Things You'll Need:
- An aquarium that is already set-up and running
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Step 1
Find a pet store you like. The people are helpful and the fish look good. The tanks and the fish are the most important. No dead fish in the tank.
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Step 2
Spend time looking at the fish. Find the fish you like and watch how they interact with their own species and others in the tank. Note the fishes adult max length and if it is schooling. Most pet stores post this information.
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Step 3
Now we need to figure the dimensions of your tank. A good tank to start with is a 20 gallon high (24" X 12" X 16"). This is measured in inches and is length X width X height. You take the length 24" X the width 12" and you get the surface area (288").
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Step 4
You take the surface area and divide that number by 10 and 12 to come up with the total inches (don't include the caudal fin) of fish you can keep. So we have 24" - 29".
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Step 5
At this point you will need to know the size of the fish and how many of one fish you will need to make them happy.
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Step 6
If your tank is going to be mostly fish that are 3 inches or smaller you use the larger of the two numbers we got (29"). If you are wanting only larger fish 4" plus go with the lower number (24"). If you mix stay in the middle of the two numbers.
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Step 7
The height is also important. The surface area helps you measure oxygen for fish while the height helps you with living space. So a taller tank 16" plus will be able to house more fish then one smaller then 16".
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Step 8
Please make sure your tank has completed the nitrogen cycle (new tank syndrome) and add fish to your tank slowly. Stock your tank!!!
