Common Fish-Keeping Mistakes

Whether you have a small aquarium or one of those big tanks that take up half a room, keeping fish is still a lot of fun.

However, unless you have plenty of experience with fish-keeping, you might be making some of the common fish-keeping mistakes, which can cause negative consequences for your fish.

If you’re a beginner fish-keeper, hang around to learn what the most common fish-keeping mistakes are and try to avoid them!

1. Adding fish into the aquarium too soon

We know how it feels when you just got your new aquarium, and you want to set it up as quickly as possible and have the fish swimming around.

However, adding them into the aquarium before the tank is ready and stabilised can damage their health or even kill them.

2. Overcrowding the aquarium

There is that saying “the more, the merrier” but that is not the case when it comes to fish-keeping. An overcrowded aquarium is a stressful and toxic environment for the fish.

3. Overfeeding your fish

This is probably the most common mistake since beginner fish-keepers can’t stop worrying about whether their fish are always hungry.

The answer is no, they’re not, and they don’t need 24/7 feeding, as that is bad for their health and makes the aquarium water dirtier.

4. Using the basic filter

New aquariums usually come with simple filters, and most beginner fish-keepers don’t know that they should change them.

You should upgrade to a better screen to ensure your fish is living in an optimal condition.

5. Playing with the fish too often

It is easy to become obsessed with your fish when you first get them.

However, changing their decorations every few hours and repeatedly messing with their water is very taxing for the fish and shouldn’t be done.

6. Not using real plants

Every aquarium needs a few real plants to absorb and eliminate nitrates.

Without real plants, there will be way too many nitrates in the water, which is poisonous for the fish.

7. Wrong kind of gravel

Pay attention to the gravel you put into the aquarium, as some types of gravel shouldn’t be used. For example, dyed gravel or pebbles are bad for your fish because the colour can come off and contaminate the water.

8. Ignoring the water condition

If you’re not testing the water in the aquarium regularly, your fish might be living in adverse conditions.

If your aquarium is new, you should be testing the pH levels and the water hardness daily. Later on, you can switch to monthly testing.

9. Not having a maintenance schedule

If you don’t have a set maintenance schedule, chances are you are going to forget that your aquarium needs some attention.

Set up a program and make sure to spend at least one to four hours on aquarium maintenance per week.

10. Mixing incompatible fish

Many beginner fish-keepers don’t know this but not all fish can live together.

Different fish require different living conditions and different food types so putting them all together in one aquarium is a huge mistake.

Let us know in the comments below if you learned something new from our list of the most common fish-keeping mistakes!