Moving too fast: 

Patience, Patience and more Patience. A high percentage of people do not take the

time to read, learn and study up on the hobby before getting started. Doing your homework is something

you have to do, otherwise, problems will arrive soon. 

Overloading the system: 

The main problem with overloading the system is when our tank has not cycled properly. Even in a

well established system, placing too many new additions into the tank can cause ammonia and

nitrite to rise. Stop, don’t hurry take your time.  

Inadequate equipment:  

Having suitable equipment is one of the keys to success. Not making the right filter selection for your

tank for example can lead to a wide variety of problems. This same concept applies to almost

all equipment we purchase. 

Livestock Incompatibility: 

Aquarist's comments like "my trimaculatum kill my caeruleus" or my "beta splendens ate my cherry

shrimp" are well known.In order to avoid such cases you need to do your homework carefully.

You have to understand your animals needs, what they feed on, how aggressive they are, who can

be their tankmates and who can not. 

Purchasing the right animal: 

Far too many people purchase poor health animalsIt is very easy to see if the fish is sick, most of

sick fish just don’t eat. Don’t be shy and ask the seller to feed the fish before you put your money on it.

Sick fish with ich disease or fin rot disease for example are easy to noticed, "waste" 5 minutes and

check your future fish, its skin, behavior and its vitality.  

Overfeeding: 

Fish love to eat. At any given time you'll decide to feed your fish they will jump on it as

if they never had seen food before. I know, it's tempting and at feeding time you can see their truly

nature behavior but never over feed, uneaten food will cause ammonia increase.   

Maintenance: 

Far too many people neglect their tank, comments like "I forgot to perform water change" 

or "do I really have to use test kits?"  "What for?" are frequently heard. By maintaining your tank

properly (water changes, test water quality) you can avoid many problems.