The information on this website is based towards the biUbe set up as a tropical fish aquarium – i.e. it has a heater. Therefore what I describe below is based on my experience of introducing tropical fish to it.
Before you get to you local aquatics shop research what sort of fish you would like to keep in your tank. Not all fish live together peacefully, some are territorial, some require a lot of swimming length and some prefer depth so speak to you local retailer, tell them what tank you have and it’s volume. Remember to tell them what – if anything – you already have in it. The last think you want to do is buy a fish only to find out that it will grow in to a monster! Although… this could be a good enough to reason (to whoever you need to justify it to) for getting a second tank!
How many fish can the biUbe have in it?
Well, this area is all a bit woolly, there are a number of methods for establishing how many fish you can have in your aquarium.
The user manual states 12 fish – This is only a guide though, for example I don’t think that there’s enough volume of water for 12 Swordtails would to happily live in it. Conversely 12 Neon Tetras would possibly look a bit lost in there.
Another method states 2.5cm of fish per 4.5 litres. So that’s 19.4 cm of (fully grown) fish!
In my established biUbe I currently have:
- 3 x Neon Tetras
- 1 x Dwarf Gourami
- 5 x Pearl Danios
- 2 x Zebra Danios
- 1 x Cherry Shrimp
Which you may have noticed is 12 fish, but more than 19.4cm of fish. I have had these for a long time and the tank seems very balanced.
What and how many fish should I introduce at a time?
At first you need to slowly add hardy fish to the aquarium. When I say slowly I don’t mean slowly lower them in – though they would appreciate this. I mean only introduce a small number of fish per month up to the maximum stated. Ideally you want to add hardy fish – I explain why you need to do this in the Aquarium Filtration article, if you don’t feel inclined to read this just stick to the information in this here. I would recommend initially only adding a two or three fish to your tank per month, for example two Danios or three Neon Tetras.
How should I put the fish in to the tank?
When you bring your fish home let the bag it is in float in the top of the tank for fifteen to twenty minutes. This allows the water temperature in the bag to slowly adjust to the temperature of the water in the tank. When the bag has been floating for long enough carefully undo the bag, net the fish and pop him/her straight in to the tank. Do not mix the water from the bag with the water in the aquarium. The water may have disease in it that may upset all of your hard work.
