Starter Fish 

Got the aquarium planted?........Ready for your fish?

Think very carefully about the very first fish that you put in your tank.  When you first start up an aquarium you need put starter fish in it to get the Nitrogen Cycle going and these fish need to be some of the toughest fish in the neighbourhood. The starter fish!

Starter fish will have to put up with a whole variety of unpleasantness as the water settles into its natural cycle.  Until the natural friendly bacteria start up their will be peaks in both Ammonia and Nitrites and it is essential that the starter  fish that you select are able to tolerate this.  It will be at its worst as the tank cycles, so pick your starter fish for character not looks

Here are a few that we recommend as starter fish...and they're not bad looking

	Rosy Barb
	Gold Barb
	Tiger Barb
	Bloodfin Tetra

Treat them with respect. These fish are doing a valuable job for you so make sure that you look after them while the tank is starting up.  Don't let water conditions get too extreme.  Keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels and be prepared to do a partial water change whenever needed.

If you prefer, as many people do, to cycle the tank without using starter fish check out our information on how to cycle an aquarium.