by Isadora Pandora

Created on: November 21, 2008   Last Updated: October 10, 2009

Setting Up A Low Maintenance Aquarium

Keeping a beautifully lush aquarium need not be an endless chore, on the contrary, after the first initial bit of work the rest is cake! These instructions will work for any sized freshwater aquarium.
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-Overview-

-Common No-No's
-Cycling your tank & the "Bio-Crew"
-The right substrate
-Choosing the perfect fish for you
-The much needed addition of live aquarium plants

-Using Co2
-Setting up the tank
-Fish and plants; a short list

There are a few things to consider before getting started. Find an area out of direct sunlight, one with less of a possibility of people bumping into the tank, and make sure your floor can support the weight of a full tank. Water weighs in at 8.34 pounds per gallon, so, even a small tank can tip the scales pretty easily! Also, make sure the fish you want are suitable for the tank you get!

Since the way you handle the initial set up is so very important to the overall health of your tank, we'll go into more detail before we set it up. Just keep in mind, though there is work involved, a nicely prepared aquarium can bring you hours of relaxation and happiness. Oh yeah, you can totally do this!

-Common No-No's-

Do not stock your fish by the size they are now, stock them for the size, waste produced and energy/space requirements they are destined to become and need! In other words, a 1 inch baby fish has the potential to grow into an absolute monster. A few examples of inappropriate stocking include;

Thinking Fish Stay Small- Even if you put a baby 1 inch cichlid in your 10 gallon aquarium, it will NOT stay small enough to live in it. Fish do not grow to the size of their surroundings, they grow to the size they are supposed to be, and in the end this sort of mistake will kill them.

Very Large Fish- Example; Iridescent "Shark" Catfish; these fish grow to be 4 ft or more, require schools (imagine seven or so 4 ft fish in your 50 gallon tank). They also startle easily, posing a very real chance of breaking your aquarium if they ram into the glass sides.

Goldfish/Koi- Plainly put, these are Carp. They get large and produce massive amounts of waste. Though some goldfish have been bred down in size and are more suitable for the home aquaria, they still produce a lot of poo.

Make sure you have a very good filtration system, either mechanical or biological. Also, carp are cold water fish, do not use a heater or place them in with warm water fish.

Aggressive & Peaceful Fish Together- This can be a very big

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