Fish
Caring for fish
Fish are far more low maintenance than most other pets – they don’t need walking and cost far less to keep than many other animals.
Once you’ve set up your fish tank or pond, fish are relatively cheap and easy to keep, and make beautiful, fascinating pets.
Companionship
Many fish live in groups – or shoals – in the wild and need to live with others of their kind even in captivity. Ask a professional for advice on which types of pet fish are compatible when choosing different species’ for your tank or pond.
The RSPCA advises that you choose fish that live at different levels of the tank – near the surface, middle and the bottom – though you shouldn’t put so many fish in the tank that it becomes overcrowded.
Habitat
Indoor fish need an aquarium suited to their size and species. Different fish have different requirements such as temperature and you should ask a specialist about this before buying any fish.
All tanks need a filter to keep water clean and an aeration pump to regulate oxygen levels in the water. Your aquarium should be kept out of direct sunlight and away from extreme temperatures.
The bottom of the tank should be covered in clean gravel and a variety of smooth rocks and other objects offer places to hide, while water plants will also help provide oxygen.
The tank needs to be cleaned regularly and the water changed – though you should always avoid sudden changes in water temperature and use a water-treatment to remove chlorine from tap water.
If your fish are able to live outdoors, they will need a large pond with some overhanging plants for shade. Ponds should be cleaned out once a year, with water changed, the surface cleared and plants thinned out.
Diet
Most fish live on a diet of special fish food that can be bought from pet shops. However, some also eat live food like water fleas, while others might require vegetable bits to aide digestion.
Health
To keep fish healthy you need to make sure that there is enough oxygen in the tank by using a pump and regularly cleaning out the tank.
Fish can suffer from infectious fungal diseases and parasites so you need to know what to look for – white tufts on the fish’s body could indicate a fungal infection while white spots mean your fish could be suffering from white spot disease. Both can be easily treated with cures from the pet shop, though you will need to act quickly to save your fish.
If you keep valuable fish you might want to consider pet insurance.
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