The pet world seems to be divided into two very different camps on this issue.
Many people feel that setting up and properly maintaining an aquarium is far too complicated and time consuming. They generally enjoy looking at other peoples tanks but can't quite understand what it is that drives those who do. Confirmed fish people, on the other hand, have a hard time imagining going through life without at least one aquarium in the house.
I'd like to take this opportunity to dispel many of the myths surrounding the hobby and give those on the other side of the fence a chance to see what they are missing. Fish keeping is a great family activity that provides many hours of pleasant enjoyment without a huge expense or without taking up too much of your valuable time. A lot of the mystery and complexity of the hobby can be cleared up by doing the proper research before hand along with following a few simple guidelines.
Using good common sense and practicing moderation is a good way to keep you from getting in over your head. We lose a lot of hobbyists each year to what veterans call "burn-out". This is usually caused by diving into the hobby with both feet and trying to too much, too fast. A single well kept aquarium with a balanced stock of inhabitants very quickly turns into a dozen or more set-up's squeezed into every available space in the house.
Rising costs along with the extra time required to care for the rapidly expanding aquatic zoo start to weigh heavily on the fledgling fish keepers. Disasters of all kinds find a way of creeping into the lives of those who move along the fast track. Short cuts are taken that reduce the hobbyists ability to properly care for the fish they have while they find themselves on a constant search for new and more exotic species to own.
Eventually these factors combine to outweigh the persons initial interest in the hobby and the dreaded burn out is in full effect. Some people manage to either cut back to a sane level or tank a short break and then continue in the hobby. Many, however, leave the hobby forever.
I'm not presenting this as a way of scaring potential hobbyists away. What I am doing is explaining a few of the hidden dangers so they can be anticipated and avoided. All of this is critical information that anyone thinking of starting an aquarium needs to know.
The mechanics of the hobby include water quality, aquarium equipment and set up, species compatibility, and aquascaping. This is all easily learned. What's not so easily learned or understood are the many pitfalls waiting just around the next bend. Part of the reason for this is that most of the new aquarist's information comes from either local fish stores or the huge chain super-stores. The problem with this is that their main goal is, understandably, selling you what they have for sale.
There's nothing basically wrong with this. Our entire economy is formed out of the same mold but you have to understand that they have a vested interest in keeping you returning to the shore. Most of them are friendly as well as helpful but the information they pass out is quite often wrong or misleading. You need to know what you're looking for and how it works before you ever set foot in one of these establishments. Never ask the person working at the store about a species of fish your interested in. By all means, ask them what a certain fish is but then go home and do your own research.
The internet contains a VAST storehouse of information on the hobby that up until a few years ago was difficult, if not, impossible, to find. Books are great sources of information of course but you're only getting a single point of view with each one and if you read enough of them you'll discover that very few of them agree on everything. Never take anything for granted. It's normal for those in the industry to minimize the problems and even the potential size of the species they sell. Doing so would seriously cut into their sales.
Make all of important decisions about your set up, tank size, filtration equipment, decorations, lighting, species, plants, before you buy a single thing. Check on-line for equipment reviews. Join one of the many aquarium forums on the web. My personal favorite is monsterfishkeepers.com. Get all of this nailed down from the start and you'll get far more out of the hobby with a lot less heartache.
