, try to use decorations that do not take up a lot of space.

Special consideration for pet fish types

Caring for a fish is much different than other pet animals but is very rewarding. With the sheer quantity of species of fish, each type of fish has different needs. By researching the needs of a fish species, one can properly provide care for the species.