The basics

Come June and Hyderabad wakes up to the fish medicine dispensed by the Bathini Goud brothers. And yet another bunch will doubt the efficacy of murrel fingerlings packed with yellowish stuff to cure asthma. But, there is another kind of fish therapy that can give you joy and happiness throughout the year. What's more, it will also balance the yin and yang in your home and let the chi flow in the right direction.

Yep. We are talking about fishes and aquariums of the freshwater kind. Keep one in your house and it will turn into a home. We will take you through the basics to make you a happy aquarist.

First the aquarium and the size. The bigger the better. Remember the Pink Floyd song: We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year... Your fish should not sing the same song. So, your aquarium should be big, the shape and size you like (no fish bowls please). Find a spot where there is no direct sunlight or where the sun's rays fall for an hour.

It should be away from doors and windows, protected from cold draughts and hot air. Get a strong stand, you can get your neighbourhood welder to mould one with thermacole base. Now, you are ready.

~ S.N.