How to Choose Fish for a Freshwater Aquarium

Video Transcript

"Hi my name is Chris from aquatic central here in San Francisco and on the web at aquatic hyphen central dot com. And I like to tell you how to choose a fish for a freshwater aquarium. Research is the primary step in beginning an aquarium. Try to think through exactly what kind of aquarium you wish to have, then you can determine what you need and what you'll have to do to maintain a healthy and happy aquarium. One example is this species of cichlid it's called a flower horn, the one most notable requirement of this fish is that you do keep it by itself. They are not compatible with other fish. Other then that they are quite hardy, they don't need a lot of lighting or filtration. It's quite simple, they do enjoy a ph a little bit higher then neutral, approximately seven point four. And a temperature a little bit higher then standard tropical, maybe up to eighty four, eighty six degrees Fahrenheit. Fish like this also doesn't require a whole lot of maintenance, one to two water changes per month, of approximately fifty percent will suffice. Feeding once daily is also plenty. So in general this fish is not very hard to care for and if it's something that appeals to you and you have the time then it would be a great choice. Another example is this marine reef system. Now it's not a fresh water system but it's not unlike fresh water systems in that this requires extreme care. There are numerous water parameters that we have to monitor for example, calcium, salinity, alkalinity, magnesium. This system can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars and require almost daily maintenance. So remember when you are choosing your aquarium to really consider what will be required in maintaining that aquarium. So again consider the needs of the animal, the investment of time and money that will be required of you and that is how you choose a fish for a fresh or a marine aquarium. My name is Chris from aquatic central here in San Francisco and on the web at aquatic hyphen central dot com."