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Before you get to comfortable reading I just wanted you to know for convenience that this blog is about fresh water aquariums. So if you are looking for salt water that will be one of my post on another day. 

If you are thinking about starting a fresh water aquarium, there are many things to consider and to decide if you are cut out for it. That is what this post is designed to show you.

First things first, you must know what kind of tank you are going to get. If you have read this far you are probably a begginer and need as much information as you can absorb. I recommend starting with nothing less than a ten gallon tank and no more than a 20 gallon. However, I strongly recommend a 10 gallon tank. A ten gallon allows you to spend less and learn at a much faster and efficient rate. Typically you can find a 10 gallon glass tank with silicone seems for 12-15 dollars at your local pet store. My advice would to buy the tank single. What I mean by this is that you shouldn’t buy a ten gallon tank in a bundle deal, as they are typically getting more money from that than if you piece it together. Another huge thing that you want to make sure your tank has is at least a 10 year warranty. Petsmart’s tanks, however, offer a lifetime warranty. This is what I highly recommend.

The second thing you will need to invest in is a heater if you are planning on buying tropical fish. If you are only interested in buying only goldfish and other cold water fish then you probably won’t need a heater. Goldfish and other cold water fish like the water temperature at around 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Where as tropical fish love the water from 72-82 degrees, however, they thrive best at 78 degrees. When investing in a heater, especially with one for a 10 gallon tank, you can’t go wrong with a more expensive one. I know I sound crazy, but listen. They pay for themselves after the years. If you buy a cheap one they are more likely to short out within a year or two. The expensive ones are going to last longer and you will be satisfied with your investment. Certain heaters are designed for certain sized tanks. The box that it comes in will tell you it’s maximum gallons of water that it can heat. For example you might find one that says it heats 2-15 gallons. This would be a great heater for a 10 gallon tank. Don’t worry either, they are not hard to use. When the water is at the right temperature it turns off and then back on to heat it up. Some heaters will come with a nob that will allow you to turn it to the temperature that you want it to be, however one that doesn’t have a nob, and will automatically heat the water to 78 degrees plus or minus 2 degrees is fine. To make sure your heater is working correctly you must purchase a thermometer for aquariums. That way you can know that your tank is always at the right temperature and when to replace broken heaters.

Like everything I talk about, a filter is a must have in an aquarium. Filters can be put into two sub categories. The first category is a submersible filters or internal. These filters hang onto your tank wall and suck the dirty water in and produce clean water through a type of waterfall through the top. Typically these are not very expensive and do a very decent job for your tank. When using them do NOT run them unless they are under water. The directions should show you how far to put them under water. On the flip side, there are the external filters. These tend to cost a pretty penny and are harder to find for tanks below 55 gallons. They can do a darn good job but unless you are an experienced aquarium person, I wouldn’t recommend buying one.

Another thing I haven’t talked about is water. If you were to choose anything water would be the single most important thing. You cannot put some tap water in a bucket, throw it in the tank, and call it good. No my friend. You must invest in some water conditioner for fish. No, not the conditioner you used before your date. You can almost always find a bottle in your local pet store. The conditioner makes tap water safe for your fish. Tap water contains heavy metals like copper and mecury. It also contains cholorine that is very deadly to fish. Don’t expect your fish to live more than 24 hours with tap water. Conditioner does make tap water safe to use. It gets rid of the heavy metals and chlorine that would otherwise kill your beautiful new fish. Typically the bottle will tell you how many gallons it will treat. Make sure you get a big enough bottle to treat your tank at least 4 times. This will save you money and time.

Decorations, plants, and gravel are something that you need to invest in when setting up your tank. Gravel can be found in bags typically of 5 pounds in mass quantities. They can be priced anywhere from 3-5 dollars a bag. You are pay WAY too much if you settle for anything higher. The gravel you want to buy is going to have to be smooth and of the premium quality. This is for the reason of buying fish that dwell on the bottom of the tank. You don’t want them to get scratched and hurt. Decorations are typically expensive but fun to buy. For ten gallon tanks you can pay anywhere from 2-25 dollars. Make sure the decorations you get are both fun and pretty to the eye, compliment the tank, and most importantly have hiding spots for your fish. You can buy fake plants for pretty cheap and real plants for fairly cheap also. I highly recommend that you have some diversity. Having a half and half combination of fake and real plants is very good for the fish. Fake plants offer hiding spots and scenery. Real plants offer the same thing as fake plants, however they reduce nitrate levels, and provide oxygen for your fish. Having more than ten fish you probably should have at least a few real plants. You can find them at your local petstore as well.

Remember, when deciding which fish to buy for an aquarium, it is important to know their compatibility. You don’t want to put fish together that will kill eachother. Asking your petstore employee questions is never a bad idea. If you want a new fish, ask them if they will be compatible with your existing ones. That will save you time and money.

We all know that water doesn’t mix with electricity. You will have heaters and filters that have power cords. Make sure you ALWAYS have a drip loop when they are plugged in. The photo shows what a proper drip loop does.

http://captnpauley.typepad.com/.a/6a0111685112b3970c0105371a237d970b-800wi

Thank you for reading and good luck with your fish!!

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