How To Setup A Freshwater Tropical Fish Tank

How To Setup A Freshwater Tropical Fish Tank

STEP 1: Realize the responsibility involved.

Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your tropical fish at least once a day. If you are up to the challenge, please proceed!

STEP 2: Decide on an aquarium size.
Some tropical fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches in length!

STEP 3: Decide on the aquarium's location.
A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!

STEP 4: Buy your aquarium and equipment.
Buy the gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations.

STEP 5: Set up your aquarium and stand.
Wash out your tank with water only! Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish.

STEP 6: Wash Gravel, plants and decorations.
Then place the clean gravel in a clean 5-gallon bucket for transport to the aquarium.

STEP 7: Add water to the aquarium.
Use room temperature water when filling.

STEP 8: Set up equipment.
Place your hood and light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water.

STEP 9. Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more.
I know, you want to add some tropical fish.

STEP 10. Add tropical fish.
Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple tropical 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 aquarium water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the aquarium water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the aquarium. Stressed tropical fish often leads to dead tropical fish! Don't feed your tropical fish on the first day.

STEP 11. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy

Beautify Your Tropical Aquarium With Decorations

Aquarium decoration takes time to properly arrange in the tank because with it, you can create hiding places for the fish as well as natural borders. Creating natural borders with a unique aquarium decoration can help to control the aggression of some fish in a tropical aquarium.

Plants are one type of aquarium decoration for your tropical fish tank that play a bigger role in the tropical aquarium than simply adding beauty. Some aquarium enthusiasts even go so far as to research the actual habitats of their fish and then try to replicate the look and feel in their tropical fish tank, by adding plants and rocks that come from specific fish habitats

In addition to the type of aquarium decoration that brings a sense of nature into the tropical fish tank, there is also a huge array of aquarium decorations that would not be found in natural fish habitat settings.

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