Need advice for beginner with fresh water tank

Hello Community,

I am thinking about to have 20Gal home aquarium with standard beginners tropical fishes and artificial plants. I read about cycling new aquarium, monitor water quality and introducing only few fishes at the beginning. Also recently I found that Health Canada removed most of antibacterial treatments for fishes from shelves. So few questions:
1. How safe to buy fishes in box stores like PetSmart or is it receipt for disaster?
2. Should I worry about lack of antibacterial treatments or this in general not a big problem for beginners fishes and either use salt bath or replace dead fish? How often they can get sick?
I am worrying that may be this hobby is dying in Canada and people just get rid of stuff and get out of hobby.

With a 20 gallon aquarium, I would suggest letting it run for a week before putting any fish in. Then start with 3-6 community (smaller, friendlier) fish wait a week or so, then add a few more and slowly allow the tank to age and build up the bacteria it needs. You should be fine with around 20 fish that are guppy or neon tetra sized. Remember, some fish want to school and some don't care. Don't start with plecos or catfish as there won't be enough built up for them to eat for the first month or so.

Buy your fish at a place that you trust and get a good feel from when you look at their tanks and upkeep. Don't be concerned about medications at this point - if you are going patiently, there shouldn't be an issue. There are always people getting in and out of the hobby, just like anything else - I'm sure most people have some type of sports equipment in a closet that they haven't used in years. It is a good hobby to enjoy in the environment that we are currently living in as it is easy to enjoy at home any time of day and little need to run out and purchase something for basic upkeep.

A few simple rules to follow - never feed as much as recommended on the package. A flake per fish every day or two is sufficient. Keep a steady temperature and water condition - do a 20-25% water change once a week and remember to add conditioner (Prime) to remove chlorine or chloramine. Research your fish before purchasing and adding them to your tank.

Excellent advice @sucker4plecos!

A trusted pet shop is best and support for LFS is needed at this time. Watch the activity in the tank of fish from which you are buying, and avoid the ones with sick or dying. A few minutes of careful watching will help you assess the fish.

Totally agree with S4P on the meds. You may want to begin water changes after the first month, and every month afterwards.

True that many drop the aquarium after a while, as life gets busy and things change. I would say that most people pick up the hobby again if they have had a good first experience. There are some diehard aquarists out there in local clubs and forums so the hobby will not be in danger of extinction anytime soon.

Alex, S4P thank you for you response!