For example, Asociación Acuariófila Argentina charges a small fee to its associates, who in return have a library of consultation with hundreds of books that gather years of knowledge and experience. I strongly recommend joining local associations or experienced amateur clubs.
When visiting the commercial aquariums, observe very carefully. Before receiving the attention of the seller, evaluate the hygiene of the place and fish tanks. Make sure they are clean, with the water crystal clear and your fish active. Examine the fish, which in good health, should have intense colors, well-developed fins and good mobility.
Also evaluate the seller. He will have to devote all the necessary time to make sure that what you buy is compatible with your aquarium and your fish already resident there. A strategy put into practice by many amateurs is to ask questions whose answers you already know, to evaluate the answers and the attitude of the seller.
If the seller hastens you or wants to sell you unnecessary products, just change seller or trade. A bad purchase can have very negative consequences for your aquarium and your success in maintaining it. Sometimes bad experiences end up in disappointed fans who move away from the activity by a failure induced by bad businesses.
Those who are engaged in the fish hobby should be aware that it is very important to be patient. ALWAYS. Do not buy too many fish in the same day, especially if they are of different species or if your aquarium is not ripe.
Start by acquiring a small group, let it fit your aquarium and let your aquarium fit these fish. Verify that water filtration is efficient and that water hardness (dH) and purity (pH) values remain stable.
Whenever you buy new fish ask about your eating and reproductive habits . Do not buy fish from a fishbowl containing extremely thin fish or some dead fish.
An important measure after the purchase is to be very careful in transporting the fish. Do not expose the fish to hot or intense cold. If you live in a cold-weather country or city and carry tropical fish, wrap the bag with daily sheets so that the paper acts as a thermal insulator.
Once the fish reach their destination, follow appropriate acclimatization procedures to the new aquarium.
To avoid buying sick fish, read the Disease Guide where you will learn how to identify more than ten common diseases in aquarium fish. This will recognize external symptoms in aquarium fish.
In the Fish Guide you will find information about the habits of fish most commonly found in aquariums and sought by amateurs.
Finally, in this Plant Guide you will discover information about aquarium plants and the water and light conditions they need. The purchase of plants also requires great caution.
© Adrián Blanco 2006 — Prohibited the total or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
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