The choice of ornamental fish is huge! However, before buying fish, some factors should be considered. Not every fish is compatible, not every dealer trustworthy. What you should pay attention to when buying ornamental fish, you learn here!

Be Careful When Buying Ornamental Fish

With the composition of animals from different stocks, there is often a risk of disease outbreaks. Therefore, it is recommended to observe the ornamental fish for some time when buying. So you can estimate the individual state of health.

Not every fish can live in every aquarium. So choose the fish according to the size of your aquarium – or vice versa. You can learn how to calculate species-appropriate keeping in the article Aquarium for beginners – filling.

Tip: Make a note of the care products you used to prepare the aquarium. This way you can make sure you use the same ones later, they all complement each other and are compatible for your desired fish species.

Choosing A Vendor

First, get testimonials about regional vendors. Ask friends and acquaintances who share your hobby. Feel free to look at several stores before deciding. You will gradually notice differences, you just need to develop an eye for the most important factors.

This includes, for example, the cleanliness of the store. It should also be well-stocked and have a reasonable number of employees who can give you professional advice.

Larger pet store chains often focus on an extensive selection. Other franchises specialize in a few, but high-quality products. What you choose in the end is a matter of taste.

Comparing prices when buying a pet should not be a deciding factor. Here, especially the state of health and a species-appropriate housing of the fish are crucial. A cheap fish that swims dead in your tank after a few days is of no use to you.

Recognize Healthy Fish

At first glance, the fish should appear healthy and well fed. Then look at them up close. Fin flaws, emaciated bellies, abnormal swimming motions or strange skin conditions will be noticeable even to the layman’s eye.

If the fish are unusually sluggish and “stand” in the water, this is a sign of weakness or disease. But it should be noted here that some fish species are naturally less active. Neon fish, for example, can remain almost rigid in the current. Guppies, on the other hand, seem to be permanently hyperactive.

Aquariums in the trade should provide ample hiding places. Many fish cannot tolerate the stress of having the landing net dragged through the tank several times a day. This affects the health of the fish.

Tip: Look at pictures of your preferred fish on the Internet or in books beforehand. This way you will know how healthy fish of this species look and behave.

Costs For Ornamental Fish

Strikingly low prices should always be questioned! Often ornamental fish are offered quite expensive. It is important to keep in mind what the price consists of. First of all, reputable dealers offer quarantine. This costs a lot of money, because aquariums may be set up in separate rooms with elaborate technology. Thus, higher electricity costs are incurred.

Food, water, water care products and possibly medicines belong to the basic equipment of the dealers. Acquisition costs for new tanks or repairs are added. These expenses have to be recouped through the sale of the fish.

The biggest cost factor is the staff. Cleaning the tanks can take a whole day. In addition, there are daily feedings, water changes and checks of the values.

If you now discover conspicuously favorable offers, probably one or more of the just mentioned activities were not kept and the animals are thus in no good condition.

Safe Transport

The transport of ornamental fish is often underestimated. But the way from the dealer to the own aquarium is not without danger. Especially on hot or very cold days you should drive directly home. Do not leave the animals in the car while you work or go shopping.

To avoid temperature fluctuations styrofoam boxes or commercial bags can be useful. These keep the temperature constant inside the bag. Thus, neither cold nor heat can penetrate inside. In addition, the bag with the fish can not roll around. Darkness helps the animals to calm down and reduce oxygen consumption.

On cold winter days, a well-tempered hot water bottle or a slightly warmed cherry pit pillow can prevent chilling on a long trip. A small thermometer can be added for monitoring. In any case, prevent the water temperature from changing more than 4 degrees within 2 hours. Otherwise, the risk of the outbreak of spotted fever is quite high.

Filling The Aquarium

Before you buy the ornamental fish, your aquarium should be set up and planted a few days (or weeks) beforehand. This way it can settle in biologically. What you should pay attention to when buying an aquarium, you can read in the article Buy an aquarium – Everything you should know.

So before you buy fish, think about whether you want the aquarium to be themed (e.g., planted, discus or community aquarium). Then select the appropriate fish species that can live in this environment.

Or first think about which fish you would like to have. This way you can set up the aquarium in a species-appropriate way.

New Fish In The Old Stock

New fish should be socialized before adding them to the old stock. This includes gathering enough information about which fish can live together with which species. It is advisable to take only fish from the same natural habitat, since the demands on water and tank setup are the same or very similar. Guppies, for example, get along very well with tetras, armored catfish and rainbow fish. A combination with killifish and angelfish is rather not recommended. Although this assessment is often also associated with the respective attitude. If fish have enough space, even controversial compositions can work.

Do not put the new ornamental fish directly into the aquarium. Let the bag with the fish into the water and attach it to the top of the tank. This will allow the stock to get used to each other. Gradually dump about 200ml of water from the aquarium into the bag. The Ph-value of the water will equalize and the mucous membrane of the fish can perform the important regulation of the mineral balance. If this happens too quickly, cells of the skin can burst and the animal goes into a life-threatening shock. After about 2 hours you can let the new fish into the aquarium.

The lighting should be dimmed or turned off for the rest of the day. The fish can protect themselves in the dark, find a hiding place and come to rest.

Also, ensure adequate vitaminization of the food and water for disease prevention. It is best to observe the aquarium to see if all the fish get along with each other.

Buy Ornamental Fish Online

Buying ornamental fish online is often criticized and should be considered in a differentiated way. Always remember that the animals are sent by mail. In the process, packages are often thrown around and shaken. Alternatively, the online retailer can offer special trips or even its own transport service. This is usually a bit more expensive, but the animal welfare is much less endangered. Another disadvantage to online retailing is that you can’t choose your fish on site. Thus, the risk is quite high that the fish have diseases or are not in the best health when they arrive at your place.

If you still decide to buy online, here are some tips:

Check the website. This can give you first information about the professionalism of the dealer. Check the imprint. Here you should find the complete address, tax number, commercial register number and name of the responsible person. In the best case, a telephone number is available for inquiries. If this information is missing, you should not buy anything here!

Another way to check the dealer is to call. If you contact the dealer, he can give you good advice and assure you that you will get healthy fish, the probability of a professional trade is high. If the dealer is unfriendly or has no idea about his ornamental fish, buying is not recommended.

Furthermore, the store should be close by. For the welfare of the fish, long transport routes should be avoided. Mostly online fish dealers have high delivery costs (up to 25€), because animals have to be shipped by express delivery.

You can inform yourself in advance about the seller by internet reviews. Forums offer a good possibility to exchange experience reports. However, you should take the opinions rather as a rough direction and not every contribution as the full truth.

Before you let the ordered ornamental fish into your aquarium, check them thoroughly. Look for external characteristics such as injuries, missing or protruding scales and white spots on the body.

If you are sure that the fish are healthy, you can put them into your aquarium as described in the paragraph New fish in old stock.