Aquariums tips

The Platy Fish, is another great choice for beginner fish keepers. It is a breed, that you can care for easily, and looks great in pretty much any community tank, due to its peaceful nature. It can live up to 5 years, if you do everything by the book. Also, most Platies will grow up to 3 inches long, so they’re not very big. Like the Guppies before them, Platies also come in many different colorations, so you’ll have plenty of choices. Most Platies are considered omnivores, so they eat plants and meat as well. However, be balanced when you set up their diet. Usually, vegetables need to be the biggest part of their diet, with some additional meat components. In their natural habitat, they eat all sorts of things, but like most of all herbivorous food. To make your Platies happy, keep the aquarium full of plants, where they can hide and live their life, like in their natural environment.

The Guppy is a popular breed among new aquarium enthusiasts, because it doesn’t need too much special knowledge, to care for it. All you need for it, is a simple freshwater tank, with multiple plants and substrate. Their natural habitat is in South America, where they were first found in 1866. You may also know the Guppy, as the Million Fish or the Rainbow Fish. This species comes in many different colors and variations. You’ll find red, grey, blue and many other versions on the market. Their tail shape is also different, depending on their type. One thing is common though: every Guppy looks beautiful in a community tank. Usually, Guppies are peaceful fish, that are good to be kept together with other species. They will swim around all day (usual behavior). If you find them sitting in a corner, or not moving for a fairly long period of time, they could be sick or stressed out.

The Mollies are a great choice for both beginner and veteran fish keepers. They are easy to care for and also, any Molly will look great in your freshwater tank. Usually, Mollies are community fish, so they will behave peacefully, when kept together with others. However, if their tank mates aren’t peaceful enough, Mollies could start behaving more aggressively towards them. So, make sure you only keep tank mates that behave peacefully, to avoid any conflicts. Just like the Platies before, Mollies are also omnivores, so you can give them all sorts of food. Worms are a good choice, but don’t stop there. Mollies really like to eat algae and simple vegetables as well. You can even give them vegetables from your kitchen. Only make sure, you cut those into small pieces, for them to be easy to consume. Mollies are small fish. Most of them won’t grow larger than 4,5 inches long. Because of this, you can put multiple ones in the same tank. This way, they will feel much more at home. If you care for them properly, they live up to 5 years.

Swordtails are a big family of fishes, because they come in a multitude of different colors and shapes. However, a common aspect of Swordtails, is the sword-like tail, present at all versions, hence their name. They are very popular, because you can care for them easily, without much of a headache. What do they need? For instance, a 15-gallon aquarium is a good starting point. Swordtails won’t grow too big, however they swim around a lot. So, having such a tank will benefit them quite a lot. Also, it can be a good idea to cover your tank, because Swordtails are great jumpers. The water temperature should be kept between 65- and 82-degrees Fahrenheit. To make sure the temperature is always in their favor, avoid sudden changes. Feeding them is quite easy. You can buy flake food, but simple vegetables will also do the trick. They like worms and shrimp as well.

The Bristlenose Pleco, is a very common Pleco Catfish species, that people tend to choose over the Common Pleco, because of its smaller size. Usually, a Bristlenose Pleco will grow up to 5 inches long, which is a lot smaller than the Common Pleco, that grows up to 24 inches. Even so, this species needs a lot of space to thrive in. If you plan to buy Bristlenose Plecos, make sure you have an aquarium that is 25 gallons in volume. Also, you should know that keeping 2 males in the same tank isn’t a good idea. This version of Pleco Fish, is quite territorial. Two males in the same tank will feel threatened all the time by each other. So, it’s best to put 1 male and multiple females in your tank, if you want to have more than one. Like the Cory Catfish, the Bristlenose Pleco is also a bottom dweller. Most of its time is spent on the bottom of the tank scavenging and eating algae. However, besides the algae from the tank, they will need to have a vegetarian diet, composed of sinking pellets (wafers) and simple vegetables.