Starting Your New Aquarium

Here is a step by step list of how to properly set up your new aquarium:

1. Rinse the new aquarium
2. Place a towel underneath the new aquarium. This towel should be kept there for any accidental spills that may happen over the years.
3. Fill the aquarium with tap water. Don't worry about the temperature now.
4. Treat the water. Treatment chemicals are cheap and available at any pet store that sells fish.
5. Rinse any new decorations or substrate you have, without soap or any cleaning agent.
6. Add substrate and decor to the aquarium.
7. Put together the filter, and get it running.
8. Get the heater running at around 78-80 degrees.
9. Allow the water to filter for a couple days, without any fish. This will allow essential bacteria to grow. Your fish will die without this bacteria. The amount of time that your aquarium should be left alone depends on the size of the aquarium. 3 days is sufficient for anything smaller than a ten gallon tank. Between ten gallons and twenty gallons should be left for at least a week, and anything larger than that should be left alone between 2 weeks and a month.
10. Once the water is ready, purchase a small and cheap fish. Some good starting choices are: corydoras, plecostomas, a small school of any type of tetra, mollies, guppies, or swordtails. These fish are testers. They will also condition your water further. Remember: start slow. Don't buy all you fish at once. One type of fish at a time.
11. If the testers all die within days, consult help, get your water tested, and try again once it has been fixed.
12. After a couple months you have a decision. If you like the tester, non-aggressive fish, then you can keep them and build a strong community. But if you are now comfortable with your tank and want to try a more expensive, larger, more aggressive fish, than the testers can be returned to a local fish store, and you can begin experimenting with bigger fish. Again, build slow, one type at a time.