How To Set Up A Fish Tank
[ad#HTML]Setting up a fish tank is not as hard as you would think. There is a basic list of items you will need to start the tank set up.
Equipment you will need:
Fish Tank (Glass for best results)
Gravel ( Be sure it is Fish Safe)
Tank filter ( Matched to size of tank )
Replacement filter media
Heater ( Only as large as you need for size of fish tank)
Other decorations (such as fake or real plants)
Test kits to test water parameters and monitor the infamous fish tank nitrogen cycle
Fish food
Vacuum to clean ( Or small turkey baster )
Fish net
Plastic Glass Scrubber
5 gallon bucket
Pasta strainer
Realize the responsibility involved.
Learning how to set up a fish tank is not all that difficult, but there are some steps you should follow. First, you must realize a few things about an fish tank setup. A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to the amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful freshwater tropical fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on the tank. Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your fish at least once a day. If you are up to the challenge, please proceed!
Decide on an fish tank size.
It’s a good idea to have in mind what kind of fish you want to keep before you purchase an fish tank. Some fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches or more in length! Knowing what kind of fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an fish tank, it may be a good idea to start with a 10 gallon fish tank or a 20 gallon fish tank for now and stock it with some smaller and hardier species. A 55 gallon fish tank might be a bit large to start with, but as the hobby takes hold you will probably look at one in a year or so.
Decide on the fish tank’s location.
Place your fish tank in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won’t be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. Sunlight that enters the room through an unshaded window could affect the temperature of your tank. This could also lead to green algae problems for your tank down the road. You will want to place your fish tank on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. You also want to be sure that the floor is able to support the total weight of the fish tank and stand. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full fish tank is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55 gallon fish tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!
Buy your fish tank and equipment.
Now is a good time to decide on the type of fish tank filter you will want to use. You will also need to purchase a heater capable of heating the tank size you have. 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.
Set up your fish tank and stand.
Wash out your tank with water only! Do not use soap or detergents. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. If you are going to use an under gravel filter (not recommended) now would be the time to set it up as well.
Wash Gravel, plants and decorations.
Be sure to wash the gravel thoroughly before adding it to your tank. An easy way to do this is to put some of the rocks in a pasta strainer and wash them out in your bath tub. Then place the clean gravel in a clean 5 gallon bucket for transport to the fish tank. After adding the gravel you can place your plants and decorations.
Add water to the fish tank.
To avoid messing up your gravel and plants, you can place a plate or saucer in the middle of your fish tank and direct the water flow onto the plate. Use room temperature water when filling. To remove the chlorine and chloramine, use something like Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Don’t completely fill up the fish tank until you are sure of the layout of your decorations. Otherwise, when you place your arm in to move stuff around water is going to spill over. Doh!
Set up equipment.
Install your heater but don’t plug it in 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 top off the fish tank water to just under the hood lip. Place your hood and tank light on the fish tank and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. I would also recommend using a drip loop on all of the power cords to be extra cautious. For more information on safety, read this great article on fish tank electrical safety. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and then “turn on” the fish tank.
Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more.
I know, you want to add some fish. But, in order to do this right you must wait until your fish tank has cycled before adding any fish. There are ways of speeding up this process. Check out the nitrogen cycle page to learn more about starting the nitrogen cycle and how to speed it up. If you must use fish to cycle, try to get a hardier species like the zebra danio or cherry barb.
Add tropical fish.
Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple 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 fish tank water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the fish tank water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the fish tank. This will help reduce the amount of stress imposed on the fish. Stressed fish often leads to dead or diseased fish! Don’t feed your fish on the first day. They probably wouldn’t eat any food on the first day anyway. Let them get acquainted with their new home.
Get ready for regular maintenance.
Be prepared to spend some time once every week or two to clean your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy.
As you can see, the steps for how to set up a fish tank are not that complex and hopefully you now have your fish tank setup and running! Have fun, take care of and enjoy your fish! Read More on: How To Start a Fish Tank
