FishProfiles.com Message Forums

For those who have just joined the Board, for those who are newcomers to fishkeeping, this is intended to be your 'first stop', as it were. And, I shall open this thread by saying "Welcome to the Board", and offering the virtual equivalent of the 'hello handshake'.

Here on the Board, you will find a mix of people, from other newcomers such as yourselves, to experts who have many years of fishkeeping to their credit. The latter Board members give advice freely here, sometimes of a standard that would shame some professional consultants who charge hefty fees for their services! Make use of said advice, for many of the observations made here by the veterans are sagely and backed up by a long, hard-travelled road of experience. If followed, said advice will go a long way toward ensuring that your own fishkeeping will be as problem free and happy as any hobby involving living creatures can be.

Your next stops, if you are a newcomer, should be threads that deal with such issues as the nitrogen cycle. Knowledge of this is vital if you are to avoid catastrophic losses. Learn about this, and learn how to use the nitrogen cycle to advantage in your aquarium, and half of the battle is won right from the start.

Next, learn about issues such as water chemistry. Different fish species hail from waters in the wild that have different parameters. These include pH (a measure of how acid or alkaline your water is), hardness (a measure of dissolved mineral content) and in the case of marine and brackish fishes, salinity (which measures the amount of salt dissolved in the water). Since salt is a major distinguishing feature between freshwater, brackish and marine biotopes, this is treated separately from other dissolved minerals.

The term 'pH' is a chemist's shorthand symbolism for dissolved hydrogen ion concentration. The scale is logarithmic, but don't worry at the moment if you are not well versed in mathematics. What you need to know at this stage is that a pH of 7.0 is neutral (this is the pH of pure water), a pH valus of less than 7.0 describes acidic water, and a pH value of greater than 7.0 describes alkaline water. Fishes that like acidic water includes South American Tetras and Cichlids, while fishes that like alkaline water include Mollies and Rift Lake Cichlids. This doesn't mean that you can mix fishes from the same type of acidic or alkaline waters with gay abandon, though!

Which brings me on to species compatibility. Neon Tetras and Oscars may come from the same kind of acidic water, but put them together in an aquarium, and disaster will ensue, as the Oscars eat the Neons! Likewise, mixing Mollies and Rift Lake Cichlids is not a good idea, even though they both prefer hard, alkaline water.

Which brings me on to a favourite maxim of mine. Read and learn.. There is a lot of information available, on which fishes prefer which kind of water chemistry, and which fishes will live compatibly without disasters such as predation or fin-nipping occurring. Search out that information, and use it to make wise choices when stocking your own aquarium. A concept I keep pushing tirelessly here is this: time spent planning before you spend a penny stocking the aquarium will save a lot of money and heartache later on. Be smart, research your chosen fish species beforehand, and what their requirements are. If any of your choices clash with each other because of different water chemistry requirements or behavioural incompatibility, make new and better choices. Once you've alighted upon choices that will live happily with each other, and at this stage of the game, choices that will be hardy and forgiving of your mistakes, then start stocking. And slowly.

That's another maxim I push tirelessly here. Patience. It takes time and effort to construct an aquarium that not only functions properly, but becomes a little piece of miniature river in your living room. Don't rush things. Nature does things at her own pace. Respect that, and she won't bite back and ruin your day!

Later on, when you've acquired experience, and enjoyed some success in your fishkeeping, you'll be in a position to begin advising those who follow after you. Be a good citizen, dispense your advice freely, and remember how it felt when you first came here looking for help. Knowing that you've helped someone else keep their fish happy and healthy gives a nice warm glow all over. Well, it does for me at any rate! One of the beauties of fishkeeping is that it introduces the aquarist to a set of values, including altruism, that have largely been forgotten in the world outside. Rediscover those values and learn how much better the world is with them in place.

And with that, I bid you welcome.










Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Cali, I couldn't have said it better. Folks that are new, feel free to ask questions. I know there have been times that I have answered the same questions 4 times in a row, to 4 different people. And to that there was no problem. Most of us are willing to repeat ourselves until you understand. So please, feel free to ask, even what may seem to be the craziest question, as the only stupid question is the one that is not asked. Best of Luck, and Enjoy...:88)

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Right on...I have used this site for the last month or so to learn as much as I possibly can...and at this stage I still have tons and tons of questions...but because of the willingness of you and everyone else to give away your knowledge freely has help me (and I am sure others) to learn early and correctly how to care for and create a healthy fish environment...

And remember, even if you've been doing this fish thing for a long, long, long time - there is still a lot to learn and experience first hand.



Last edited by OldTimer at 06-Mar-2005 16:12

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Cali, why don't you submit some articles in the articles link? This way they would be more perminent. Then, we could use them to link to. I often use the articles to link to people that are looking for something that there is an article written about.

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There is always a bigger fish...

I've already submitted articles Acidrain, and I'm still waiting for them to appear. The Otocinclus article is one of them.

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Wow Cali, you bumped it alllll the way up to the top of the board!!

Great writing as always. The content is great, the style is great, I love it.

I started with this hobby in July 2004. I would like to give full credit to Fish Profiles for everything I have learned.
Very nicely organised site and very helpful members !!!

thanks

Last edited by bharatk at 11-Mar-2005 03:34

Nice one Cali, i hope the newbes take time to read this as a sure basis to the start of thir long and rewarding learning curve of this great hobby

thanks for the welcome hope to talk 2 u soon & iknow funny user name but its all icould think of

hi everyone i am new to the site altho i have had fish in the past this is the first time in a few years that ive actually got fish in the tank and am able to bee around and enjoy there beauty.

hey everybody im new too. thanks for the warm welcome. lookin forward to chatting with you all