DON'T Buy Aquarium Fish Without Watching This First!

Going back to the old school way, I used to record videos sitting in front of the

aquarium

. I don't know,

this

should be fun, so you've got your new

aquarium

up and running. Everything looks great. You are ready for the most exciting thing. part of

this

whole hobby and that is buying the

fish

, the decisions you make when it comes to buying your

fish

will make or break this hobby for you. If you are a new fish keeper you need to pay attention because you really don't want to start this hobby off on the wrong foot, but don't worry because I have you covered, here is my list of the top 10 things you should think about before buying. fish.

If you like this type of content, you should definitely subscribe. channel and if you know other things that fish keepers should think about when buying fish, please write them in the comments section below, if you are someone who only has an aquarium or just set up your

first

aquarium, this will be one of the decisions harder to take because you will look at the fish stores, you will see everything and you will want it all, you will see those poor betta fish in the cups and you will want to save them, then you will see those silly oscars with their googly eyes and you will fall in love, then you will see the guppies with their beautiful fins and the convicts with their distinctive black bars and you will just want to take them all home, just wait a second, that has disaster written all over it, I'm sure that would be great, although, in my opinion, this is the decision to the one you should spend more time on.

We'll cover some of the details as we go. Continue in this video, but there is one main point I want to make here: one of the biggest mistakes you can make is going to the fishmonger to buy fish without having any idea what you want, yes, it can be fun to figure it out as you go. but it can also be very frustrating when we had our fish shop, we saw it all the time, people would come in and start looking and say, I want one of those, okay?, and one of those too. you're cute and oh one of those uh wait a minute they can't really go with this one well how about this one with that one?

No, that won't work either, this would go on and on sometimes for almost an hour and sometimes customers would get so frustrated that they would end up leaving the store and not buying fish at all. The point is to have a good understanding of what you want, what you are looking for and at least the different types of fish. The fish you're looking for can save you a lot of time and a lot of frustration, and I guess you could say it could even save you money because you're not buying fish. you will end up being killed by the fish you already have and all that, believe me, will save you a lot of gray hairs.

How many fish can I get? This is another one that can cause a lot of frustration if you are not prepared before going to the fish store. There are only about three million different factors that will determine how many fish you can get. How big is your aquarium? How much filtration does it have? How big are the fish?, etc., etc. If you set up a 20 gallon aquarium, it's a no-brainer to go to the fishmonger and say, give me 12 of those nice platys, but if you say, give me 12 of those bullet sharks, this could be a problem again, like number 10 now.

You're frustrated, this is supposed to be fun, this is supposed to be like opening presents on Christmas morning, it's not something that breaks your heart over and over again, being prepared before you even walk in the door is key, at least know the type. of fish you want, i.e. live carrier community fish or cichlids, if you at least know what type of fish you want, you will narrow things down and be able to say, "Okay, I know my tank can handle fish within this category, the more I know before you even walk in the door of the fish shop the better your experience will be.

I want to get in here real quick and give you a little test. Yesterday I put four new fish in this tank that Lisa bought them for. As a surprise gift it was wonderful yes you've been following this channel for a while you probably know the fish I have there see if you can spot the new ones write them in the comments section below and if I'm curious what those fish are I'm going to make a video that will appear on Tuesday and who knows when you'll be seeing this, but it will appear in a few days.

Fish compatibility is another big source of frustration for people. who are new to this hobby this fish can't go with that fish because it grows too big and it will eat or these can't be mixed because they require different water parameters this one needs a sandy substrate well this one is better with gravel, this one likes live plants, well this one eats live plants. Compatibility issues are one of those things that can go on and on, and it's another thing that can frustrate you so much that you just walk out of the fish store. without buying anything, but don't worry, I've got you covered.

