by Allen Teal

Created on: January 23, 2007   Last Updated: March 27, 2009

Unless you want to spend the next three months buying new fish every few days, get a book and read up on fish and fish tanks. Without good filters, pure water, and a good water treatment to prevent "ich" and other maladies, you are wasting time and money. Here are a few pointers on how to get started.

Start with a smaller tank.

Do not start with a huge tank if you do not have any experience with keeping fish. Get a cheap 10 or 20 gallon tank. If you want to buy a kit, that is alright. You just need to make sure that you get either an under the gravel filter or a power filter that hooks up to the back of the tank. Either will do a good job, and both require regular cleaning with the proper tools.

Get a good filter for your aquarium.

The filters will come with cleaning instructions, but you will have to buy the supplies and tools for cleaning separately. A box filter that sits in the tank will only be a lot of problems and you will end up replacing it within a month or two with a better filter. Get the better one now.

Put the tank in a place where the air temperature will not vary much.

Set the tank up in a room in the house where there are not too many changes in the temperature. Right next to a busy outdoor exit is not the best. If you do not get your water from a well, you will need some treatment to take the chlorine and other toxins out of the water. Usually, this amounts to a pill or two or a spoon full or two of a powder.

You will need an air pump for the fish tank.

You will want to add your air pump at this time too. Throw in some gravel and a few toys and fake plants because fish like to hide. Set up your tank and filters and allow them to run for a week or so without fish. This will stabilize your tank so the fish will thrive better.

Get a thermometer and heater.

Depending on the type of fish, you will probably need a thermometer and heater. All tropical fish need warm water. When you buy the fish, ask for the food that will be best for that kind of fish. You will bring your fish home in a plastic bag.

Put the bag with your new fish into the tank for a while without letting the fish out.

Just put the bag in the tank with the fish in it. Let it float around for 15 or 20 minutes for the water temperatures to become equal. Then get your hands wet and open the bag in the water. Let the fish and water both out into the tank. Put the lid on the tank, turn on the light, and begin to enjoy your fish. Wait a few hours before the first feeding.

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