Now that you have purchased a fish tank, there are some steps that need to happen before your tank is safe and ready for your fish. Just like we require a certain environment to thrive in our world, fish have requirements too. Often, the water straight out of your tap is not fish friendly. We need to adjust the parameters of the water for fish to not just survive, but thrive.
First, we have a shopping list to go along with your tank. We will explain why you need each of the items and a couple of suggestions. (One note, often, you will be able to find these second hand. We highly encourage you to find them that way. As a mom who supported her son's hobby, that is how we started.)
SHOPPING LIST
- A heater. Most freshwater fish survive in water that is 68° to 76°. They love water that is 72°-74°, although each fish has a specific range and it's important to do the research. In a fish store, the store is kept in that range of temperature, so you might not see every tank have a heater. If you keep your house in that range, you may not need a heater.
- A thermometer. This goes along with the heater. There are many options, digital, floating glass, strip, laser, etc. These just enable you to quickly, and easily check the temperature.
- A filter. Everyone poops. Fish are not an exception. Their waste, if given a chance, can build up and produce ammonia in the water. Ammonia is deadly to fish. Filters help with fish poop as well as other physical debris. But the most important thing a filter does is allow beneficial bacterial to build up and then when the water flows through the filter, the bacteria turns the ammonia from the poop into nitrite and nitrate. Now not every part of a filter is needed in every tank. So this is where you the buyer need to decide if you want live plants or not. In a planted tank (one with live plants), a filter cannot have activated charcoal as it strips the nutrients from the water needed by the plants. Activated charcoal filters out water impurities and smells. Another note about filters, filters move water. Water movement adds oxygen into the water for the fish.
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A Testing Kit. A testing kit will benefit you and be used multiple times. It will help ensure your water is the perfect environment for the fish and other animals you want to keep. If you should have trouble and experience loss, a testing kit will give you an insight to problems that might be happening in your tank.
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Chemicals - To jump start your water, you're going to need a couple chemicals.
- A de-chlorinator - This removes the chlorines and chloramines that is added to most city water. You will also use this chemical for water changes.
- Beneficial Bacteria - This helps jumpstart the filter. As mentioned above, the filter that changes ammonia to nitrite needs the beneficial bacterial to make that conversion. This puts those in your water.
Now that you have a tank, all the supplies, you're almost ready to add fish. But we still need to talk about a couple things before we assemble.
Decorations. If you want decorations, the items need to be handled before we add them to the tank.
Plastic Decor- Plastic decorations can have dust on them. A simple rinse under the sink will remove any of these concerns.
Driftwood - Driftwood is a great way to add a natural element to your tank. Wood naturally floats. So if you add a piece of driftwood directly to the tank, it will float. To fix this, you can secure the wood to rocks or weights to keep it down or treat the it. to treat the wood you'll first need to boil the wood until it does not float in the pot. Boiling the wood does two things: 1. it opens the wood so it can absorb the water thus making it more dense and allowing it to sink. 2. it releases the wood natural tannins (the brown color). Be sure to allow the wood to cool before adding it to the tank.
Gravel - Gravel needs thoroughly rinsed. Rinsing it removes the dust and helping keep the water clear.
Live Plants - Live plants need the most prep. You will want to treat the plants to rid it of any pests that hitched a ride on your plant. Fill a bucket with water and a capful of hydrogen peroxide (exact measurements are 1ml to every 1 gallon of water). Drop your plants into the water mixture and let them sit in there for 5 minutes. Remove the plants and then rinse them off thoroughly to remove all traces of hydrogen peroxide.
Now we are ready to assemble our tank. Put your tank in its final resting spot. (Tanks full of water get HEAVY.) Add your thermometer, heater, filter, and any decorations at this time. Once you have everything placed where you want it, go ahead and fill your tank with water. (Trick of the trade - pour the water onto a filter sponge or plastic bag placed on the lowest part of your tank to keep the water pressure from disturbing your aquascape.)
Once full, add your chemicals following the directions on the product you purchased. And now, we wait.
All these things added together have changed the water and need time to reach a stable level. You're going to check the water using the testing kit after a week. The levels you are looking for are:
Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - More than 0 but less than 20 ppm
(PH, GH, and KH depends on your chosen aquatic friends)
If your water shows these parameters, congratulations!! Your tank is now ready for your fish!!