Fish keeping is an exquisite art and it requires some attention from fish keepers to provide them a healthy environment and to make fishes sustain peacefully. We provide you a list of “Don’ts” that will ensure their healthy living.

Fish Keepers – Never do these!

1. Don’t use any cleaning agent: Right from the time of setting up till the end, just use plain water to wash off all the dirt. Any other cleaning agent will stick on to the walls and mess with their gills and might turn out to be hazardous.
2. Don’t keep your aquarium near the window: Many assume it is good to keep fishes in Sunlight. But on contrary, it is totally great for Algae growth rather than fish. Though Algae will act as a food for the fish in some cases, it can make your tank messy and dirty very soon.
3. Don’t use chlorinated water: Chlorinated water can have an adverse acidic effect on fish. So in case if you have no other option rather than choosing chlorinated water, then adding water conditioner to neutralize the acidity is a must.
4. Don’t add all the fish at one single go: It takes some time for the filter in the aquarium to get its bacterial growth to handle the waste. So adding a few fishes in each batch will let the filter function well and get ready to accommodate a few more slowly and steadily.
5. Don’t ignore their adult size: While choosing and buying your fish, get to know how big they can grow and in what span of time. Buy a tank that would fit the fish in its adult size. Having a small tank will suffocate their growth and might cause illness.
6. Don’t keep aquarium light on 24*7: As mentioned above, light encourages algae growth and so it is not advised. Another important aspect is that, similar to human, biologically fishes also follow the cue from the light on when to rest and when to stay active. If light is not turned off at nights, the fish may not rest and might get tiresome and sick very soon.
7. Don’t put your hands inside the tank: Our hands are the major carriers of bacteria and viruses. Also, the creams and lotions that we use can cause allergies to the fishes. So, it is totally better to not put our hands inside at all. But if there is a necessity, then put your hands in only after washing your hands thoroughly.
8. Don’t forget maintenance: Water changes are extremely vital for fishes. You don’t have to totally take out all the water and refill them but it is best advised to remove 50% of water and add 50% of fresh water to maintain the chemical balance and maintain a similar atmosphere for fishes.
9. Don’t change water and clean the filter on same day: Cleaning the filter and changing the water, both will remove the beneficial bacteria to a major extent. When both these are done simultaneously, it can create a health hazard for the fish. The best option is to give 3 solid days between these two processes to accommodate themselves.
10. Don’t release your fishes into local body/wild: This is the most underrated point. But needs some serious attention. Your fishes can’t get accustomed to wild life and may not sustain for a long period. Also you may be releasing some kind of new bacteria into the atmosphere which can cause a ripple effect of something else. So ensure to not mess with this. Buy a pet, only if you can take care of them.