you know how when you buy fish it will say on the tank what skill level you should be to own the fish? well i want some of the "advanced" fish ... what does that require? i do water changes once every 2 weeks and replace my filter things ... is that all i need to do?
I have never seen any of those signs on any tanks at My aquatic stores they just grill you regarding your Knowledge of keeping fish how long you have been keeping fish what fish you are keeping at the moment size of tank what filters you run And they ask you to give a Sample of your tank water before they will sell you anything.
Edit .. after thinking about this i will give you my opinion based on the fact i class my self as a good fish keeper
Never had an ammonia or nitrite problem in 8 years of keeping fish have stable PH
All fish are compatible with each other
Never had a fish die in 8 years of keeping fish still have my first pair of Angel fish which are 8
Do regular weekly water changes on all of my tanks.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Have the right size tanks right filtration in my tanks
I have never had a disease in my tank in 8 years of keeping fish but know a lot about diseases in tanks
No, advanced fish keeper is more than taking basic care of your fish tank (which is what you're doing) . You need to have perfect water parameters, experience, and a minimum of dead fish. You have to be aware of fish care, diseases, and fish products. You need to know exactly what your fish need and how to care for them so they live their maximum life span.
Also, just to let you know, you should be doing 25% water changes once a week.
Oh my god dude .... "filter things "....
Being an "advanced" fish owner just means that you understand all the fine details about responsibly owning fish and maintaining their habitats.
Go buy some books. Learn what it means to "cycle" a tank. Learn about proper levels (ammonia, Nitrates, Nitrites, pH, Dissolved oxygen etc ...) and how to maintain them. Learn about different fish species, what they need, what they eat, what kind of habitat do they naturally live in, what fish can they live with ....
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Changing your water (should be ONCE A WEEK) and changing the "filter things" is what we call MINIMAL MAINTENANCE to ensure your fish DON'T DIE!
You need to constantly educate yourself about everything regarding fish, their natural habitats, aquarium upkeep, Everything about maintaining healthy fish and environments ... essentially you need to have a general overall understanding about fish and the things they need to survive to be an " ; advanced "fish owner.
I suggest you do a lot of research about general aquarium maintenance, also research the fish you want and you will be well on your way ...
Water changes and keeping the filter clean is basic fish care. If you do that, then common, easy care, fish will live just fine in your tank.
Other fish need more careful care. They may be VERY sensitive to water conditions, needing much better filtering. They may be sensitive to water hardness and pH, most easy care fish don't care and can live in almost anything. They may require specific feeding, only eat live or fresh food etc. Or they may require brackish water (part salt). Some just need HUGE tanks, care is the same, but they need hundreds of gallons of water, and that makes looking after them more advanced.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Any of these things make them a bit more technical to keep, maybe you need to understand more about the water chemistry and how to adjust it to suit your fish. Or nutrition and cultivating live food. Or construction to reinforce your house foundations. Or a big check book to pay for all this stuff.
For example, changing the filters in a tank can actually upset the system quite badly, and result in an ammonia spike that kills delicate fish. So it's better to have multiple filters, or better ones where you don't actually change the media. Common hardy fish survive this OK
Another example is keeping VS breeding fish. Many fish will live just fine with normal care, but to get them to breed and rear the fry, you need perfect conditions and feeding. Anyone can keep angelfish with basic care, if you are more advanced, you can get them to breed. Once you can do that, you can probably keep discus, if you get really good you can get them to breed etc.Again it's a knowledge thing.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
But the only thing it really takes is a bit more research and maybe some more equipment. Water test gear etc, and the knowledge to use it and keep the conditions perfect for the particular fish you are keeping.
Ian
Well I know a thing or two and succesfully kept fish for about 4 years. I started out by going to our local library and reading about fishkeeping. I think I read about 10 - 15 books total. It's understanding the fish and water science that will benefit you. Most of those books are east to read. Give it a shot, I did and love my two fish tanks.
