Summary

While I explain in detail the things to know, this is going to be the spark notes of what I feel are the most important things to keep in mind while keeping fish.

• Proper research is the only way to responsibly keep fish. You NEED to know about the fish you plan to keep (what they eat, how big they get, temperature of the water, etc.)

• The very first thing to remember is that you are creating an ecosystem around a fish. There is much more to keeping a fish alive than just a bit of water.

• While tank maintenance is important, many will over clean a tank. Weekly 10-20% water changes are generally more than enough for regular maintenance. NEVER TAKE ALL THE WATER OUT AND SCRUB EVERYTHING DOWN.

• Fish are living creatures and have basic needs. They need clean water. They need space to swim to be happy. They need their temperature kept stable and in a range that they are comfortable in. These are not suggestions. 

• While chemistry is helpful to understand, it's not necessary to keep fish alive and healthy. Of the chemical concepts to understand, the most important would be that of dilution and concentration

• Most of the maintenance and essential functions that fish keeping revolve around removing nutrients from the water. SEE Controlling Algae. You CANNOT remove anything from the water by ADDING ANYTHING. This would violate the first law of thermodynamics. Adding fish to remove algae, adding chemical to remove ammonia WILL NOT WORK.

• A lot of the finer details of fish keeping come down to a judgement call. Stocking is a good example of this.

• Some equipment is vital, some is not. Some additives are important, others are not. This hobby has been around a long time, and there are companies that want to take advantage of ignorance.

• While keeping fish is a responsibility, it should be fun! If you are not having fun, it might be time to re-evaluate what you're doing. 

• Mistakes will happen. Don't give up. Learn from mistakes and keep going.