Want to include a freshwater fish tank to your place? If so, awesome! However most people aren’t certain how to begin. Below is a easy to follow five step beginners guide to your first freshwater fish tank. The55-gallon fish tank arrangement is a good place to start your hobby and is what we have detailed out for those who wish to pursue a beautiful aquatic environment for their home. As you will certainly see, including a fish tank to your house is simple and well worth it for the years of pleasure you will certainly experience.
What you need to get started-
Equipment
- 55-gallon aquarium Aquarium stand
- Aquarium canopy
- Versa-Top 5 bags Natural Gravel
- 200W Marineland Precision Submersible Heater
- Vertical Thermometer
- MarineLand Emperor 400 Filter
- API Freshwater Master Test Kit
- 16 oz. Chlorine Neutralizer
Decorations
- 4 Mopani Driftwood pieces
- 3 Foreground plants
- 2 Variety Packs
- 3 Marineland 6″-18″ Artificial Plant Multi-Packs
Fish
- 3-6 Bottom Dwellers
- 3-5 Otocinclus Catfish (algae eaters)
- Other peaceful community fish include: Danios, Rainbows, Tetras, Barbs, Rasboras, Angels, etc.
The Steps-
| 1) Establish your Aquarium and Stand, do not allow your aquarium to be put in a place where it will be exposed to direct sunlight. Make sure there is at least 5 inches between the fish tank and the wall (you’ll want room for a filter) and also guarantee the stand is in a place where it will be flat and wont be tilted. And do yourself a favor: set it up where it is going to stay. You do not want to have to break the whole thing down and move it if you don’t have to. |
| 2) Time to add the essentials, or foundation: water and gravel. Much like you would wash fruit before consumption make sure you do the same to your new gravel. Use water you know to be clean then feel free to add it, give it a slight slope to the back of the tank. After your gravel is in its time to fill the tank, you want to avoid displacing your gravel so use something like a plate to run the water over in order to avoid this. If there is chlorine in your water be sure to use a chlorine neutralizer. |
| 3) Now its time to install your filter and your heater. Set up your equipment, but you need to wait before you turn anything on yet. Assemble the power filter and hang it on the back of your new aquarium. Place the thermometer where you can easily see it, you want to be able to monitor the temperature with ease. Set up the heater and place it under the water level, and near the input to the filter. |
| 4) Its time to exercise those interior decorating skills and add in your plants/décor. Make sure to keep your new ecosystem clean by washing all everything that enters the tank with clean water. Then add everything to your liking, the foreground and background plants, the driftwood and accents, rocks etc. give it 24 hrs for water temperature stabilize prior to including fish. |
| 5) The fifth and final step: adding all your fish. To kick off the nitrogen cycle put in on y 10 inches of fish. After the fish have adjusted place them into the fish tank, do so without including the water they were delivered in. Now put your canopy and lights on, after one month test your nitrate and ammonia levels, if they are zero you can now start including the remainder of your fish, a couple of at a time, its recommended you do up to 55 inches overall. You can also utilize live nitrifying bacteria to rapidly develop an organic filtering process and also cycle your fish tank. |
How to set up your first freshwater aquarium!