I'm going to keep this easy for you. The

first

place to start will be crappie, nice peaceful community fish, live bears that can fill your tank. from a group of baby cichlids that have a reputation for being bad or monsters that need an aquarium as big as a house, once you know the type of fish then we can break it down even further, if you decide you want cichlids, that's fine, it sounds like you. and I might be a friend, well cichlids fall into a few categories, one would be the Central and South American cichlids which have a reputation for being aggressive and are generally kept in smaller numbers than the African cichlids which are known to They are best kept in groups to keep aggression low and then you will have cichlids that are more peaceful and mix well with community fish.

Hopefully you understand where I'm going with this, understanding that the compatibility of a fish with other fish can be extremely overwhelming, in fact I'll probably do a total of 10 things. video about it the key is to research research research it's not difficult to research these days decide the main focal point type of fish you want then you can research which fish are compatible with that start with the main fish first and then choose other things that you can accompanying him, it is a difficult decision, but believe me, the more time you dedicate to this, the better.

In fact, we've done about 10 episodes of different tank mate stuff for some really popular fish. I'll put a card in the corner. so you can check them out and prepare to fall down a rabbit hole. The answer to the question is that your tank is ready, it's more than fine, yes, I mean, I filled it with water and connected the filter, so I guess it's ready. Just because your filter is working doesn't mean it's ready, it still has to complete the cycle. I can see a lot of you right now rolling your eyes like oh god, John is going to talk about the cycle again.

Well give me a break because this channel is about trying to help the new fish keeper help keep the fish keeper raising fish and understanding the cycle is the most critical aspect of this hobby that everyone needs to understand so work with me here Here's the deal in a nutshell, your aquarium has life that helps keep water parameters balanced and safe for your fish. A new tank doesn't have any of this life in it yet, so when you throw fish in there, feed them and they start producing waste, there is nothing in the tank to balance that out. and what happens is that your fish end up suffocating and dying.

This is very simple to overcome, although it is not something I can cover in this video. The video would be too long, but I have some videos I'll link to. Here, if you want to see those that explain the cycling process in depth, trust me, this is the number one thing any fish keeper should understand. Understand this well before you go fishing. I'm not one of those. People who believe that you have to cycle the tank before putting fish in it. I'm a firm believer and have done it about a thousand times. You can safely cycle an aquarium with fish in it, but you have to know what you are doing. so watch those videos, you will feel much more comfortable with it and it won't be something that will ruin this hobby for you.

You may hear this question and think it's silly, but are you ready? The natural response is probably Well, yes, I made the decision that I want to have an aquarium, so yes, I'm ready. Oh, the world we live in now we are so used to being able to just press a button or tap our thumb and get whatever we want. want instantly is awesome, but there aren't always that many aquariums bought every day on impulse, you're at the pet store buying something completely unrelated to fish and you walk past that starter kit and you think, oh, that would be fun , now this is a good thing.

We want you to get involved in this amazing hobby, but many people dive headfirst into an aquarium because they think it's just filling it with water and feeding it from time to time, but it's so much more than that, this will make Lisa I'm so happy because it's one of those crazy cat people, believe me, but let's use cats as an analogy. You don't just make the decision to have a cat and go buy one and say, "Okay, I have a cat, now you have to feed it." toys to play with so he doesn't destroy everything in your house.

You need to provide the cat with a litter box and take it to the vet to get shots and be spayed or neutered. There are a lot of things to do, but it's worth it because that cat will quickly become a member of the family. Well, fish tanks are the same way. You have to feed the fish. You have to make sure their water is clean and safe. You have to maintain the aquarium and make it look good. a lot of work, but just like with cats, it's worth it because your fish will become important parts of the family and can be that thing that helps you calm down after a hard day, just understand that it's more than just filling a box glass with water.

There is a lot involved in successfully maintaining an aquarium, but it is absolutely worth it, just understand what you are getting into before spending any money, especially before buying an aquarium on impulse. I promise this will be the only sermon segment in the video. I'm just doing my job here, whether you have an aquarium on your desk or set up multiple tanks in your garage, it's inevitable that you'll run into problems at some point and have a good understanding of what you'll be doing in the event a problem arises. , things will be much more relaxing for you.

