Aquariums, both the freshwater and marine types, have become a growing hobby worldwide that translates into hundreds of millions of dollars in yearly sales. From the pets to aquarium structures and from setup materials to the gadgetry needed to keep aquariums functioning properly, big money is channeled to the industries that supply and support this hobby. But the most delicate and expensive aspect of the aquarium hobby as a whole lies not in the structures but in the kind of pets owners put in their aquariums.
As a beginning enthusiast, you must carefully choose the kind of fish and invertebrates you put into your tank because putting these creatures in captivity not only affects the biodiversity of the environment from which they came from, they can also hurt your wallet in a very big way. As a beginner, it is always a good idea to keep your hands away from exotic and unfamiliar species of aquatic animals. For reasons that involve the environment, delicateness of the species, financial requirements and overall harmony inside your marine or freshwater aquarium, some fish and invertebrates must be avoided.
The following list identifies a number of fish and invertebrates that must normally be avoided by beginner aquarium hobbyist like you. And unless you have the money to burn and the patience to care for these organisms, these species are better off left in their natural habitat or some veteran hobbyists’ fish tanks. Read on and know why.
Fish To Avoid Putting In Your Aquarium
Paddlefish can be a potential headache for a budding aquarium enthusiast because these fish can grow beyond two meters in length. You will need a large space and a large aquarium if you plan to start your hobby with a paddlefish. To top it all, paddlefish require an abundance of live small crustaceans like Daphnia as food. Paddlefish require huge amounts of funds for a pet.
Some varieties of aquarium sharks like the iridescent shark and the paroon shark can both outgrow the length of common aquariums. While they aren’t picky as to the food they eat, they are hungry most of the time and they will eat other fish in your aquarium that can conveniently fit inside their mouths. These miniature sharks, which are actually a variety of catfish, usually require a lot of room to swim in.
Next on the list is the Pacu. This fish originated from South America and is a close relative of the piranhas, which in turn have a notorious reputation of tearing off flesh from its victims in the wild. While Pacu may be a great aquatic pet, a beginner should avoid it. A pacu may not be as aggressive as its cousins in the wild but its jaws are potential hazards especially for children because it can easily rip human fingers, adult and youngsters alike.
Invertebrates To Avoid In Your Aquarium
First on the list of invertebrates that you must avoid putting in your aquarium as pets are nudibranchs or slugs. These invertebrates are described as completely unsuitable for home aquariums. If large public marine tanks find it difficult to take care of nudibranchs, the situation could be worse for a beginner like you. Nudibranchs are very delicate and they have special feeding requirements; to make matters worse, there is only a little information about nudibranchs available.
While many nudibranchs or slugs are beautiful and attractive as pets, they are in effect impossible to care for in home aquariums unless you have adequate knowledge of their requirements particularly food and living conditions.
Next, a beginner aquarium hobbyist like you must stay away from harlequin shrimps. True, there are a lot of beautiful shrimp that can be great pets; however, harlequin shrimp are difficult to look after as they require starfish as their only food.
Another invertebrate that can cause a lot of headaches for a beginner enthusiast is the octopus. An octopus is very difficult to keep in captivity aside from the fact that its life span is very short. A very intelligent creature, an octopus always escapes from aquariums.
Lastly, always keep in mind that anemones aren’t appropriate for beginners’ aquariums. For one thing, anemones require a lot of strong light and superior quality of water in the aquarium. Therefore, if you don’t have money to spend on lighting and water purifiers, it is best to forget about anemones until you have gained enough experience in the aquarium hobby.
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