Aquarium Hints and Tips

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Freshwater, Planted, Tropical Aquarium Information

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 to 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.

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.

Read up on algae eating fish next

Photos - Wikipedia

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Equipment

◦	First Fish Tank
◦	Fishtank Filter
◦	Aquarium Substrate
◦	Fish Tank Lighting
◦	Fish Tank Setup

Fish

◦	Bloodfin Tetra
◦	Neon Tetra
◦	Penguin Tetra
◦	Serpae Tetra
◦	Dwarf Gourami
◦	Cherry Barb
◦	Gold Barb
◦	Tiger Barb
◦	Rosy Barb
◦	Albino Cory Bronze Cory
◦	Platy
◦	Zebra Danio
◦	White Cloud Mountain Minnow
◦	Red Rasbora
◦	Aquarium Fish Foods
◦	Starter Fish
◦	Algae Eating Fish

Plants

◦	Pygmy Chain Sword
◦	Dwarf Hair Grass
◦	Java Moss
◦	Hem call
◦	Baby Tears
◦	Creeping Jenny
◦	Cryptocoryne Pontiderifolia
◦	Pogostemon Helferi
◦	Cryptocoryne Willisii
◦	Anubias Barteri
◦	Rotala Indica
◦	Whorled Marshpennywort Hydrocotyle Verticillata
◦	Java Fern
◦	Narrow Leaf Sag
◦	Common Hornwort
◦	Fine Leaf Indian Fern
◦	Water Sprite
◦	Hygrophila Polysperma
◦	Barclaya Longifolia
◦	Chinese Elodea
◦	Crispus
◦	Radicans
◦	Tape Grass
◦	Green Cabomba
◦	Pennywort
◦	Red Myriophyllum

Articles

◦	Aquarium Fish Disease - Why do we get it
◦	Aquarium Snails Love 'em or Hate 'em
◦	What Causes a Cloudy Fish Tank and What Can You Do About It?
◦	Are Fish Tank Lights Really As Complicated As the Experts Say
◦	Neon Tetra Disease - Move Quickly to Save the Rest!
◦	Artificial Plants for Aquariums

Water

◦	The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle
◦	Aquarium Cycle
◦	Household Ammonia Cycle
◦	Aquarium pH
◦	Aquarium Water Quality
◦	Aquarium co2
◦	Water Testing
◦	Aquarium Algae
◦	Water Hardness

Fish Tank Care

◦	Algae Control
◦	Green Water

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