Are You Building A Good Aquarium Community?

If you are a fish hobbyist, you’re likely to gravitate often towards aquarium shops to gawk at the multitude of wonderfully attractive and colorful varieties of fish on display, or to check out the latest arrivals.

When you do, you must resist the impulse to add new fish to your home aquarium just because you fancy them. That’s because you run the risk of housing incompatible species under one roof, and this may spell trouble—such as mysterious disappearances of the little ones, or the sudden appearance of wounds on meeker ones.

That doesn’t mean you can’t fill your aquarium with many different types of fish, to make it more interesting, but you must address the various requirements of the inhabitants.

1. Living Conditions

Consult the aquarium dealer or do a little reading to learn more about the natural habitats of the fish that have caught your fancy.

Do they prefer soft acidic water or hard alkaline water? Some species require water with high oxygen content and are more sensitive to the presence of certain soluble compounds and pollutants. On the other hand, other species with hardier constitutions can survive in less-than-desirable living conditions.

2. Home Décor or Aquascape

The aquascape should simulate the natural habitats of your fish as closely as possible. Schooling fish need open space. Territorial ones need “landmarks” like rocks and driftwood to stake out. Shy types need plants, rocks or decorative accessories to hide in. Nocturnal species need dark, cave-like place to shield them from the brightness of daylight.

Some fish thrive better with sand rather than gravel while others will be better off without either, in pollutant-free water.

3. Fish Food

All-purpose fish food may not meet the nutritional requirements of some members of the community in your aquarium.

Like people, fish have feeding preferences. The different sizes and structures of the fishes’ mouths often provide clues to their feeding habits – whether they are carnivores, herbivores or omnivores surface or bottom feeders.

A big carnivorous fish will have no qualms about swallowing a housemate that will fit into its mouth. Slow swimmers will be at a disadvantage compared with faster ones, which will have first go at the food.

4. Behavioral Tendencies

Just imagine how nerve-wracking it must be to constantly watch out for bullies or predators lurking around the corners!

Hyperactive and aggressive species will constantly harass the passive and more timid ones. While the active ones enjoy their food at leisure, the shy and tormented ones will have to starve behind the plants and décor.

Fish with an aggressive or solitary nature are best left alone while those with tribal instincts feel more secure in a school with at least six members.

The biggest challenge in maintaining domestic harmony and the longevity of the fish in your aquarium community is to correctly match species with differing behavioral tendencies that can co-exist amicably.

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