Setting up an aquarium can be a lot of fun, but one must know a little bit about it, such as the fish that will be in it, what size there is and the food that you will feed the fish. Many people add things to the aquarium without thinking if it good for the fish. Decide what you want and what type of fish and stick to it. You can save yourself a lot of time and money that way.
One of the first things you should do is once you have bought the aquarium and take it home, wash it. Even if it looks clean and shiny, wash it anyway. There might be contaminants that will dissolve in the water and kill the fish. Especially if you bought a used aquarium, you do not know what has been in the tank. Take just a little bit of a weak detergent to wash it out the first time. Many frown on that, but once will be alright, just be sure all the residue of the soap is no longer there.
Clean all of what you want inside the tank, from rocks to castles, they need cleaning as well. Be sure to buy a good sturdy aquarium stand, remembering when the tank is full of water, it will be extremely heavy. Do not put a filled aquarium on top of furniture, again it being so heavy it could collapse the furniture. Try not to use tap water to fill the aquarium or if you do, get a water conditioner as they will remove the chlorine in the water. Chlorine will kill fish.
Be sure to check for leaks within the tank. Fill it about half full and leave it overnight. If no leaks are detected then you are ready to fill it with what you want. Lay gravel on the bottom first, and then start adding the rocks, castles and whatnots. Then you can start adding the heater, the filter and thermometer. Usually the heater is placed where good circulation is potent. Be sure to put in items the fish can hid in, as this gives the sense to the fish they are in their natural state. Some will put in life plants, but read up on these as they are special, not your ordinary houseplants.
Now you can plug in the fish aquarium, start the heater and get the water up to where it should be. A new aquarium usually comes with all the instructions and information for setting it up. Read them carefully, this will help with the fish living a long good life. Once everything is done, then you can start adding the fish. Choose fish that will get along with each other. The store where you bought the aquarium can advise you and will help you with what kind of fish food to feed them and how often. Always keep a lid on the aquarium, as cats love to eat fish.
