Setting up a new Aquarium

Once you have chosen where your aquarium is going to be situated and you have decided what kind of fish you wish to keep and if they are compatible you can set up aquarium.

You generally have a few options for a substrate: gravel which looks nice but can be swallowed, sand which is usefull for fish with delicate mouths such as catfish but  can't be used with an undergravel filter and bare bottom which is usefull for breeding but isn't very attractive.

You need some kind of filteration to keep your fish happy and alive. There are a few choices: an undergravel filter, a sponge filter, an external filter and an internal filter. Internal filters are more widely used as they are cheap and efficient. Undergravel filters are not that good an idea if you wish to keep aquatic plants and they are noisy. A sponge filter is great for an aquarium with fry or ill fish in it as it is not too powerful. External filters are quite large and exspensive but are brilliant for larger aquariums.

Aeration is crucial, you need to keep your water well oxygenated if you want your fish to be happy and if you have over stocked because of temptation  and in the future the growth of your fish. Air stones can look quite nice and are often used in decorative accessories in your aquarium. Aeration alsos tops the buildup of the very harmful ammonia.

When you have set up your aquarium and filled the aquarium with water leave the aquarium alone. Wait 48 hours before you add any fish. When adding fishleave them in their bag and float it in the aquarium water for twenty minutes to climatise. To find out how many fish you can keep in your aquarium click here. After 48 hours I recommend adding one or two small hardy fish.

To stock your aquarium I would advise adding just one or two small hardy fish every 2 weeks for up to 2 months after the water was first added. After this you can add as many as you like but allways leave a little bit of growth room for your fish when you are restocking your aquarium.

Every month change about a quarter of your aquariums water and every week top it up with some water if it has evaporated quite a bit. Every day check your fish are well, the filter and heater are working ad don't forget to feed them twice a day. When feeding give your fish enough food that can be eaten in 5 minutes plus a bit more so the bottem dwelling fish, such as corydoras catfish get a meal.

This article was written by Matthew Watson. Please ask permission before copying this article by e-mailing me.