My First Pet Fish

Benefits of Fish

Discover the benefits of owning your very own tropical aquarium fish

We at Fish Tank Fish love having pet fish, and think you will too. Not only do aquarium fish and tropical fish look good, but they can make you feel good too. They can help you to relax and have been known to improve your health! If you need any more reasons to get your own aquarium fish, keep reading!
Scientists who have studied the effects owning a pet can have on the owner, that’s you, have found many reasons why owning a pet like aquarium fish is good for you.

They can help you to focus and achieve better grades at school,
They make it fun to learn about underwater ecosystems
They are known to make people happier! It can be a restful to watch your fish so less stress.
They will teach you responsibility, being fairly easy to look after, it is not such a chore as they don’t make messes like cats and dogs do, they aren’t smelly like guinea pigs and mice and they don’t keep you awake with barking and scratching!
They will get you off the computer, Wii or DS for a while. “We’re sure your parents will love that.”

Pet Fish Care Tips

Owning a fish is lots of fun, read on to find out how to care for your aquarium fish and fish tank properly.

First, set up your fish tank in an area that isn’t too sunny and get some help to put in the decorations and to get the water ready for the fish. We recommend that you then wait 7-10 days before you add any livestock. We know you are excited and it would be so cool to get the fish ASAP, but their home is not quite ready straight away.

When you receive the fish. Place the bag that contains the fish into the fish tank so it can float, but keep it closed at the top! This makes the water in your aquarium fish’s bag slowly changes to the same temperature as the fish tank so it doesn’t get a nasty surprise!

After you have left the bag in the fish tank for about 15 minutes, open the bag and get someone to help you empty about half of the water out of the bag (not into the tank), then use about a cup of the fish tank water to refill the bag. Fold the bag down at the top so it floats and place it back into the tank and let it sit there for another 15 minutes. This helps to acclimatise the aquarium fish meaning it becomes used to its new environment and are mixing the water from your tank and the tank where the fish have been housed. After 15 minutes, watch as your Mum or Dad nets the fish from the bag and places your new pet aquarium fish into your fish tank!

When you want to feed your aquarium fish, ask your parents, grandparents or guardian to help. You only need a small amount of food sprinkled in the top of the fish tank once a day. Feed no more than the fish can eat in 30 seconds.Any more than this and your aquarium fish might become sick. Watch as your aquarium fish swims find and nibble at its food.

You need to make sure your fish tank is looked after so your aquarium fish stays happy and healthy. This means getting help to empty ¼ of the water every fortnight and refilling with ‘treated’ water – water that has had the right products put into it to make it the same as the fish tank water.

A happy fish is fun to watch and looks very pretty gliding through the water. You can watch your aquarium fish swim, eat and play and learn how these cute creatures live their daily lives.

Fish Names

If you want some help naming your pet fish, have a look at these popular fish names!

When you are coming up with fish names, think about all the names you like: names of friends or relatives, or even famous rock stars and actors! To help you on your way with your first pet, we have compiled a list of the most popular fish names. If you can’t think of fish names for yourself, look at our list and see which fish names you like.