I'm not going to tell you that you have to go out and buy duplicates of everything to have backups. All I'm saying is, think about it a little. that you can be prepared for story time I talked to a guy a long time ago and he told me: you're never going to believe this. I got up for work the other day and went to feed my fish before I left and found two dead fish. in the tank and the rest were on top gasping for air. I was in a hurry and didn't know what else to do, so I put some water in a bucket and put the fish that were still alive in there until I got home.

I came home that night and the bucket was gone. I asked my family if they had moved that bucket and my son said, I used it to wash mom's car, so he said to his son, well, what did you do with the water that was in it? Well, I just threw it in the flower bed and sure enough, when he looked in the flower bed, there were a bunch of dead fish, it was like five or six black mollies, so it would be easy for the boy to throw the water into the flower bed. of flowers and not even seeing the fish there, the point is to have a plan, to know exactly what you are going to do if things go wrong because they inevitably will and I promise you it will never happen at a convenient time.

It's always going to be late at night or when you're getting ready to go somewhere or when you're getting ready to go to work, it's not going to happen at a time when everything is lined up and you can take your time to fix it. no, it's going to happen at the worst time, so get ready, now is the fun part, it's time to finally go buy the fish, you have your tank up and running, you understand the cycling process, you have a backup plan, you are completely Prepared for the amount of work that goes into maintaining a successful aquarium, everything is in order, it's time to go get the fish, but the question is where to go get them when the time comes to buy them.

You have several options that you can purchase at your local fish stores, big box stores or you can order them online now before you experience fish keepers start blowing up the comments section. I'm well aware that there are things like aquarium clubs and craigslist and things like that, but this is a video that's really supposed to be targeted. for new fish keepers and most of them won't participate in aquarium clubs yet and Craigslist still exists anyway. If you have a small family-run fish shop in your town, this will be a great place to start because in many cases you will be dealing directly with the owner of the shop, so they have a vested interest in making sure you have a good experience;

In fact, that will be the first thing. I'm going to tell you to look for this is all new to you, so when you walk into a store like that you should be greeted and made to feel comfortable. Fish keepers understand that we've all been where you are now and it can be really scary. Having someone to help you get started is veryimportant. It's also a good idea to look around and see the general appearance of the entire store. Look at all the different tanks and see what the fish look like. Are they healthy? Do they look sick, are they slow and lethargic or are they all nice and happy and elastic and they are elastic, very elastic if you walk in and the place stinks of fish and there is algae and dead fish everywhere, this may not be the place where you want to buy your first fish, but having said that I've had some of my best experiences in fish shops that are super dirty, I guess it just depends on the total package if you walk in and are greeted by friendly staff who help you make the decisions correct and sells you amazing fish, it's easy to overlook some of those messy tanks.

I don't think you'll find anyone who would argue that you'll get the most personalized attention from these local mom-and-pop pet stores and the good thing is that you'll even get to know the staff there and you never know you might even make new friends. I could give you a list of 10 to 12 people we first met as customers at our fish store. when we had it, we don't have it anymore, but we met those people, they were customers, they walked in the door to be our customers and now they are friends and will probably be friends for life, so it's amazing what can happen in these mom and pop shops locals, believe me, I know from experience, this just goes to show you that this is a beautiful community, okay here is the first controversial thing I am going to say in this video, big pet stores like petsmart and petco are not this gigantic nightmare that many people will have you believe that yes, it's true, they can be a completely different experience than your familiar pet store, but I haven't always had amazing experiences at big box pet stores. in fact, I've even documented one of those experiences, it was so much fun.

