Many years ago, we built our first fish tank, Glass was cheap and it took very little time to make a tank once a professional cut the glass to size.
We repeated the exercise several times as the fish population grew.
Today there is a huge variety of tanks and sizes to suit the purpose required for it.
The one thing all sizes have in common is that they will all need setting up, to house their new occupants.
After having decided to take on the responsibility of having fish to care for, they need to have conditions that will suit them.
Like keeping any pet, fish require caring for in a manner, which promotes their wellbeing.
The conditions they live in suited to the type of fish and the number in the aquarium.
Freshwater tropical fish or just goldfish that like cold-water are probably the easiest to learn on and having learnt, aquarists move on to other types and conditions.
Go to the nearest pet shop with fish and look at the displays they have.
Don't be fooled by the numbers of fish kept in the for sale tanks, they are for display only and the filtering and water systems tend to be more advanced that a beginner would have at home.
Do not buy the fish first and then decide on an aquarium.
Some suggestions as to how to go about setting up your fish tank.
• Have a substantial box or especially built table to keep the tank on.
People do underestimate how water contained becomes heavy in a small space; add rocks and gravel you can soon see where the weight comes from! I like a cabinet that has storage underneath as fish keeping does have many extras.
• Buy the aquarium, bigger is definitely better if you have the room and facilities to look after it.
Do not forget the piece of polystyrene to rest the tank on.
• Have all the things that you will need ready to go into the tank, like filters, heaters, and aquarium plants, light and decorative items if you really must have a sunken pirate ship! • Wash and prepare your choice of gravel or pebbles before putting them into the bottom of the tank.
If there is an underwater filter as opposed to the ones that hang on the side, place it at the very bottom of the tank before the gravel is added • Power board for keeping plugs in order as there tends to be quite a few needed for a tropical fish tank • Have the tank placed out of direct sun and in a corner where through drafts will not cause it to cool quickly.
Attach the thermostat heater/s on the side of the tank at an angle (not touching the bottom) to ensure an efficient spread of heat; do not turn any electrical equipment on with no water in the tank.
Equipment is or can be expensive and you do not want to break it first! • Fill to half full and install the plants and decorations if you have them.
Warm water can be added initially, to take the chill off, plants in tropical tanks like their warmth as well as the fish.
• I generally leave my tanks for 2-3 weeks to age naturally but declorinators are available to speed the process, I leave it so that plants settle in and have started growing.
Once the tank is filled, switch the heater, filters, and the lights on.
You can then spend the next few days checking water temperature, testing ph (water hardness or softness).
It is handy to have a stick-on temperature gauge for easy readings.
Once you are happy that everything is working, as it should then is the time to choose the fish.
We repeated the exercise several times as the fish population grew.
Today there is a huge variety of tanks and sizes to suit the purpose required for it.
The one thing all sizes have in common is that they will all need setting up, to house their new occupants.
After having decided to take on the responsibility of having fish to care for, they need to have conditions that will suit them.
Like keeping any pet, fish require caring for in a manner, which promotes their wellbeing.
The conditions they live in suited to the type of fish and the number in the aquarium.
Freshwater tropical fish or just goldfish that like cold-water are probably the easiest to learn on and having learnt, aquarists move on to other types and conditions.
Go to the nearest pet shop with fish and look at the displays they have.
Don't be fooled by the numbers of fish kept in the for sale tanks, they are for display only and the filtering and water systems tend to be more advanced that a beginner would have at home.
Do not buy the fish first and then decide on an aquarium.
Some suggestions as to how to go about setting up your fish tank.
• Have a substantial box or especially built table to keep the tank on.
People do underestimate how water contained becomes heavy in a small space; add rocks and gravel you can soon see where the weight comes from! I like a cabinet that has storage underneath as fish keeping does have many extras.
• Buy the aquarium, bigger is definitely better if you have the room and facilities to look after it.
Do not forget the piece of polystyrene to rest the tank on.
• Have all the things that you will need ready to go into the tank, like filters, heaters, and aquarium plants, light and decorative items if you really must have a sunken pirate ship! • Wash and prepare your choice of gravel or pebbles before putting them into the bottom of the tank.
If there is an underwater filter as opposed to the ones that hang on the side, place it at the very bottom of the tank before the gravel is added • Power board for keeping plugs in order as there tends to be quite a few needed for a tropical fish tank • Have the tank placed out of direct sun and in a corner where through drafts will not cause it to cool quickly.
Attach the thermostat heater/s on the side of the tank at an angle (not touching the bottom) to ensure an efficient spread of heat; do not turn any electrical equipment on with no water in the tank.
Equipment is or can be expensive and you do not want to break it first! • Fill to half full and install the plants and decorations if you have them.
Warm water can be added initially, to take the chill off, plants in tropical tanks like their warmth as well as the fish.
• I generally leave my tanks for 2-3 weeks to age naturally but declorinators are available to speed the process, I leave it so that plants settle in and have started growing.
Once the tank is filled, switch the heater, filters, and the lights on.
You can then spend the next few days checking water temperature, testing ph (water hardness or softness).
It is handy to have a stick-on temperature gauge for easy readings.
Once you are happy that everything is working, as it should then is the time to choose the fish.