Picking Out a Healthy Fish from the Pet Store

Before you pick out a fish to bring home from the pet store you should always do a visual assessment of both your prospective purchase and it's surrounding environment - the condition of its tank mates are very important. Here are some of the top things that typically indicate an unhealthy fish.

1. White spots. 
2. Dead fish. 
3. Ragged fins.
4. Pale or inflamed gills.
5. Stringy poop. 
6. A sunken in stomach.

If the fish you are looking at is exhibiting any of the above signs, don't buy it. Just walk away and keep looking for a fish at a different pet store - or at least wait until the one you are at has had a chance to get things under control. There will always be another pretty fish, and it's not worth bringing a sick one home to infect the rest of your investment. 

On a final note, you should always quarantine new fish - regardless of where you purchased them, or their seemingly good health. It can take weeks for some parasites and illnesses to present themselves, and it's much easier to treat one fish in a smaller Q tank than your entire fish tank set up. 

Your Tap Water Conditioner May Not Be As Good As You Think

Your fish will not survive for very long without a quality tap water conditioner, especially if you live in an older house with rusty pipes. You should always treat any new water that goes into your fish tank, even if you already filter your water - it's a relatively cheap precaution that is definitely worth taking.

When you are looking at the wall of fish tank chemicals at the pet store you should always take the time to read the label of the tap water conditioner that you choose - they are not all created equal. The bottle should at least state that the product can: 

• Remove Ammonia, Chloramine, and Chlorine
• Detoxify Nitrite/Nitrate
• Remove heavy metals

While letting the bucket of water sit out for a night or two will get rid of the Chlorine, aging it will not get rid of the Ammonia, Chloramine, or any of the heavy metals. These are all very toxic to your fish, and thus very important to remove. You will want to add the full amount of tap water conditioner to your tank every time you do a water change. For example, if your tank is 55 gallons then add the amount of conditioner specified for 55 gallons - not just the amount of water that you are adding back into the fish tank.

The Misleading "1 Gallon Per Inch of Fish" Rule

There's  a lot more to calculating how many fish your aquarium can hold than the length of the fish. For instance, is the fish tall and skinny, short and fat, or some other variation? Unfortunately, many new aquarists are told that they can buy an inch of fish for every gallon of water they have in their fish tank. While it may seem helpful at first glance, purchasing fish using this rule is one of the worst moves you can make - especially since not all fish tanks are created equal.

For example, the typical tall 55 gallon show tank that most starter kits sell cannot hold nearly as many fish as a 40 gallon breeder tank can. Confused? A tall, narrow tank has less surface area - the less surface area you have in your fish tank, the less dissolved oxygen actually reaches your fish. You're better off with a short, wide tank than a long, narrow one.

In addition to the "actual" size of your tank, not the number of gallons that it says it can hold, you will also need to factor in the species of fish you are getting - especially their diet. A narrow, skinny fish will not eat as much as a fish with more girth. For example, while a guppy and a molly will reach a comparable adult size, the molly will eat much more than the guppy will - and thus produce more waste in your aquarium. Additionally, a fish with a meaty diet will produce more toxic ammonia through its waste than a fish that is primarily herbivorous.

Instead of trying to calculate the number of fish you can purchase with inches per gallon, make sure you are taking into account the square inches of fish, their diet, eating habits, and how active they are, before you make your final decision.

The Location of Your Fish Tank Is a Big Deal

When you're first setting up your fish tank the most important thing you can do is evaluate where you're going to place it. After all, it's a heck of a lot easier to move before you get it filled up with water! The place that you choose for your tank needs to be on level ground, away from windows that receives direct sunlight, and in an area of the house that is not heavily frequented - a hallway next to the front door is not the ideal place for a fish tank.

Being on level ground is the most important of the above criteria. A fish tank that is on an uneven surface has a greater change of cracking because of unequal stress points. In addition to placing it on a level surface, you should also consider adding a sheet of Styrofoam between the bottom of the tank and the stand - especially if you have a larger tank. This will prevent the bottom from bowing out with the weight of the water, which has the potential to lead to a cracked tank bottom.

The next to criteria, no heavily trafficked areas or direct sunlight, will make your life a lot easier. To start with, a tank that is placed in a heavily frequented area is more prone to breaking simply because there is a greater opportunity for an accident to occur. Less commotion also means that your fish are less likely to become stressed with all the outside movement - you can sometimes disregard this if you have a very personable, outgoing fish (like some species of large South American Cichlids and Goldfish).

Placing a tank next to a window that receives direct sunlight will increase the amount of green algae that will grow. While most types of algae are not harmful to your fish, it's pretty hard to see into your fish tank when the glass is completely covered with a thick mat of green fuzz. In other words, avoiding windows is more important for aesthetic reasons.

So, before you get everything set up and filled with water make sure you remember to take a minute and evaluate where your placing your fish tank from a fish's point of view. You'd be surprised at how much frustration simply planning ahead can avoid!

The Betta Myth

I'm always really sad when I go to the pet store and I see all the Betta's just sitting there in cups that aren't large enough for them to even turn around - the water quality in those cups is often comparable to a sewer. In fact, it irritates me so much that I rarely even walk past the Betta cups anymore, because when I do I always have to fight the urge to save one, or two, or ten. But unfortunately, I don't have enough room for that many Betta tanks - especially since they really can't thrive when they're thrown into 1/2 gallon- 1 gallon tanks.

What most pet stores won't tell you is that a Betta actually thrives in a full fish tank set up - filtration, good aeration, the whole works. They may have long fins, but that doesn't mean they don't need clean water - if the filter is too strong for them wrap the end of a pair of panty hose around the bottom of the intake tube. And they may be able to breathe air at the surface if they need to, but again, that doesn't mean that they don't benefit from well-aerated water.

And you know what? There are certain species of fish that are compatible with your Betta so long as you have ample room in your tank, it doesn't have to live alone - just no fin nippers, gouramis, or other male Betta's (assuming you have a male). Females can live together, but not in anything less than 15-20 gallons, and you need at least three of them for the hierarchy to work.

Mysteriously Dying Plecos

If you're having a difficult time keeping your plecos alive then you may want to reevaluate some of the basic aspects of its care - like how much food it is receiving. While most plecos are sold as algae-eaters, some of them are very specific when it comes to the kind of algae they like to eat. Your fish tank can grow quite a few different species of algae, and since you pleco probably doesn't eat all of them it may be slowly starving to death. This also applies to snails and other algae-eating critters as well.

In order to prevent them from starving you should either A) have enough of the proper kind of algae for them to graze on, or B) supplement their diet with some sort of green vegetable. I personally like using shelled peas and zucchini. However, you can use just about any time of veggie to feed them - from broccoli to leafy greens. With a little bit of experimentation, you'll quickly find the food that your pleco or snail prefers - most of them love spinach leaves. With the exception of the leafy greens, I would recommend tossing the veggies in the microwave with some water for a few seconds so that they are easier to tear chunks out of.

While algae wafers are a viable alternative to fresh veggies, I really don't like using them. They tend to puff up and disintegrate long before the fish have finished eating, which leaves a nasty mess behind for you to clean up. However, if you like using them that's perfectly fine! Just remember to break an appropriately sized chunk off of the wafer to feed your fish - the whole thing is way too much.