In this article, we will enlighten you and give you food for thought to know if an aquarium will be adapted to your way of life and your family. We are therefore going to see the 10 main questions to ask yourself before buying aquarium fish or before buying an aquarium.

First question, why do you want an aquarium?

Is it to look pretty in the living room or in the kitchen or do you just want a decorative element? Or perhaps you just love animals and have become interested in the biology of fish or find it interesting to share the biology of an aquarium with your children ? Is it to please the youngest who absolutely wants a cat or a dog?

Suppose you end up accepting and you tell yourself that a fish will be a lesser evil, but no! Your child will quickly get tired of the aquarium because in the end it's not a fish he wanted but another animal to pet or play with. And it will certainly not be with a fish that he will be able to do it. You will therefore have to pay for the maintenance of the aquarium because your child will no longer be interested in this fish at all, which you will therefore end up having on your hands.

Second question, have you ever had an aquarium?

Perhaps you had an aquarium in your childhood. But did you or your parents take care of it? Have you ever really been interested in the biology of this one and the biology of fish as well? It would be wiser to read up on fish and aquariums before buying an aquarium and especially before buying fish. If you had an aquarium in the past and you personally took care of it from maintenance to installation, we can say that you already have some basics in aquariums, but it can still be interesting to review some basics, in particular the nitrogen cycle, to be sure not to miss anything and to leave really serenely with a new aquarium.

Third question, do you have a stable situation?

Here we are mainly talking about your accommodation. Indeed, an aquarium, whatever its size, is not easy to move. This requires a separate organization and the movers do not take care of it. You will therefore have to take care of moving an aquarium. Also, if you have a job that requires you to move very regularly every six months or every year, perhaps having an aquarium will not be very practical for you?

Fourth question, are you ready to commit to the long term with your aquarium?

Contrary to what we may believe, aquarium fish can live a really long time. Some go up to ten, fifteen, 20 years of longevity. The smallest, like the splendid betas for example, can live between three and five years. You must therefore be sure that the aquarium will continue to please you during this period and that you will not get tired of the aquarium very quickly.

Fifth question do you have enough time to devote to the maintenance of your aquarium?

You should dedicate at least an hour each week to tending to your aquarium, especially when you're just starting out. There are several small things you need to consider and check. And above all, to prevent you from having algae invasions or fish getting sick.

Sixth question, who will take care of the aquarium? Who will do his interview? Who will feed the fish?

Normally, the whole family could participate in the maintenance of the aquarium, according to their possibilities and their age, or in turn. Unfortunately, in real life, it doesn't really happen that way and it's often up to mom or dad to take care of the aquarium. If you are a parent, be aware of this.

Your children will turn away from the aquarium and you will be in charge of it, and therefore continue to maintain the aquarium for the well-being of the fish you have adopted with your children.

Seventh question: can you afford the financial burden of an aquarium and aquarium fish? 

We very often hear that aquarium keeping is an expensive hobby and we are not going to contradict these statements. It is true that the aquarium presents a considerable investment. Especially at the beginning, because we need to buy everything: the aquarium, the plants, the fish, the soil, the lighting, the filter , etc etc.

We will have different kinds of expenses to be made to equip ourselves; small accessories that will be useful for maintenance and for the life of the fish. Getting started without breaking your wallet too much is not impossible, but you will still need a budget of at least 50 to 100 € for an aquarium, even a small one between accessories, fish and everything else.

Eighth question, how are you going to organize yourselves for holidays and weekends?

As you will have understood, an aquarium is not like raising a dog or a cat.

We cannot take him with us, nor drop him off at a boarding house. It is therefore necessary to be able to be quiet and leave the aquarium at home. There is also no question of cutting the electricity while you go on vacation because the aquarium needs the lighting and the filter to continue to function properly for the good health of your fish. In addition, there is also the food aspect, so to meditate.

Are you really going to be able to get by if you often go on vacation and often on weekends?

Ninth question are you manic?

It may sound weird, but just because an aquarium is a well-organized cube doesn't mean there won't be dirt everywhere. When maintaining an aquarium, when we prune the plants or when we want to put new fish in the aquarium, we always put a little water on the ground.

So if you have a wooden floor that you care about a lot or a carpet that you don't want to damage, maybe having an aquarium will quickly become a problem for you. So pay attention to this aspect. People who are a little fussy or people who simply care about their furniture may find having an aquarium indoors problematic.

Last question, are you patient?

Its very important. The aquarium hobby is a quiet hobby that requires lots and lots of patience. The typical example for starting an aquarium well is when you have to wait at least four weeks before adding the first fish. Why? Quite simply because there is a biological cycle that will be created in your aquarium. And this cycle, it needs at least four weeks to settle in your aquarium, so you can safely and peacefully put your fish in your aquarium.

Another example is that some aquarium plants will grow quite slowly. You will therefore have to be patient to have a beautiful and well-planted aquarium. So, if you're someone who wants everything right away, the aquarium, the water, the fish right away, it's going to be a bit complicated because nature needs to take its time.

But nature is also very well done since during these four weeks of waiting, you can use them to inform yourself, to document yourself on the future fish in your aquarium.

In conclusion, it is important to understand that the aquarium hobby is a very special hobby because having fish as pets is really special. A certain number of you must even say to yourself that it is really a big wire to the leg, that it is a big constraint to have an aquarium. But if you're passionate about animals and like to learn, aquarium keeping can be a great hobby.

However, like all animals and like all passions, you will have to invest time in the aquarium, in the maintenance of your aquarium and in the creation of your aquarium. It takes thought. You also have to want to learn. Wanting to learn is really important because we can't know all the fish and all aspects of the aquarium hobby. Even after decades of practice, it is ultimately always by asking the right questions that we make the right decisions.