Setting up a freshwater tropical fish aquarium in your home can be as simple as the following 9 steps. In order to have a healthy fish tank you will need some preparation. From your local Aquarium Shop you will need to purchase an aquarium, aquarium gravel, filter, replacement filter media, heater, chemical test kits, food for the specific type of fish you choose, an aquarium vacuum, fish net, whatever decorations you will want for your tank, and a pasta strainer.
FIRST: Remember you are responsible for the lives of these small creatures in your aquarium. Owning a tropical fish tank is similar to having a dog or a cat or any other pet. In order to have a successful fish tank it requires some work and effort on your part. At least every other week you must be prepared to spend some time on your aquariums care and maintenance.You will be performing tasks such as feeding your fish and cleaning the tank and changing water. Any living thing requires a serious commitment from those taking on responsibility for their lives. If you are willing and aware then you can move on looking forward to the joys and challenges of your new freshwater aquarium.
1: You will need to choose a location for your freshwater tropical fish aquarium. You will want to put your aquarium in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won’t be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. You will also want to be sure your aquarium is on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!
2: You will also need to decide on an aquarium size. Will it fit in the location you have chosen? It’s a good idea to have in mind what kind of tropical fish you want to keep before you purchase an aquarium. Some tropical fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches in length! Knowing what kind of tropical fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, then you may want to try a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium.
3: Now it’s time to purchase your aquarium and equipment. You may need to seek advice at the store where you buy your aquarium as to the type of filtration needed, what kind of heating the tank needs for it’s size, etc. Buy the gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon of water.
4: Put up your stand and be sure it is stabilized and ready to hold your tank. Wash out your tank with WATER ONLY. Do not use soap or detergents of any kind. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. Wash gravel, plants and decorations well to get any dirt or contaminating substances off of them. After everything has been washed you can place the tank on the stand and add the gravel.
5: Place your plants and decorations in the aquarium and add room temperature water. To avoid messing up your gravel and plants, you can place a bowl in the middle of your aquarium and direct the water flow gently into it. For the healthiest and best results remove the chlorine and chloramine with products like Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Be sure your decorations and plants are placed where you want them or you will cause the tank to overflow when you reach in to adjust things.
6: It is time to install your heater. Don’t plug it in however, until the thermostat in the heater has adjusted to the water temperature. This usually takes about 15 minutes or so. Hook up your filter and any other equipment you have, then fill the aquarium water to just under the edge of the hood. Place your hood and light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. Use a drip loop on all of the power cords to be extra cautious. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and finally you can turn everything on.
7: Now it is very important that you wait until your aquarium has cycled before adding any fish. If you want to speed up this wait you can check out information about the nitrogen cycle from someone knowledgeable at your local fish tank shop.
8: Finally you can add your tropical fish. Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple tropical fish at a time gives your filtration system the time needed to take on the increased biological load that the new fish introduce. When you bring the fish home let the bag float in the tank for about 15 minutes so that the fish can become acclimated to the temperature and pH of the aquarium water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the aquarium water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the aquarium. This will help reduce the amount of stress imposed on the tropical fish. Stressed tropical fish often leads to dead tropical fish! Don’t feed your tropical fish on the first day. They probably wouldn’t eat any food on the first day anyway. Let them adjust to their new home.
9: Regular maintenance is last on the list. Ideally you will need to spend some time every week in cleaning your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy.
