Looking to add some tropical fish to your home aquarium?

Cheap shops

With their vibrant colours and mesmerising movement, tropical fish are one of the most popular home aquarium varieties. They are suitable for both seasoned fish keepers and first-time enthusiasts, and are easy to care for if given the right environment. However, keeping tropical fish isn’t without its challenges – it requires careful planning and maintenance to ensure the health and wellbeing of your pets.

If you’re thinking of setting up a tropical fish tank, it’s important to visit your local pet shop to get unbiased advice from experts. This will help you make the best decisions when choosing the fish and set-up for your tank, and it will also ensure that you have all of the necessary supplies.

The most important thing to remember when keeping tropical fish is that they live in a delicate ecosystem. Getting the environment just right is vital for their survival, and even small changes can have big consequences. For example, if the temperature of the water isn’t correct for the fish species, they may become stressed or ill. In addition, if you have too many tropical fish in one tank, they might not be happy living together. Some fish are not compatible with each other, and it’s important to do your research and find out which species gel well together.

You’ll also need to have a suitable-sized aquarium, heater, thermometer and a water conditioner. In addition, a mechanical filter is essential to remove larger floating debris from the tank. It’s worth buying a kit that includes a heater, because these are more reliable than single ones. This is because a single heater can go wrong and overheat the tank, causing the fish to die.

Lastly, you’ll need a variety of foods for your tropical fish, including pelleted and frozen foods. Talk to your local Petbarn team member about which foods are best for the fish you want to keep, and how they like to eat (surface, middle or bottom swimmers). They’ll also tell you if your chosen species needs any live plants in the tank to provide extra oxygen.

Online shops

Several online aquarium stores offer a wide range of common and exotic fish that you won’t find at your local pet shop. Some of them even work with breeding companies to offer rare or coveted specimens! Abyss Aquatics is my favorite online aquarium store, they have a large selection and their What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) approach means you can browse pictures and videos of each fish before making your purchase. They also provide care and feeding tips for their stock. Imperial Tropicals is another top-notch online fish store that offers a handpicked selection of quality Mbuna, Discus breeding pairs and other unique fish. They also sell a wide variety of freshwater aquarium plants and have some exotic invertebrates.

Many tropical fish and invertebrates go through a lot of stress before they reach the shelves at your local fish store. They are often shipped from wholesalers across the country or the world, acclimatized in their tanks before they are sold. Buying online can add an extra step to this process, and shipping costs might make small orders more expensive than buying them in-person.

Pet stores

Fish might not cuddle up to you on the sofa, accompany you for a walk or play fetch, but they’re fascinating creatures to watch as they weave in and out of plants and rocks in their aquarium. They can also be very interactive and are often quick to pounce on food that you drop into their tank.

It’s important to find a pet store that understands the needs of different species of fish and can advise you on a suitable aquarium. They should also have a variety of tropical fish in stock, including those suitable for beginners and experts alike. If you’re a beginner, opt for hardy first fish that will tolerate fluctuations in water temperature and acidity better than more delicate species, such as goldfish or platies. Many retailers offer a part-exchange service for new fishkeepers, so you can upgrade to something more advanced later on.

Ensure that your fish are being fed the right foods at the right times, too. Your local Petbarn team will be able to advise you on this, as each type of fish has different dietary requirements. Some may prefer to eat flakes, while others will be happier with pellets.

Keep a stock of tapwater conditioner and test kits, as well as a spare tank that can be used as a quarantine or hospital tank if necessary. Also invest in some plant life, to give your fish somewhere to hide and make them feel at home. Whether real or artificial, these can help to maintain the nutrients in your fish’s tank water and keep the PH levels stable.

Ensure that you have all the equipment and tools needed to maintain a healthy aquarium, including cleaning supplies and a heater. Test your tap water regularly, as the level of acidity will affect what kinds of fish you can keep. You’ll also need a suitable aquarium and the correct size of filter for your fish. It’s a good idea to include a divider, so that you can separate aggressive or territorial fish and prevent them from fighting. Finally, a thermometer will allow you to monitor the exact water temperature of your tank, so that it stays at the right level.