How to Set-Up a Freshwater Aquarium

I became an aquarist the way so many people become ex-aquarists. I went to the Big-box bargain store to pick up new socks and some dish soap and I left with a motley bunch of fish in little plastic bags and a tiny glass box to house them. Poorly planned impulsiveness and lack of research led to major frustration and a lot of fishy funerals. This rough outline should help you avoid the same trial and error I went through and should help you avoid Chernobyl sized tank meltdowns.

Get the right gear.

First of all, you need a tank. Within that glass box will be an entire functional eco-system, so purchase the largest you can afford and have room for. It may seem foolish to start big, but trust me. Many people start out with a ten gallon tank. I did, and it was a nightmare. Changes is water chemistry were rapid. Changes happen; that's a fact, but normally there is some warning before a crash. Do yourself and your fish a favor and at least get a tank 30 gal. or larger.

There are tanks that double as coffee tables, lamp bases, even toilet tanks. All of which are pretty cool, but expect drastically shortened life-spans due to poor gas exchange, bad temperature regulation and all around stressful environments (imagine giant beasts slamming coffee cups down on your skylights while you're trying to chill on the couch). Specialty tanks are also a pain to clean and maintain. A simple, horizontal rectangle is often the best bet. After all, some of the worlds most precious works of art reside in simple rectangular frames.

A good filter is necessary to a healthy tank. Three types of filtration are required to make that sterile glass box a thriving eco-system.
1)Biological filtration is the most important. This type of filtration often consist of a slow flow of water over sponge-like media on which beneficial bacteria (more about this later) can grow and thrive.
2) Mechanical filtration simply strains out the particles, like uneaten food, plant debris and fish poo.
3)Chemical filtration consists of activated carbon or resin to chemically remove dissolved substances from the water.
In recent years many simple external power filters that hang on the back of the tank have been developed that utilize all three filtration types quite well. If you can, get one that can handle a tank larger than what you have. More filtration= happier fish.

Every tank needs a stand. Don't skimp on this, because water weighs about 7lbs. per gallon. After gravel, mechanicals and decoration a 55gal. tank can easily weigh 500lbs. Thats a quarter of a ton!

Lights and a cover are needed as well. A cover helps prevent evaporation, which can affect water chemistry. Fish sometimes like to jump and the cover prevents you from coming home to find fish jerky laying on your carpet. The lights thing seems pretty self explanatory. You wanna see your pets, right?

Gravel is also important. The gravel, also called substrate, plays a role in the biological filtration by being a good home to the good bacteria. It comes in a wide array of color, but its all about the same. I choose the natural colored pea-sized gravel. The bold colors can detract from the fishes natural color, and besides that hot pink stuff may not fit your homes decor a couple years down the road. Buy about a pound per gallon of water.

A heater is also essential. These fish are tropical, after all, so they thrive in water that is 78-80 degrees. I live in Minnesota, and in the winter I'm often too cheap and stubborn to turn the thermostat past 70 in my house, so the tank heater prevents me from making fish-cicles.

Miscellaneous stuff you'll need: A good clean 5 gal. bucket that has never had chemicals, cleaning agents or anything in it can be purchase at the hardware store for a couple bucks.Only use it for the aquarium. It can be used to remove and replace water as well as caddy around your nets, siphon/ gravel vacuum, algae scraper, and the ever important water test kit. Air pumps and air stones are a good idea. A sheet of background to cover the back of the tank is nice. Mine is a simple black to contrast the natural colors. Go ahead and get creative, but remember it may be hard to change after everything is set in place.Get a couple stick-on thermometers to stick at the top and bottom of the tank while you are at it.

Decoration is good, but don't get carried away. Plants, rocks, and driftwood are nice to look at, and provide the fish with hiding spots. Having a place to hide will lessen their stress and provide a longer life. There are millions of other decorations for your tank like, scuba divers, sunken ships, castles, skeletons, space aliens, you name it. Some of these are pretty neat, but can get awfully expensive. Don't go overboard with these. It's a fish tank; not a toy box.

*Some assembly required

You can put your wallet away for a while now and we can get down to the business of assembling a suitable habitat for your slippery pals. First you should place the stand where you want it. Next, place the tank on the stand. Don't pat yourself on the back yet. Make sure there is enough space between the tank and wall to accommodate for the filter and electrical plugs. Use a level to make sure the tank is level front to back and side to side. Don't trust that the floor is perfectly level because it seldom is. Shim it up if necessary.

Now use your shiny new 5gal. pail and put 5-10 lbs of substrate in it. Put the bucket under the faucet (I use the bathtub) and run warm water in while stirring the gravel with your hand and continue until the water runs clear. Carefully scoop the gravel into the tank. Dumping the gravel in will likely result in loud shattering noise followed by crushing disappointment. Carefully repeat this process until all of the gravel is in the tank.

Fill 3/4 of the tank with R/O (reverse osmosis) water. If you plan on using tap water, you can often bring a sample to your local fish store where they can test it for chlorine, ammonia, chloromine and proper PH. They can suggest chemicals to adjust these levels if necessary.

Now you can you can set up your filter, heater and air pumps/air stones. Then place your plants (real/fake or both) and decoration like rocks, driftwood , skull, pirate ship, etc.

Slowly fill the tank the rest of the way to avoid disturbing the substrate and decor.

Slow your roll

Rapper Young Buck probably didn't have tropical fish mind when spittin the lyrics "Slow Ya Roll" but truer words have never been spoken when it comes to keeping aquatic critters. Patience is key when it comes to stocking your tank with fish. Let the tank run for a few days before you start putting fish into the tank. This is the beginning of a process called "cycling".

The term "cycling" refers to the nitrogen cycle. This is an extremely important process. Let me break it down for you.

Uneaten food and fish poo decompose and create ammonia. Ammonia makes fish real dead, real quick. A beneficial bacteria like Nitrosomonas removes ammonia. Yay! While Nitrosomonas bacteria remove ammonia from the aquarium, they produce nitrite. This can also be toxic to fish. Boo! In comes Nitrobacter. Yay! Nitrobacter bacteria pick up where the Nitrosomonas left off. They eat nitrite and produce nitrate. Nitrate isn't as dangerous to fish and will be kept at manageable levels by frequent water changes. Yay!

After the tank has been running for a few days add one or two hearty fish. Certain Tetras or Danios can handle a bit of ammonia build up. After a few weeks you can add more fish. Each time fish are added the tank must "re-cycle"

You can supplement the process by adding "aged" water. "Aged" water comes from an already established tank. There are also products claiming to contain live bacteria, but patience is the best bet for success.

Keep learning!

I've dropped some wisdom on you, but there are plenty of great books, magazines and websites with info about aquariums. The guys and gals at your local fish store are some of the best info sources around. Those Guppy Gurus are so chock full of info that I've had to ask them to slow down and repeat in layman's terms quite often.

A well laid plan, patience and a desire to learn can lead to many years of beautiful, serene enjoyment.