Page 12 - TBAS-January-2020-1

-12- TBAS January 2020 ....................
Can’t We All
Just Get Along?
One of the biggest
problems that new and

old fish keepers have is
getting their fish to get
along, even when they

are only keeping one
species. To compicate
matters what works for
one person may not work for someone else. Tank Size, the habitat,
food and water quality are all factors in fish compatibility. But, sometimes

you will run into a fish that does not fit its profile. This can be caused
by inbreeding, poor nutrition during egg development or a number of
other factors. These fish can be either big bruisers or real wimps, but

these are exceptions to the rule.
There are many books that try to give compatibility guides but
they often all short. Here are some simple rules that you can follow
that will help you select the right kind of fish so your tank will be a
more “peaceful” place.

The first thing you need to know is how big the fish will get.
Hopefully your fish store will have books you can look at (if they don’t
have any reference material, I would worry about buying any fish at

that store). Once you know how big the fish will become, then you will
know if you have the right-sized tank for it and any tank mates of
similar size you might want to put with it. NO! FISH DO NOT GROW
TO THE SIZE OF THE TANK! This is the biggest fallacy in the hobby
and if someone tells you that, they don’t know what they are talking

about! A fish’s mouth size will tell you a lot too . . . big mouth predators
should not be kept with small fish. Large fish with small mouths can
be kept with smaller fish.

The next thing you need to know are the water requirements.

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