Things To Think About When You Buy Tropical Fish
There are numerous things you will want to consider before you buy tropical fish. It may be difficult to choose what breed of tropical fish you want to buy because there are hundreds of different breeds available. Once you have narrowed down the specific breed you want, how do you know if you are getting quality, healthy fish? The purpose of this article is to give you the valuable information you need to make the right decisions when buying tropical fish.
What To Look For
One of the first things to look for when you buy tropical fish is the actual appearance of the fish themselves. You obviously want to buy healthy tropical fish, but how do you determine which tropical fish are healthy? One way to determine if a topical fish is healthy vs. unhealthy is by the coloring of the fish. You want to buy tropical fish that have bright colors because bright colored fish are generally healthy. Try to avoid purchasing fish that appear dark or pale in appearance because these fish may be over stressed or diseased. After you buy tropical fish, you want to make sure the fish are healthy enough to tolerate the transition into their new tank. It would be a tragedy if the fish die shortly after the transition.
After you pick out the tropical fish you believe to be healthy in color, you will then want to observe the behavior of the fish as they swim in their existing tank. Don’t be afraid to test the potentially new fish before you buy that tropical fish. Put your finger and/or face near the tropical fish and observe what they do. If they swim up to the glass to greet you, then those fish are generally healthy. If they swim away and hide from you, then those fish might have some problems that will worsen once you get them home. Buy tropical fish that are comfortable in their surroundings, even when someone is watching them.
You also want to try to observe the fish at feeding time. Some of the fish will begin feeding immediately when the food is put in. Others will wait around until the rest of the fish have finished before they begin eating. You want to buy tropical fish that are feeding as soon as the food is put in the tank. These will end up being the biggest and healthiest fish later on. The other fish may be timid or easily intimidated by the others. In the long run, these fish will not be as healthy as the rest, and they will probably not survive as long either.
Some people like to buy tropical fish that are pregnant to help increase their fish population in the tank. If you are one of these people you need to be cautious as to how far along the fish is in their pregnancy. The stress of taking them home and placing them in a new tank may be enough to kill them. You can tell how far along they are by the size of their belly.