The Perfect Start to Your Perfect Aquarium

First time fish owners often get lured into the compelling world of fish ownership as they walk down the aisle of their local pet store, or even as they casually walk through the pet department at Wal-Mart.

It's hard to deny the alluring qualities of these beautiful creatures. They're colorful. They're playful. They're relaxing to watch and provide hours of enjoyment for the entire family... maybe best of all, they're cheap.

Don't let the low cost of the animals themselves fool you. Fish owning is still a responsibility upon you as a pet owner to give them a quality of life befitting the living, breathing beings that they are, and in the home aquarium environment they are completely reliant upon you for comfort and health-indeed for their very survival.

I recently read the compelling article by Jennifer College entitled 'Starting Up The Perfect Aquarium' and she made some wonderful points on selection of an appropriate store to purchase your new pets and their equipment from. In many instances a good pet store can provide much better information than a local department store can in terms of care and needs of your new pets. This isn't always the case, however, so beware and do your own research, never relying totally on what an employee that may or may not know what is correct tells you.

Once you do find the store you wish to purchase your new pets from, and have all the necessary equipment, there's still more you have to know. There are very specific steps necessary before you ever add fish to the water in your tank so don't be compelled to do what would seem to come naturally-buy the fish at the same time as you purchase your new tank. It's the biggest common error for first time fish owners. After all, their beauty and the seeming ease of setting things up is what may have encouraged you to purchase the aquarium in the first place. However it is a sizeable investment, even if you start out with a simple five or ten gallon tank, so it is much better to take your time and get started right. You will save yourself, and your family a lot of heartache, and lost fish, if you do.

It would make sense that water is the most important ingredient in a good fish tank. After all, water is the environment fish live in. It supplies them with the air they need and is their natural home, but not all water is created equal.

First off it helps to know your water. Do you live in a city where the water is treated with chlorine? Chlorine is deadly to all fish. It burns their gills as they attempt to breathe.

Do you live in the country where you get your water from your own underground well? Chlorine may not be your water issue, but the likelihood that your water is very hard and contains a lot of iron is pretty high even if you have a filter system it can contain higher than appropriate levels of minerals that your fish are not used to and could make them ill if not kill them outright.

The good thing to know is that neither of these problems are insurmountable. There are two things you can do to ensure a good water source for your new fish. The first thing you will want to do when you bring your equipment home is to thoroughly wash the aquarium.

Put the aquarium in your bathtub and wash it with warm water. Do NOT use soap! Soap, and soap residue will kill your fish. Never use soap on any instrument you are going to use in your aquarium maintenance either.

After your tank is well washed and all the dust and debris removed, set it on a firm surface. The best surface for a fish tank is a sturdy stand made specifically for the size aquarium you have purchased, however, a good sturdy desk, or table can do well so long as they can support the weight that accompanies such a large item. Remember that even though the tank itself isn't very heavy, once you add several pounds of rocks and the water necessary to fill the tank you will be looking at about one hundred pounds for an average ten gallon tank.

Once your tank is on its stand completely rinse the gravel you have chose for the base of your aquarium under warm water in a strainer until the water running through it comes out clear. Place the gravel in the aquarium and then put in any decorations you have chosen and have thoroughly rinsed off as well.

Now you are ready to begin adding water. If you have city water you can add it directly to the aquarium but it is wise to use a prepared water conditioner such as Tetra's AquaSafe or other comparable products. This will help to eliminate the chlorine from the water and develop the fish's natural coatings to make it more comfortable in its new environment. If you live in the country and use untreated well water I strongly advise boiling the water and letting it return to room temperature before adding the AquaSafe or similar product and putting it in the aquarium.

In either case once the aquarium is filled, attach the filter you purchased and make sure it is operating according to the instructions that come with it.

Here is the most important part-allow the newly working unit to sit for at least twenty four hours before even thinking about adding fish. That way you will be certain the chlorine is burned off.

Now you are at the point of making a big decision. There are two methods commonly used for cycling a new aquarium. This is necessary to be sure that the ammonia levels created by the fish you insert into the environment can be broken down properly. To do that you need to build up a 'good' bacteria environment. This can be done in one of two ways-fishless, or with fish.

Now I know what you're thinking-of course we're going to use the fish way, that's what we are doing this for right? To have fish to look at. Okay, but keep one thing in mind. The fish cycling method is more labor intensive than the fishless method of cycling a new tank, and can be harder on the fish as well if not kept up on.

There are many articles you can find on fishless cycling. You will need a water testing kit to test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels and you will need basic household ammonia. The average length of time needed for a fishless cycle ranges from two to ten weeks. That is a long time to go without having any fish in your new aquarium. I have always personally used the fish cycling method with great success.

Once your new tank is completely set up, and has sat for twenty-four hours you can go to the store and pick up two fish. Yes, just two. Try not to pick a more delicate type of fish. Danios are a good choice if you are going to keep tropical fish and have installed a heater in your tank, for cold water non-heated tanks, goldfish are about the only choice, but a very colorful and long lived one. An average goldfish can live ten or more years in the proper environment. Keep in mind however that goldfish kept in less than thirty gallon tanks are rarely healthy and long lived. Regardless of what the majority of pet stores tell you a ten-gallon tank is not sufficient for a small goldfish. It is true that the goldfish will only grow as large as its surroundings, but it will be stunted and very unhappy, and its lifespan will be greatly shortened.

Bring home your new fish and put them in the water in the bag they came in. Allow this to float in the water for about an hour to adjust the fish to the new temperatures and conditions and then net the fish and place them in the aquarium. Try not to put water from the bag into the tank. You never know what possible molds, or illness might have been present in the store's water, and it's best not to introduce it into your tank if possible. Accidents do happen though, and don't panic if you happen to spill some of the water during the transfer.

Now you can enjoy your fish, however, because your tank is cycling you will need to perform daily water changes of approximately twenty-five percent of the tanks water. To do this it is a good idea to have a container with a lid that can hold up to about three gallons of water (if your tank is a ten-gallon sized aquarium). Fill that with water and let it sit for twenty-four hours. After the time has elapsed, put the water conditioner in the water and siphon out about three gallons of water from the aquarium into a bucket and then replace the water from the awaiting water source.

Do this daily to help to compensate for the build up of ammonia that the filters are not able to keep up with until the bacteria levels have risen adequately in your tank to help out. Test your water daily for PH levels. When you are reading clear you can switch to weekly partial water changes of about twenty-five percent and your tank is fully cycled.

You can begin to add more fish but always do it slowly, no more than two at a time giving your tank time to adjust to the new level of life in it before adding any further members. Also keep in mind that no matter how well your tank is cycled and how good your equipment is it can not compensate for being too overstocked. A fairly good method of determining stocking levels is one inch of adult sized fish to every gallon of water. Keep in mind also that your little fish from the store are typically very young and not full-sized. Most stores have charts under each tank to help you determine what the adult size of your fish will be, and if the tank size you have is appropriate for it to grown and live happily in. Use those charts as a guide, but always do your own research on types of fish as well because there are times when those charts are somewhat inaccurate. When in doubt always err toward the larger size and tank requirements for the best environment for your new family members.

Owning fish is a lot more work that it appears to be at the start, but it is well worth the effort for the hours of enjoyment and fun they will provide for you for years into the future.