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First of course you may have a hard time choosing
your aquarium, but once you have found the one you wanted, you are ready to
set it up! Setting up an aquarium can be easy and fun. In this section are some simple steps to setting up your home aquarium, and a procedures to keep your fish happy, and your aquarium clean, and if you don't want to do it, we can do it for you! For more information visit our
Services section.
 For beginners it is usually best to start with a larger tank, actually the
larger the better, but we would recommend you starting with a 20-29 gallon tank.
What You'll Need
Most Common components for a freshwater aquarium:
- A Hooded light
fixture, which provides light and keeps hazardous particles out of tank. A light bulb, usually fluorescent.
- A heater, at least 3-5 watts per gallon.
- Water treatment.
- Fish food, depending on type of fish you plan on having.
- Thermometer, make sure temperature is 78-82 degrees
Fahrenheit for tropical fish and at least 68 degrees for goldfish.
- Gravel, which is usually 1 to 1.5 lbs per gallon.
- Gravel vacuum, which is used to clean your gravel, and perform water changes.
- Filtration, this really depends on the type of setup you are going to have. There is more information on filtration later in this section. (These instructions do not
include under gravel filtration)
- Net, used to catch fish, or take out dead ones.
Most Common components for a bowl:
- An air pump, used to power an air stone and
put aeration in the aquarium.
- Water treatment.
- Fish Food.
- Gravel, about 0.5-2 lbs.
- Small Decorations, such as a plant or an
ornament.
- Net, used to catch fish.
Your
fish will be happiest and healthiest in an aquarium with a filtration and
aeration system. If you decide to keep fish in a glass bowl, choose a fish such
as a betta that can breathe at the surface of the water. Remember that without a
filtration system you will need to change the water more frequently. Also keep
in mind that goldfish require much more space than is available in a bowl or
other small aquarium. When buying a bowl, we recommend not using goldfish
in a bowl, because of the limit in size and it is an unhealthy environment for
the goldfish.
You can buy all these products and more online, be sure to visit Petsmart.com for all your fish accessory needs.
Getting Started
Having an aquarium can be an enjoyable
experience, one that you want to start off right. Below are steps to setting up
your new aquarium, so you can do right from the start.
- First, you'll want to pick a place to put your aquarium, a water-tolerant location away from direct sunlight, heat or air conditioning.
- After you have all the products you'll need (See above), you should be ready to
setup your aquarium. Make sure you read all of the directions enclosed with the products in case there are any special procedures that need to be done for a particular
product.
- When setting up, first it is usually a good idea to rinse everything with water, including the
gravel and inside aquarium.
- Make sure the tanks location is away from a window, or any places that may seem
hazardous, and that the stand is sturdy, and can support the weight of the tank with water.
- Put the gravel into the tank, and spread as desired.
- Mount the heater (Do not plug it
in yet), and mount the thermometer. Make sure the thermometer is on
the opposite side of the heater.
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Fill the tank up with water (tap water is fine), then when filled, add the recommended amount of water treatment (usually 1 tsp. per 10 gallons).
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Wait 15 minutes then plug in the heater, adjust temperature to desired level (this
may vary on some heaters).
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Setup your filter according to the directions enclosed. If you have any problems, you can contact the manufacturer, or contact us, where we can do our best to assist you with the
problem.
- Place decorations and plants. Make sure the
fish have places to hide, to avoid stress.
- Let the aquarium run.
It is recommended you wait at least a week before adding any fish to allow time for bacteria growth. However if properly setup, you can do
a "same day setup", which means you can add fish immediately.
Remember, just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should, be aware that there is a more likely chance the fish become sick, or die when you do "same day
setup", so you might want to start with some smaller inexpensive fish.
Next Page |
Setting Up Part 2
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