How to Setup a Salt Water Fish Tank

Setting up a saltwater fish tank can be relatively easy so long as you keep it simple and don't try to use all the different gadgets available. Fish keeping can be cheap and easy or it can be complex and expensive. If you are just starting off in the hobby, do not try to go for a complex system right away. If you fail, try again until you get it right.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Aquarium
• Water
• Aquarium salt
• Water heater
• Water filter
• Thermometer
• Chemical test kit
• Bucket
• Fish net
• Fish

Buying the Supplies

1. Shop for the best deals. If you do some research before buying anything it would be easier. Also, try to go to a local fish store rather than a giant pet supplies chain because things will generally be cheaper and the employees will be more specialized in fish.

2. Make sure that you have everything. At this point you don't want to buy any fish, just the aquarium, the filter, thermometer, heater a light fixture, water test kit and a light fixture. Some aquariums come in a "begging aquarium kit" which includes most of, if not all of the things you need and a little more.

3. Come home and clean it all up. Some of the items might require a little assembly, follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer and if you need help, consult the fish shop where you made your purchases. Once everything is assembled and cleaned, you are ready to begin setting up. Do not use any soap or other chemicals to clean your new items, fish are very sensitive and cleaning supplies are hard to remove.

Setting Up

4. Put your aquarium in a permanent spot. When picking a spot for your aquarium, make sure that it is not going to be inconvenient for you or for your fish. Place it near a water source, out of the way, and somewhere that is neither too hot nor too cold. A full aquarium is very difficult to move and a big move can stress out or even kill your fish.

5. Fill the aquarium and mix in the salt. Make sure that you follow the instructions on the aquarium salt packaging and/or the recommendations you've discovered for the particular kind of fish you plan to keep.

6. Add the decorations and accessories. Make sure that all the accessories are in working order. A malfunctioning piece of equipment is useless and might as well not be in your aquarium at all.

7. Run the aquarium as if there were fish in it. Do your weekly maintenance and test the water often. This is known as cycling the water. A new aquarium need to grow bacteria that will help your fish survive. I know it seems odd that fish need to live in an environment with bacteria instead of a sterile environment but the fish need bacteria and in the fish keeping hobby, balance is the name of the game. You don't want an aquarium that is either too dirty nor too clean. Cycling can take 6 to 7 days or more.

8. Buy the fish. Now you can go out and buy your fish. Make sure that you don't buy too many fish, tanks have a population limit. Also make sure that you don't just add your fish to the aquarium. They need to adjust to the water. The best way to do this is by floating the plastic bags you bought them in, float at the top of your aquarium for 20 to 30 minutes.

9. Empty the fish into your aquarium. Try to get as little of the plastic bag's water into your aquarium as possible. The water in the bag can contain microscopic stowaways that you wouldn't want in your tank. Now that your fish are in their new home, they depend on you to feed them, keep them clean and healthy. Research as much as possible, the more you know, the more likely your success will be.

Tips & Warnings

• Balance is the name of the game.
• Research equals success.
• Some fish might be dangerous to you or to other fish in your aquarium, make sure you know everything you can learn about your fish.