If you are new to the world of fish keeping, setting up a tropical aquarium can be an exciting adventure. There are so many different types of tropical fish to choose from and they are all very distinct in color and appearance. It’s really purely down to personal choice as to which type is the best, so if you see something you like, go for that. One thing that you should keep in mind is that as your fish community grows in size, you should be checking to see if fish are compatible with each other as part of a community. Fish can be quite territorial and often nip and bite at each other in a quest for supremacy.
One good species of fish for keeping cool as part of a larger community is discus fish. If you have a discus aquarium with no other fish in there but the obligatory bottom feeders, you should have a trouble free community. Discus fish are most comfortable when living together in large numbers, just make sure your tank is big enough for the amount of discus you acquire.
Regulating temperature is a very important part of keeping tropical fish. They aren’t called ‘tropical’ for nothing. They are generally most comfortable living in water that is around the 28 degrees Celsius mark, but can manage to survive slight variations. If you live in a warm climate, providing heating for a tropical fish tank is probably not necessary, but if you live in a cool climate, you may want to think about getting a small heater for your fish tank. Be sure to position the heater somewhere in the tank where the pump outlet is, that way you will be circulating warmer water rather than letting one side of your tank heat up to dangerous levels.
One final thing to consider is that tropical fish do require their own type of food. This isn’t much of a problem as most pet shops stock tropical fish food. You can also give them a tasty treat sometimes too! Tropical fish like to snack on bloodworm’s just as much as they do fish flakes.