Setting up an Aquarium

When you first get your tank home you are going to need to clean everything. You want to remove dust and debris from everything. This includes the tank itself and all decorations. Do not use chemicals or soap. You are only rinsing. The best way to clean the gravel is in the bathtub using a strainer. Watch to see that the water is running out clear.

If you have bought a stand get it into place and make sure that it is level. If you do not have a stand then place the tank in the location where it is going to be permanently. Check that the tank is making good contact with the stand. You do not want it uneven or unsupported in any way, as this may cause your tank to crack or break.

If you are putting in an underground filter, do it now, otherwise put in the gravel. You should make sure that you have enough gravel in the tank to completely cover the bottom. You are probably going to want have at least an inch of gravel. Remember, that debris builds up in gravel, so if you do not have a vacuum you may not want to have gravel that is too deep or to have a lot of hills and valleys.

Place in any other decorations that you want to use. Avoid stacking anything that might fall and crack the glass when you put the water in. When adding either live or plastic plants make sure that you bury their roots or bases well, otherwise they are going to float.

Once you have everything in place add water, but only fill the tank about halfway. To avoid disrupting all the careful landscaping you have done, pour the water over a plate or carefully down the inside of the glass. Check your decorating. Some things may have shifted, or have become dislodged. Make your final adjustments.

Add the rest of the water. Read all the instructions and safety guidelines before putting any electrical equipment in the tank. Once you have finished reading, install whatever equipment you have selected. Follow all safety instructions carefully not only for your safety, but also because you do not want to accidentally damage any of the equipment.

Treat the water. At the very least add something that will remove both chlorine and chloramine. If you are using well water find out what other minerals or substances are in it before you introduce the fish.

Now you have to ‘cycle’ the tank. This is the worst part about setting up a new tank. You are going to have to be patient and allow the good bacteria in your tank to build up. This process can take two weeks or longer depending on the size of your tank. There are certain chemicals that you can add to speed up the process however, the best thing to do is wait. Test your tank every day or two to see if you have achieved a balanced level. You do not want to have any ammonia or nitrites showing up. If you detect nitrates then you know it should be safe to begin adding fish.

Aquarium Basic Equipment List

Setting up a large tropical freshwater aquarium

Practical Fishkeeping magazine online shows you how to set up a large tropical freshwater aquarium.

Caring for Your Aquarium

A fish tank is no different from owning any other kind of pet. You are going to need to spent a bit of time caring and maintaining it. If you follow a good regular maintenance routine not only will you have a cleaner tank, but you will avoid a lot of unnecessary and unwanted problems. And most importantly you will have fish that live a lot longer, healthier lives.

Daily

When you feed your fish take couple of minutes to just watch them. Fish that are stressed will not feed well. You should also watch them moving around the tank to see if any of your fish are behaving oddly. Fish that are hiding or that are not swimming well may be sick or stressed. You should also look for any signs of disease, growths, spots or abnormal coloration. Any one of these things is an indication that you have a problem and you need to address it as soon as possible.

Take a quick look at the temperature to make sure that there is no trouble and check the filter to make sure that it is operating smoothly.

Weekly

You are going to have to change between 15 and 20% of the water. Fish water gets incredibly dirty. Try not to change more than this because you might upset the bacteria balance that you have in the tank. You can safely add most tap water without treating it, if you stick to less than 20% replacement.

This is a great time to clean the gravel. It only takes a couple of minutes and you can remove the old water at the same time. You should also scrape the glass of any algae. Algae can grow at an incredibly fast rate, so take a few minutes and clean it off.

Count your fish. If you have small fish one may have disappeared without you noticing. Dead or decaying fish in a tank can cause spikes in the water balance.

As part of your aquarium maintenance routine you should clean and thoroughly check your filter. Depending on what kind of filter you own, and how many fish you have, you may be able to do this once every two weeks. Take the time to look at all the electric equipment that you are using. Make sure that they are working properly and that there is no problem with cords or connections.

Selecting Fish

There are hundreds of types of fish to choose from. You really have to give some serious thought as to which kinds of fish you want to own before buying. This will not only save the fish, but will save you time and money.

Different fish have different requirements. You need to know what these are before you end up with a problem. These are some of the things to consider when choosing fish.

Water- Most tropical fish like to live in a tank that has a ph of about 6.5 to 7. There are of course exceptions to this. Some fish also prefer more acid water than others. You also have to decide if you are going to have a salt or marine tank.

Temperature-As a general rule a tropical tank is between 75 and 82 degrees F. Are the fish you are choosing going to be able to survive at this temperature?

Temperament- you want to be certain that the types of fish you get are going to be compatible. Many fish are very aggressive and are territorial. If you are getting this kind of fish, be careful what else you put in the aquarium. You do not want to buy an exotic fish, just to discover that the more aggressive fish have just had a gourmet dinner.

Size of tank- Fish grow. Many beginners do not realise exactly how large certain breeds will get. You need to know exactly how large the adult fish is going to be. You may not have a tank that is big enough to accommodate a fully grown fish. A good example of this is an oscar. An adult oscar can grow to be 12 inches in length, these fish require a very large tank to keep them happy.

Male and Female- In most cases females get along, but you may have a problem with males of certain species. They either like to live alone, or you have to provide them with enough females to keep them happy. Sword tails are a good example. They do best if you have a one male to three female ratio.

Schools-Fish like zebras and tetras like to live in schools. They are happiest when they are with other fish of the same type. Other fish are solitary and do not like to have other fish around even if they are the same sex and species.

Choosing and acclimating your Aquarium Fish - The Liddle Fish Doctor