Quote:
Originally Posted by Miguel 1952
This is a wonderful hobby, I have done this for over 30 years. Do your research before you start and don't rush in buying fish until your water is right and depending on the fish the temperature is the correct setting. Also, not all fish get along and fish grow, so watch the size of your aquarium. Food is very important and don't feed the same thing all the time, variety is good and by no means don't over feed. Ask a lot of questions before the fish come home. Start slowly, no rush, we are retired!
Good luck and enjoy the hobby!
|
Good advice by Miguel. Here is my "build":
If you have no experience with keeping an aquarium, I would highly recommend that you don't start with a marine aquarium-even if you have access to a lot of information. Water quality is extremely important with marine aquariums and if you add that nice looking anemone, or the banded coral shrimp, they could quickly die and foul your tank leading to your fish dying and you wasting a lot of money. I have kept aquariums for about 30 years, starting with a 10 gallon tank of "community tropicals" that my grandfather bought for me to introduce me to the hobby. When I was in my teens, I had maintained 8 tanks simultaneously, including breeding fish, "graduating" to African Cichlids, and ultimately I have kept marine aquariums. It is a fun hobby, but there is nothing like getting some experience and starting small before making a major investment.
Pros for the hobby: A nicely decorated aquarium (this is very subjective to your choice of decor in the tank) that you can sit back and enjoy, picking fish for your aquarium, learning to identify the sexes so that you can potentially breed fish (if you buy "livebearers" such as guppies, platies, or mollies, they breed easily regardless of your plans), learning about the many varieties of fish and growing with the hobby.
Cons of the hobby: As your experience and desire for a larger aquarium, or multiple aquariums grows, so do the costs. More sophisticated equipment will cost more money. The price of purchasing fish continues to rise, and keep in mind that some fish have short life spans. You have to clean your aquarium and filter and not let it go. An aquarium is an enclosed living environment which includes a buildup of waste materials that will stress out the fish and stress can lead to disease. Additionally, if you like to travel, you need to think about who will feed your fish and clean the tank in your absence. Staying with the basic community tropical fish, you can get away with an automatic fish feeder while away, but if you move into larger fish or a marine aquarium, fish flakes will not suffice. The size of your tank, the amount of fish, and the quality of your filter system will determine how often you will need to complete water changes and cleaning the gravel. A larger tank and less fish (not including large fish like an Oscar) with a good filter system will allow you a little more forgiveness and not have to clean/change water as frequently.
If your heart is set on a marine aquarium, you might think about hiring a service to set up and maintain your tank for you. I am not sure of what the current rates are for this service, but it won't be cheap.