Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid as a Beginner Aquarist
A lot of people jump into the aquarium hobby without sufficient research and prior knowledge. They end up bouncing off the hobby because they feel like they've failed because their fish die or plants fail. Here are some things I wish I knew to help you avoid these issues right off the bat.
1) Tank Size Matters
Go bigger if possible. Keeping a larger aquarium is always going to be easier than a small aquarium. Obviously, there's a price and space factor to consider, but in my opinion, I think it's a worthwhile trade. Larger aquariums have fewer issues in the long run as water quality degrades slower. They're also easier to make look nice as you can fit larger pieces of wood and more plants without it looking cramped.
I think a minimum of 60l is perfect for a beginner. It opens up a lot of commonly kept fish like neon tetra and corydoras and will allow you to keep them effectively. We recommend something like the Fluval Flex 57l or the Superfish Home 65l. Both of these tanks are from reputable companies and are great for beginners.
2) Do Your Fish Research!
Too many times I've seen people go in blind to keeping fish and end up keeping something completely inappropriate. Pairing that with stores sometimes giving bad information; you can end up keeping relatively difficult-to-keep species in suboptimal conditions.
Here at Pond Life Aquatics and Tropical Fish London, we'll always try and give you the best advice we can on what aquarium you have. Some good beginner-friendly fish to consider are things like guppies, danios, and corydoras. All of these fish species are full of character and aren't as demanding as some more specialist fish in the trade.
3) Water Quality is Key
Finally, get yourself a water test kit. This is something we really stress to customers. It can seem like a redundant purchase to a lot of people, but being able to keep a clear idea of your water parameters on demand will allow you to avoid disasters in your aquarium. The main cause of ongoing issues from illness is poor water parameters. Avoid stress to your fish and plants by maintaining water quality by regularly monitoring.
We strongly recommend the NT Labs Master Test Kit as it's an in-depth and extensive test kit from a reputable company that we use in store.
Hopefully this will help you take your first steps to keeping an aquarium today!
If you want an example of a beginner friendly tank set up then check out this video from our YouTube Channel where Harris sets up a Super Fish Home 65 aquarium to keep neon tetra.
Pond Life Aquatics and Tropical Fish London.