Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 3 Where to Go from Here 4 Part 1: Getting Started with Freshwater Aquarium Basics 5 Chapter 1: Taking the Plunge: Just the Essentials 7 Focusing on the Tank, Stand, Accessories, and Equipment 8 Knowing where to put your tank 8 Looking at the tank and stand options 9 Figuring out what (besides fish) to put in your aquarium 9 Considering aquarium equipment 9 Determining what you really need 10 Caring for Your New Aquatic Pets 10 Eyeing differences in species 10 Assessing which types of fish are best for you 10 Buying fish -- what you need to know 11 Feeding your fish -- what types of food to buy 11 Taking care of sick fish 12 Understanding Water, Chemicals, and Live Plants 12 Grasping everything water 12 Using chemicals to improve your aquarium conditions 12 Testing your water 13 Getting a system going 13 Adding live plants 13 Fixing common problems 13 Expanding Your Aquarium Hobby 13 Breeding your fish: Yes or no? 13 Keeping track of your progress 14 Broadening your hobby 14 Contemplating other types of aquarium structures 14 Chapter 2: The Practice of Aquarium Keeping 15 Recognizing the Amazing Benefits of Owning an Aquarium 16 Identifying Aquarium Water Systems 18 Freshwater systems 19 Saltwater systems 21 Brackish systems 22 Organization Is the Key to Success 23 Chapter 3: Finding a Good Location 25 Making Sure Your Floor Is Sound 26 Taking Room Temperature and Its Effects into Consideration 26 Wicked windows 27 Deadly doors 28 High Traffic Areas, Children, and Pets (Spell D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R) 28 Contemplating Your Water Source When Placing Your Aquarium 30 Thinking about Other Household Items 30 Furniture and space 30 Electrical outlets and TVs 31 Overhead lighting 32 Cleaning considerations 32 Chapter 4: The Tank and Stand 33 Buying a Tank: What You Need to Know 33 Water is heavy 34 Watching the tendency to overspend 35 Checking out starter kits 35 Size matters -- gauging space requirements 36 Taking people into consideration 37 Deciding where to buy 38 Examining the Different Types of Aquariums Available 39 Glass aquariums 40 Acrylic aquariums 41 Plastic aquariums (bowls and small tanks) 42 Rimless tanks 42 Considering Different and Unusual Aquarium Styles 43 Wall-mounted aquariums 43 In-wall tanks 43 Furniture aquariums 44 Tower aquariums 44 Indoor pond barrels 45 All-in-one tanks 45 Betta tanks and water gardens 45 Special tanks from the pros 45 Choosing the Right Tank 46 Tank size 46 Tank shape 47 Carrying capacity 47 Picking the Right Stand 47 Wooden cabinet stands 48 Angle and wrought iron stands 48 Aluminum stands 49 Do-it-yourself stands 49 Material-based stands 49 Bow-front stands 49 Moving an Aquarium 50 Chapter 5: Aquascaping Your Aquarium: What to Add and Not Add in Your Tank 51 Taking Clues from Your Fish''s Natural Environment 52 Getting the Lowdown on Substrates 53 Starting with the basics: Gravel, aqua soil, and fluorite 54 Thinking about pH with your substrates 54 Knowing which substrates to avoid 55 Being aware of gravel size and the perils of sand 56 Adding new substrate to your system 56 Using established substrate 57 Considering Rocks, Wood, and Artificial Plants 57 Rocks for freshwater tanks 58 Wood for a freshwater tank 58 Plastic plants 60 Contemplating Other Aquarium Decorations 62 Keeping safety first 62 Eyeing plastic divers and other oddities 62 Aquascaping Tips and Tricks 63 Chapter 6: Selecting the Equipment and Other Stuff Your Aquarium Needs 67 Taking the Mystery out of Filters 68 Mechanical filtration 69 Biological filtration 69 Chemical filtration 70 Sifting through Filtration Systems 70 Undergravel filters 71 Sponge filters 71 Corner filters 72 Power filters 72 Canister filters 73 Fluidized bed filters 74 Diatom filters 74 Wet/dry filters 75 Natural filtration with plants 75 An underground filter''s best friend -- powerheads 76 Gauging Heaters and Thermometers 77 Submersible heaters 77 Nonsubmersible heaters 77 Digital heaters 77 