There are many misconceptions in the fish keeping hobby sadly a lot of them may lead to costly mistakes where fish suffer and can even deter a beginner from continuing with the hobby. In this guide we will attempt to get through some of the popular ones.
1) Fish only grow to the size of the tank
A complete myth, fish will not only grow to the size of the tank they’re kept in. Housing a fish in a tank too small can cause stunted growth which can leave a fish deformed or cost it it’s life not to mention the discomfort and pain the fish feels. Always research the maximum size a fish you’re buying can get to and what tank is required to house it.
2) You don’t need water tests
Have you ever played Russian Roulette? Having a fish tank and no test kit is very similar you can keep chancing it but eventually someone will die. Water tests help you understand what is going on in your tank as a fish can’t tell you what’s wrong a good test kit will show you. An absolute must for fish keepers is an Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and pH liquid test kit.
3) You only need to wait a week or so before adding fish to a new tank
This is one we hear a lot and the reality is it’s more like up to 6 weeks on a ‘fishless’ cycle while adding ammonia before a tank is ready to house fish. A fish tank needs to hold beneficial bacteria to cope with fish, otherwise the effects on the fish are painful, stressful and can result in death.
4) Water changes aren’t needed
This is completely correct water changes aren’t need providing nothing in your tank is creating any waste, if you have no living creatures whatsoever, however if you keep something living in your tank then you need to water change. The problem is as fish keepers many of us enjoy looking at a tank but feel lethargic when it comes to the maintenance. The truth is the more water changes you do the happier your fish will be as you will be reducing toxins and topping them up with fresh minerals and vitamins.
5) Ich or Whitespot is present in every tank
This one has been long debated, that whitespot can lay dormant in a tank without an outbreak and is found in every fish tank. This isn’t completely true, whitespot needs a host (like a fish) without this it cannot survive so without a host after a while a tank cannot have whitespot, whitespot may or may not be present in your tank, but we do know that an outbreak usually occurs when something new is introduced a fish or a plant etc.
6) pH doesn’t affect fish that much
With this one we can understand the novice fish keeper drawing that assumption when were talking about 0.1 difference etc. doesn’t sound like a lot but pH of course measures the acidity or alkalinity of the water and a difference of 0.1 is alot more acidic or more alkaline depending on which end of the scale it’s at so if your PH is only 0.5 out and you don’t think it’s anything to worry about, we have unfortunate news, it is.
7) Malawi Cichlids are fine in together, They’re all from the same Lake
This is our personal favourite as Lake Malawi is such a vast lake it covers a very wide range of fish, in fact it is estimated there are around a thousand different types of Cichlid’s endemic to Lake Malawi alone. So how anyone can say they will all cope fine in a 5ft tank is beyond us. Haplochomis types and Mbuna is the most popular Malawi mixture you see, we don’t recommend this as they can require different diets and aggression can be an issue.
8) You don’t need water conditioners
Just to top it off, you’d be surprised how often this phrase gets passed around this hobby. When you’re using tap water especially a good water conditioner is always required. Without it harmful chlorine will get in your tank and can potentially wipe out the good bacteria you have built up in your aquarium effectively restarting your whole set up from scratch.