Happy Friday everyone!  We are sure you're happy that the weekend is now here!

Some of you are probably excited to put some time into your aquarium and perhaps even add new fish into your tank.  We know many of you are well experienced aquarists but since many of you are beginner fish keepers as well, we decided to write a list of some Don'ts when it comes to fish keeping and maintaining your aquarium.

• Don't add too many fish into your aquarium!

A rule of thumb is to have 1 inch of fish for every gallon.  Keep this in mind!

• Don't add incompatible fish into the same tank!

Make sure you do your research first and ask for plenty of advice from the shop you're buying from.  We know that it can be tempting to just buy every fish that looks beautiful but the last thing you want is a "war zone" in your tank.  Even worse, some of your fish might become "lunch" to the newly added carnivore fish you just bought!

• Don't forget to acclimate your fish! 

Not only will you put stress on your fish but there is a chance your fish will encounter death from the shock.  Read more tips on our posting on acclimation.

• Don't overfeed!

Give you fish just enough food to where they can finish within a 5 minute timeframe.  Be sure to remove all uneaten food within minutes if they aren't finishing it.

• Don't tap on the glass!

Not only will this stress your fish out but will cause many of them to dart quickly across the tank and even bang their head very hard onto the aquarium wall.

• Don't forget to change your filter media every 3 months

This is for the carbon in particular.  It loses its effectiveness after 3 months so be sure to change it!

• Don't add water from the bag of newly purchased fish.

The water may contain contaminants that will only give you much headache.

• Don't forget to snap pictures of your awesome fish and tank setup!

We love to see everyones' progress when it comes to their fish tank projects!  Keep us posted by posting onto our Facebook page or on Instagram (@petzone)!

We are sure you have plenty more Dos and Don'ts to add to the list!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks!

Happy Fish Keeping,

Roger Ma
Pet Zone Tropical Fish