Heating your aquarium: Thermometers 78 Making Bubbles with Airstones and Pumps 79 Air pumps 79 Airstones and other bubble makers 80 Connecting Tubing, Valves, and Tees 81 Air-line tubing 81 Gang valves and tees 82 Creating the Best Lighting 83 Looking at bulb types 84 Making a hood choice 85 Part 2: Taking a Closer Look at Fish and How to Care for Them 87 Chapter 7: Fish Anatomy 101 89 Understanding What Makes a Fish Go 90 The dorsal fin 90 The caudal fin 91 The anal fin 91 The pectoral fins 92 The pelvic fins 92 The adipose fin 92 Swimming movement 92 Breathing In and Out -- Respiration 93 The gill method 93 The labyrinth organ method 94 Getting Acquainted with the Senses 95 Sight 95 Hearing 97 Smelling 97 Tasting 97 Feeling 98 Comprehending Osmosis and the Salt-to-Water Ratio 98 Fish that don''t drink water 99 Fish that need to drink water 99 Recognizing Traits to Identify Fish 99 Body shape 100 Taxonomy 100 The swim bladder 102 Color and its purpose 102 Chapter 8: Figuring Out What Kind of Fish to Buy 105 Looking Closer at Freshwater Fish 106 Anabantids 106 Cyprinodonts and livebearers 108 Catfish (plecos, cories, and one special Cypriniforme) 112 Characins 114 Unusual characins 117 Loaches 119 African cichlids 120 American cichlids 121 Cyprinids 125 Freshwater tropical invertebrates 127 Contemplating Coldwater Fish and Invertebrates 129 Koi (Cyprinus carpio) 129 Goldfish (Carassius auratus) 129 White cloud mountain minnows (Tanichthys albonubes) 132 Coldwater invertebrates 132 Thinking about Captive-Bred Species 134 Buying Fish Online 135 Chapter 9: Working with a Fish Dealer to Purchase Your Fish 137 Choosing a Quality Fish Dealer 138 Searching for a fish store 138 The importance of great service 140 The store''s appearance 140 Dealer Practices: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 142 Do Bee dealers 143 Don''t Bee dealers 143 Wanna Bee dealers 144 Developing a Good Relationship with Your Fish Dealer 145 Selecting Healthy Fish 145 Start simply and do your homework 145 Look for signs of good health 146 Know your fish''s behavior 146 Understand how big the fish will grow 147 Avoid the first fish off the boat 148 Don''t be Doctor Doolittle 148 Getting the Right Fish without Going Overboard 149 Chapter 10: Feeding Your Wet Pets -- Diet and Nutrition 151 Understanding Basic Nutrition 151 Recognizing what your fish need 152 Being aware of overfeeding 153 Underfeeding is just as bad 153 Feeding just what your fish need 153 Knowing What Type of Eater You Have 155 Taking action when they stop eating 155 Meeting your carnivores'' desires 156 Going leafy and feeding vegetarians 156 Feeding fish that eat anything that falls into the tank 157 Identifying the Different Types of Food 157 Prepackaged foods 157 Frozen foods 158 Freeze-dried foods 158 Spirulina 159 Live food -- the stuff they really love and want 159 Brine shrimp 160 Infusoria 161 Rotifers 161 Tubifex, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, and earthworms (yuck!) 161 Feeding Fry 162 Microworms 162 Liquid, powdered, and growth foods 162 Chapter 11: Recognizing Diseases and Treatments 163 An Ounce of Prevention 163 Your daily review 164 Your weekly to-do list 165 Monthly checklist 168 Identifying Common Ailments and Cures 168 Common bacterial infection 169 Constipation 169 Dropsy 169 Fin rot 169 Fish louse 170 Freshwater velvet 170 Freshwater ich 170 Fungus 171 Gill parasites 171 Hole in the head 171 Intestinal parasites 172 Large skin parasites 172 Mouth fungus 172 Pop-eye 172 Septicemia 173 Skin flukes 173 Slimy skin disease 173 Swim bladder disease 174 Tuberculosis (TB) 174 Keeping an Eye Open for Frequent Causes of Disease 174 Carbon dioxide poisoning 175 Poor water quality 175 Metal poisoning 175 Chemical poisoning 175 Improper diet 176 Overfeeding 176 Frightened fish 176 Relying on a Tried-and-True Home Remedy: Giving a Salt Bath 177 Playing Detective: The Sherlock Holmes Method 177 Using Quarantine Tanks 178 Grasping the purpose and advantages of quarantining 178 Knowing how.