Aquarium Saltwater Fish
You'll have a golden opportunity to do some real study and research into which aquarium saltwater fish would make the best additions to your tank when you're just beginning all the hard work of pulling a marine reef or fish-only aquarium together.
When you're in the very first stages of putting a saltwater aquarium together, you need to keep an idea of the eventual living composition you want in your aquarium while choosing a tank and filtration system. When it comes right down to it, the aquarium saltwater fish are almost always the focal point of a saltwater display.
Making Choices
When you are first choosing the community you want in your first saltwater aquarium, you'll be interested in more than just what each fish looks like.
You'll need to find out:
- What temperatures do they like?
- How much and what kind of food do they prefer?
- If there's anything in the water that they're especially sensitive to?
- Is there a niche in the ecosystem for each animal?
- Do they require any special care or treatment?
This sort of information allows you to make some educated guesses as to how each animal will get along in your menagerie. Sometimes it's helpful to write all the members of the community down on a piece of paper, so it's easier to think of how they will benefit each other. If you can see upcoming trouble, be sure and find a better candidate.
Introductions
Choose a reputable local dealer in marine livestock and feel free to ask questions about the fish you're planning on buying. The sales staff should be more than willing to answer any questions you might have about your reef community, or at least be able to tell you where to find out more. Choose fish that look healthy and active.
When you do bring the fish home, you'll carefully put the plastic bag in your tank (that's already been running for over a month) to slowly get them to the perfect temperature before release. You may want to check and make sure they came from a similarly saline environment, too.
Go Slow
It is very important that you not rush the introduction of your new aquarium saltwater fish into their new environment, even if you've done it right. You must give biological filters a little while to catch up to the increased load you’re making for them.
Aquarium Fish Magazine
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