Life in a Fishbowl: The Science and The Art of Fishkeeping

My First Aquarium:

How many times has this happened to you? You go to a local carnival and play that game where you try to throw ping-pong balls into little brandy glasses on a table. If your ball gets into one of those glasses, you win the prize - a bright orange goldfish swimming around in a tiny cup of water. So, you take the fish home in a plastic bag and when you get to the house you realize that all you have to put it into is a large mayonnaise jar. You wash out the mayonnaise jar, fill it with cold tap water and pour the fish in. Now it's swimming around in the jar as happy as can be!! You might even add some bread to give it food, but you notice it is not eating. It's getting late so you go to bed wishing the fish "good night". The next morning you find what typically happens to thousands of these ping-pong carnival goldfish each year: it's now swimming near the top of the water and slowly gasping for air. It is definitely not looking healthy! To make matters worse, the bread you had put into the jar the night before is all soggy and the water is turning cloudy. A few days later, the fish is floating belly up with a wide goggle eyed stare, quite dead to say the least!! I really wonder how often this story repeats itself across America!

My Introduction to Science:

I've been interested in fish since I was five years old and I regret to say that I've been guilty of the very scenario described above numerous times in my life. But, over the years, my fascination with fish and aquariums has led me to learn a lot about the art of fish keeping and the science that goes with it. In this article I'd like to discuss with you some of the aspects of fish keeping and how this hobby relates to scientific disciplines as chemistry, animal physiology, biochemistry, field ecology and even microbiology. For convenience this article will only discuss freshwater systems.

Aquarium Plants

Live plants can add beauty to any aquarium and are good for the fish as well. Fish feel more secure when there are plants to hide in. Some fish will spawn among plants, and vegetarian species will eat plants. 

Because you are not likely to want your aquarium plants eaten, you will either have to avoid vegetarian species or use plastic plants instead. 

Many species of live plants will do well in an aquarium, but some do better than others depending on the water chemistry and the amount of light.

Do not use house-plants in an aquarium. They will not last long and will contribute to water quality problems as they begin to decay.

Unfortunately, some dealers are not familiar enough with live plants to always know whether the plants they carry are truly aquatic species or not. A good book on aquarium plants is very helpful in this regard and will also provide extensive information on the care and maintenance of plants.

Live plants compete with algae for nutrients in the water, and therefore limit their growth. Many hobbyists think algae are unattractive, but they are a natural part of any aquatic ecosystem and can provide food for some species of fish.