Are you interested in keeping goldfish as pets in your home or office? If not then you can do so because keeping and caring for fish can be a very rewarding and pleasurable experience.
Looking after these beautiful creatures, feeding them and maintaining their aquarium can give utmost pleasure and satisfaction to your senses.
Fish are simply great pets as it is quite simple to look after them compared to cats or dog.
Difference between freshwater and saltwater fish Many people wonder what the difference between freshwater and saltwater fish is.
Actually, their names suggest the primary difference between them.
Freshwater fish are found in normal waters around us and saltwater are found in the ocean.
If you are a beginner and are confused about starting your aquarium with freshwater or saltwater ones, then many people will suggest you to go with the freshwater ones.
There are primarily two reasons for this.
First of all Freshwater tanks relatively are easier to keep.
Moreover freshwater ones are readily available and cost less compared to saltwater ones.
So let us see the characteristics as well as advantages and disadvantages of both freshwater as well as saltwater tanks: * Looks: In terms of looks saltwater fish have an edge.
Saltwater reef fish can impress anyone.
However, there are a number of very beautiful freshwater tropical fish as well! * Behavior: It is relatively easier to breed freshwater then saltwater ones.
So their behavior may appear to be more interesting to you.
* Cost: Cost is a crucial aspect of any hobby and fish care is also no difference.
The price of freshwater fish is quite less compared to saltwater ones.
This is because saltwater ones are captured from the wild while freshwater ones can be bred in captivity * Fish Care: Saltwater ones may prove to be quite hard to maintain than freshwater fish.
In saltwater tank you need to be careful about a lot of things apart from the normal water chemistry.
* Tolerance to changes: freshwater fish can more easily adapt to changing environment.
So they will tolerate most of the changes in water condition and environment which saltwater ones may not do.
* Size: Size of the fish is crucial when you are keeping them in a tank.
Saltwater fish generally require larger tanks than freshwater ones because they are larger in size.
Things to consider when stocking your tank There are a variety of choices to look into when considering what to stock the tank with.
Do consider the following needs before buying fish: * Adult Size.
When you see a baby fish it may be hard for you to believe how big in size it can grow into.
You have minnows which only grow not more than 3 inches as adult.
On the other hand there are ones that can be as large as one foot and above as adults.
So when buying babies always consider your tank size.
* What are their preferred food items: While buying fish do learn a little about its food habits.
You will surely not want to buy one whose feeding is complicated if you do not have enough resources or time to cater to that.
So always consider the food habit of your would be fish.
* Also see how compatible the fish is with others in your tank.
You will not want the new one to eat your others! * Another important thing to consider is the water temperature that that the fish may need.
In freshwater category there are two sub-categories: tropical freshwater fish and cold-water fish.
Tropical fish prefer relatively hot water while cold-water ones prefer water temperature around 70 Degrees F.
* If you are interested in breeding you must know which fish breed well in aquariums.
A large number of fish hobbyists find breeding to be very interesting and rewarding.
* When you are buying a fish for your aquarium you will naturally want it to live for a long time.
There are some like goldfish that can live up to ten years if properly cared for.
Again there are certain fish with relatively very low life expectancy.