Just by mentioning the name Aquarium, the first thing that comes to anyone's mind is the beautiful and delicate Gold fish of different radiant colours. Aquarium keeping is a fascinating hobby. People who are fond of tiny living creatures especially fish, prefer to keep then in their living rooms, feed them, watch their growth and feel relaxed in their company.

Nowadays, the number of Aquarium lovers is on the rise and has become more or less a status symbol. It adds some attractiveness to the living rooms as well as ushering in peace and tranquility in the family. People also believe that it acts as a natural therapy for the patient suffering high blood pressure. Not only in homes, you will be equally pleased to find them in hospitals, hotels, restaurants, banks and offices of many multinational companies.

Ornamental fish keeping is catching up gradually. The interest is usually increasing with the rise of environment based channels such as the National Geographic, Animal Planet and Discovery. Also, during exhibitions that are regularly held in cities. Everyone likes to keep an Aquarium in their rooms whether elderly people, adults, youth or children. Awareness of the correct practices is a must for any enthusiast because keeping an Aquarium is a very expensive hobby. It is easy to invest in an Aquarium with a couple of fish but the maintenance is a different proposition. Adequate knowledge or skill is necessary. One should acquire sufficient knowledge about the fish, the anatomy and behaviour of fish, science and chemistry of water, selection of fish, and maintenance of Aquarium and fish diseases.

Classifications

Aquarium fish are broadly classified into six groups. Gold Fish, Sicklid, Fighter, Cat Fish, Brackish- Water Fish and Marine Fish. Fish like Oranda, Red Cap, Black-More-Gold, Suman King and Bubble Eye are included in the Gold fish category. Parrot, Oscar, Pacee, Tetra and Zebra –Sicklid comes under the group of Sicklids. Moli, Red Tail, Guppy, Tiger Barb, Sword Tail and Blue Gourrami are some of the fighter fishes. Cat fish include different types of sharks like Tiger –Shark, AlbinoTiger Shark, Silver Shark and Pencil Shark. Mono Angel, Argus and Parrot come under Brackish Water Group. Marine Group has in its ranks fish like Butterfly, Midnight Angel and Lion Fish.

Behaviour of Fish

Every group of differ in their attitude. On the one side, Sicklid, Brackish-water fish and cat-fish are aggressive. On the other side, Gold fish is known for it mild characteristics. Sicklids are also not aggressive but will always be found busy fighting amongst themselves.

Selection of Fish

While selecting the fish to be kept in Aquarium, one should not forget about the behaviour of each of the groups. Gold fish will not survive in the company of the more aggressive kind. It is advisable to keep every group separately. But exceptions exist.