You want to rear fish in your home? Here’s my criteria for a fish tank:

(1) It has to be fairly deep compared to the size of the fish, because fish may jump out when you first introduce them into the fish tank. So if you plan to keep 1-inch long fish, make sure that the tank is at least 3-inches above the top water level.

(2) It is better to have a transparent tank, so you can admire your fish.

(3) It is better if you have a square-shaped or a rectangular-shaped fish tank, because a round tank means that your pitiful fish will never see the world as it is. Their view will be either concave or convex forever. Pitiful fishes in a round-shaped tank, my heart goes out to them!  😭

(4) It is better to have a long and wide fish tank, than to have a very tall and narrow fish tank. Fishes mostly swim horizontally, they seldom go up and down.

(5) The tank does not have to be made of glass. A cheap transparent plastic one will do.  Pictured here is a cheap and good fish tank that I use sometimes. You can buy it in various sizes from any neighbourhood aquarium shop for less than 5 dollars.

(6) Never (never!) wash your tank with soap. Even diluted, mild or organic soap is very harmful to fish. Some people say that it is ok if you use very diluted dishwashing liquid to wash your fish tank, but I strongly advise you against doing that! I’ve asked 2 aquarium shop owners, even they don’t do that! When you first buy a tank from the shop, just give it a rinse and fill it up with water. Let the water sit overnight, and pour out the water the next day. Shake the excess water out (don’t use your kitchen cloth to wipe it dry!), and your tank is ready for use.

If this is your first-time rearing fish, I suggest that you don’t spend too much money on your tank. Don’t ‘hooray hooray’ and go buy a 2 feet fish tank until you are very sure that keeping fish, and constantly changing your fish tank water is what you want to do. Remember, we are ordinary people, changing fish water is an extra job (chore) to us!  😅