Introduction to Tropical Fish

Adding a tropical fish aquarium to your home is a wonderful way to enjoy the beauty of the ocean right within the comforts of your own home. A tropical fish aquarium featuring a variety of brilliantly colored fish and surrounded by vivid vegetation can be not only beautiful but also very relaxing and calming as well.

Before you start your tropical fish aquarium, it is important to have some relevant information at your disposal. Tropical fish are beautiful, but there are some things that you need to know to ensure that your fish remain beautiful and healthy for a long time.

In this book we will discuss the basic information that you need to know how to choose the right aquarium for your needs along with various accessories and even how to choose from among the many different species of fish that are available. This is an important step as there are some types of tropical fish that have far more demands in order to remain healthy than others.

Maintaining a tropical fish aquarium can be a relaxing and rewarding hobby when you have the right information at your fingertips. This book will provide you with all of the information you need to know to get your aquarium underway, even if you happen to be a novice at keeping fish. We will cover various topics such as how to get your aquarium initially set up as well as various illnesses that you should be on the lookout for in your fish and how to treat them.

In addition, you will find a daily, weekly and monthly maintenance guide that will walk you through the steps of properly maintaining your aquarium to achieve the optimal results.

Let's get started!

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Getting Started

  How to Set up an Aquarium

  Choosing a Location for your Aquarium

  Selecting an Aquarium

     Glass or Acrylic?

  Positioning your Aquarium

     Lighting

     Heating

     Filtration

          Mechanical Filtration

          Chemical Filtration

          Biological Filtration

      Air Pumps

      Aquarium Decor

           Plants

      Testing the Water

      Setting up your Aquarium

Chapter 2

Water Chemistry and Conditioning

  Conditioning of the Water

  Cycling

  Adding your Fish

Chapter 3

Coping with Problems

  Solving Water Problems

  Special Problems with Tropical Fish Aquariums

  Caring for your Fish while you are on Vacation

Chapter 4

Choosing your Fish

  Community Aquariums

Chapter 5

Understanding Fish Diseases

  Columnaris

  Gill Disease

  Ick

  Dropsy

  Fin Rot

  Fungal Infection

  Hole in the Head

  Pop Eye

  Cloudy Eye

  Fish Lice

  Nematode Worms

  Treating your Fish

Chapter 6

Maintenance

 Daily Routine

  Checking your Water

  Checking the Filter

  Feeding your Fish

Weekly Routine

  Vacuuming the Substrate

Monthly Routine

  Filtration

Conclusion