The water in the tank can be natural sea water or man-made sea water. Normally natural sea water comprises full microorganism useful for the breeding fish, but it is easily polluted unless it is from deep in the sea and delivered by safe means. The alternative is to use fresh water that has purified salt added, which is available from many commercial outlets under a variety of brand names.

Selection of the appropriate sea fish for rearing is also an important step. Sea fish are diverse in species and colours, so the fish are chosen in accordance to the aesthetic goals of the breeder, but of course the fish must be healthy. The breeders divide sea fish into two categories: fish living together with corals and anemone, and the others living independently, so natural stones are added just for decoration.

Nguyen Van Tuan, a staff member of Tan Dai Duong (New Ocean) Company in Hanoi, which specializes in selling sea fish, said that when selecting sea fish the breeder must be careful in defining the species, i.e. the small ones can not be reared with the big ones, and the gentle ones out of reach of the aggressive ones.

The favourite sea fish for breeding include Hoang de (Peacock Bass), Hoang tu (Prince), Mao tien (Stripped dragon fish), etc. Corals and anemone are always sold together with fish because they will help in filtering water and the finished aquarium emulates the natural environment of the fish.

In recent years, due to the improved breeding technique and convenient transportation, sea fish rearing in Vietnam has quickly developed.

Nowadays it is a hobby not only of people living near the coastal areas, but also those inland and in mountainous areas. Investing in setting up an ornamental sea fish aquarium can be time consuming but the reward of a beautiful tank certainly outweighs the hard work.

VNP