Setting Up / Aquarium Care

Setting Up
Setting up an aquarium is 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! Just click on the "Services" button on the top of this page for more information.

Choose an aquarium that is right for you. I would recommend starting with a 20-29 gallon tank.

Then you'll need to buy the following:

A Hooded light fixture, which provides light and keeps hazardous particles out of tank. A light bulb, usually fluorescent.
A heater, at least 3 watts per gallon.
Water treatment, such as Aqua Safe
Fish food, depending on type of fish you plan on having.
Thermometer, make sure temperature is 78-80 degrees Ferignheight 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 use under gravel filtration)
Net, used to catch fish, or take out dead ones.

After you have all the products you'll need, you need to put everything together and set it up. 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. Make sure the tanks location is away from a window, or any places that may seem hazardous. Make sure that 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), mount the thermometer, then mount the filter.

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).

Wait 15 minutes then plug in the heater, adjust temperature to desired level (this may vary on some heaters).

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.

Let your aquarium run for at least 48 hrs. It is recommended you wait a week before adding any fish to allow time for bacteria growth. However if properly setup, you can do "same say setup", which means you can add fish immediately. Be aware that there is a more likely chance the fish become sick, or die when you do "same day setup".

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