I'll put a card here in a video. I did everything about it. If you don't believe me, just look, the truth is that there are a lot of people. Naturally they hate big business, they see a store like petsmart or petco as the man and want nothing to do with it, but in my opinion these stores play a vital role in this hobby, these are the stores that the people usually come. a first and it is these stores that often sell people their first tank as someone who has revolved my entire YouTube career around helping new fish keepers get into this hobby.

I have a lot of respect for stores that specialize in that and News Flash, I'm going to tell you a little secret that not many people are going to tell you at the mom-and-pop pet stores you shop at because you're pretty sure they'll have the best. . I fish from the best places, many of them do, but many of them also buy from the exact same distributors that sell to petsmart and petcos. How dare you, John? My local pet store does not buy from those distributors. It's okay, if you're new. Fisherman, you may be surprised to know that you can order fish through websites and have it delivered directly to your home by mail.

It's an incredible thing and a lot of people don't even know it's an option and let me tell you. something, every fish without exception, every one of these that you see behind me came from online retailers and they were shipped directly to us and as I mentioned before, four of them arrived yesterday. Stay tuned until Tuesday for that video. Yes, it's a completely different shopping experience, but for some people it may be the only option they have, especially if there is a specific fish they have their eye on and their local stores don't carry it. I know it may sound crazy but fish is shipped overnight from ups fedex and the postal service is pretty common now, many companies have become very good at packaging fish to be shipped and unless there is a catastrophe Importantly with an airline or natural disaster, the fish will reach you in perfect condition when it arrives.

When it comes to selecting the right online retailer, you'll want to do your due diligence and research as you would with any other product. Browse your website. Read their about us page. Read reviews and watch videos of people unpacking fish from those distributors. and you should know enough to make a good decision, I promise you that whatever retailer you are thinking of purchasing from, if you go to youtube and type in the name of that retailer and then unpack it, you will probably find dozens and dozens of videos made . by youtubers who will show you the entire process and give you a review of what the experience was like for them.

Now you might be one of those people who still think it's impossible, there's no way you can order fish online and they're going to bag them up and ship them to your door, there's just no way they can do it safely. . I only have one small thing to tell you: how do you think they got to your fishmonger? Buying fish is the best part of this. hobby that we all love, it is an incredible thing to buy a new pet, bring it home and introduce it to the family, we all love it, but there are so many things in this hobby that can happen and it is absolutely essential that you have good support. system in place before you even do anything, especially before you buy fish, this is another reason why having a good local fish store can make or break this hobby for you.

If something goes wrong, you know you'll have someone to turn to for help, but what about those times when you just can't make it to the fishmonger or they're too busy to answer your questions on the phone because they have 50 customers on the phone? the store they are dealing with or what if you are like me and don't even have a local fishmonger. Well, now is when having places to go online could be a lifesaver for your fish. The online fish breeding community is one of the best I have been a part of and there always seems to be someone out there willing to help.

Yes, I know the internet can be a dark and bad place, but that's why it's so important to find a place where you feel comfortable. There are tons of websites, Facebook groups, and forums. full of good people who literally can't wait for someone to ask a question because helping people is one of the best parts of this hobby for them and I'm personally not a fan of Facebook, it just doesn't work for me but I understand there are many people who are not like me and use Facebook all the time. You can find several different Facebook groups that are specifically for new fish keepers who might be having problems.

One is my group, the tank chat group. I'm not there much, but it's an amazing group of people. I think there are almost 17,000 people there now and they are ready to help you if you are not afraid of Facebook, like me, among your local big box fish stores. box store and online groups, you should have no problem getting good information to help you enjoy this hobby to the fullest. Oh, and one last thing I want to say about support and all this, and I'm just looking out for you. here I want to give you a little personal advice, don't go buy your entire tank, all your equipment and all your stuff from petsmart petco and amazon because they are the cheapest and then when you have problems, run. to your local pet store, I mean, it's only me who should do that, but some of the owners may still help you thinking that they could win you over as a customer in the future, but if you think about it, that's wrong.