A major mistake many people make is adding too many fish. Fish need space! You can get three to four small fish per gallon, or one to two medium fish per gallon, or one large fish per gallon. Make sure that the fish you get can be housed together so that you will not have any fish fighting. When you bring your fish home, float the bag in the tank for about twenty minutes so they will adjust to your tank’s temperature. After that you can put them in the aquarium.

There are many different types of fish foods to choose from but flake foods seem to work the best. Just make sure you don’t overfeed because this can make your tank very dirty. Just feed like twice a day.

Choose a good spot in your house to place the tank. Make sure that the table you put it on is able to support the weight of the aquarium. Water weighs around eight and a half pounds per gallon, so a ten gallon tank would be at least 85 pounds, not counting everything you put in it and the aquarium itself.

The next thing you need to do is decide what type of equipment you want. You will need a filter. I recommend using an undergravel filter because it’s not very expensive and keeps debris out. Another popular type of filter is a hang-on filter. Either type will work. You should get an air pump too.

If it is your first time setting up an aquarium, you probably want to start with something small like a ten gallon tank, and in time, upgrade to a bigger tank, maybe even a saltwater tank depending on the fish you have chosen. Once you move up to a larger tank, you can create any environment you choose with a variety of aquarium supplies.

When you go to fill up the tank, there are several water options to choose from. You can use distilled water or tap water. If you decide to use tap water, you will need to purchase a product that removes chlorine and use it before adding the water to the tank. Add the water slowly so that everything in your tank doesn’t move around or float to the top.

Having an aquarium in your home is a lot of fun and promotes a relaxing atmosphere. It requires a little time getting accustomed to it, but once you do, you will reap the rewards. Before you set up any fish tank, clean it thoroughly, condition the water, and clean all aquarium supplies, including gravel and rocks before you add them in the tank.

The most important maintenance to do on the tank is water changes. Every month you should change about one-third of the water. Use a siphon hose with a suction tube and siphon out about one-third of the water into a bucket. Replace with clean freshwater. Just make sure that the water you replace with is the same temperature as the tank.

Tags: Aquariums

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