How to Setup a Freshwater Aquarium

Setting Up a Freshwater Tank
It is good to see that you are interested in the hobby of setting up a freshwater aquarium. Proper setup will ensure that all the creatures that reside in your aquarium will thrive and survive. Saltwater tanks are a little more difficult to set up than a freshwater one, so it is good to see that you have chosen the easier one.

The first step that you want to do is decide where you want to place your aquarium. Once you have chose the location for your aquarium you will then want to choose the size of the tank and the stand that it will be placed on. Make sure that the stand will be strong enough to hold the weight of your new tank. It would be horrible if the stand collapsed because it was not strong enough!

When you buy an aquarium, whether it is glass or acrylic, it comes dirty. Before you add anything to your tank make sure you clean the tank. However, soap is not a good choice to clean it. It is best to just use warm water and a rag.

The items that you will need to properly run your freshwater aquarium include, a good filter, a lighting system, and a heater. You don't need to have the best or most expensive equipment, but it is important that you have the necessary things to keep your tank running smoothly. Additional research may be needed to pick the right equipment if you are not familiar of them.

If you are going to want to place decorations and gravel in your freshwater tank, you will also want to clean these as well. Run decorations under warm water, and place gravel in a bucket and run water through it so that the gravel residue will gradually dissipate. A cloudy tank is not a good tank!

Once you have cleaned these items, you will then want to place them in the tank and then add water. Always check your tap water to make sure that it is free of chlorine since any trace of this chemical will cause adverse affects on any fish you may put into it. You can do this by buying a chlorine test kit. If there is chlorine then you may need to consider using chemicals to eliminate the chemical or use alternative water sources.

When and if the water is safe, you will then add water as well as any of your equipment that you are going to use to run the aquarium. This is another important thing that you will need to do once your tank is set up. You will want to allow time for the tank to cycle. This is called the nitrogen cycle and this must take place before any creatures are added. This process allows a buildup of bacteria in the water that will aid in the removal of detritus that will accumulate from fish in the tank. Another words, they will help remove the poop


It is important that you do not add any fish at this time. If fish are added and there is no bacteria present to break down the nitrogen your fish will suffer and die. After this cycle has run its course, you may then add fish, but slowly, like 1 or 2 at a time. Doing it slowly like this will not overload your system and it will allow the fish to get used to their new environment. Stress is another thing that will kill fish, but if you add them to their new home slowly this can reduce stress and thus reduce death.

After you have added your fish to your aquarium you are now required to maintain your tank. Learn the proper procedures to do this and learn to watch for anything that could cause harm to your fish mates. If you do this, you will enjoy your freshwater aquarium for a long time.