How to set up a fish tank, Part I

Setting up your aquarium requires patience and diligence. A lot of people usually brush off this important step and thus do a bad job creating a healthy and comfortable environment for their fish. So, if you do a good job, your fish will thrive and live a long and healthy life! Here is how you should set up your fresh water aquarium.

Clean out your fish tank with warm water. Do not use any chemicals as this will poison your fish. Place your fish tank in a room that gets a lot of naturally light. Positioning your tank in front of a window will definitely stimulate great plant growth.

Hook up your filtration system, lighting and under gravel filter. Make sure you connect everything correctly and that your gravel filter is clean.

Thoroughly rinse the sand. I usually pour the sand into a big bucket and rinse the sand with running water. Use your hand or a stick to circulate the sand so that all the dust and dirt can float to the surface and out of the bucket. Once the water in the bucket is clean, you can pour the sand into your tank.

Soak your driftwood for a few days and change the water regularly. Failing to clean your driftwood will color your tank.

If you have plastic plants, place them in boiling water and leave them there for a few minutes. This cleans the plants and revitalizes the plastic.

Scrub any rocks that you are planning to use in your tank. Make sure that you do some research before choosing the rocks. You cannot simply go outside in your garden and pick up some rocks as these may contain metals. I suggest that you go down to your nearest pet store and buy your rocks there. These rocks are usually safe to use.


Part II is coming soon. In the meantime, check out this video... hopefully it will serve as some inspiration.