A setup visit, hour by hour
What happens during the three hours we spend in your home, and what to keep ready before we arrive.
Choosing your first fish
Peaceful, hardy and happy in a group: six fish we suggest for a first tank, and three we ask you to wait for.
The first fish in a tank should forgive small mistakes. Water changes get missed, a heater fails in December, someone overfeeds them during a holiday. Hardy fish ride this out; delicate fish do not.
For a first 60 cm planted tank we usually suggest one shoal of small fish and one or two calm fish for the middle of the tank. Good shoaling fish are cardinal or rummy-nose tetras, harlequin rasboras and zebra danios. Buy at least ten, because a group of three hides all day. For the middle, honey gouramis or a pair of dwarf gouramis are slow and peaceful. A few corydoras catfish will clean the bottom.
Three fish we ask you to wait for: German blue rams, discus and most shrimp other than cherry shrimp. They need water that has been stable for months, and they show the first signs of trouble too late for a beginner to notice.
Avoid buying fish because they look good in a bag. Ask how big they grow. A common pleco or a red-tail shark bought at 5 cm can reach 30 cm and will dig up every plant. We list the adult size on every tank in the shop. If you are unsure, bring a photo of your tank and we will plan a list together, with the order to add them over two months.
