7 Easy Steps to Setting Up a Fresh Water Aquarium

Setting up a freshwater aquarium is fairly simple, but does require following a few steps to get the tropical aquarium environment safe for fish. Don't rush the process, or you could run into a lot of problems with the new fish you buy.

Be patient, making sure the water is the correct temperature, PH, and that healthy bacteria are living in the aquarium tank before adding fish. If any of these things are not done correctly, your new fish won't last very long.

Flickr Kai Schreber

To get started on an aquarium that you and your family can enjoy for years to come, follow these few simple tips:

Supplies You Will Need before Setting Up the Tank Environment:

• 30 -55 gallon aquarium – don't go any smaller than this. If you are going through all the work of developing an aquarium, you want it big enough to add the fish you would like.
• Aquarium Stand - Be sure to purchase a stand sturdy enough to hold the tank filled with water. Most people are surprised at the weight of a tank, once filled.
• Aquarium Tank Canopy – Fish are very active and can jump right out of the tank if it is not covered.
• Aquarium Light – The lights are available in different tones. Some look like sunlight, cool light, or spot lighting for emphasis on plants or ornaments.
• Aquarium Water Heater – Tropical fish require a warm environment.
• Thermometer – These are available as floating thermometers, inside suction thermometers, or outside the tank(stick on- my favorite)
• Filter – The water must be filtered to remove food debris and keep the water clean. There are a wide variety of filters: under gravel filters, inside the tank filters, or filters that hang on the outside. Check your pet supply store and choose the filter you feel would be the best for you.
• Pump – You will need this if you are using air bubble wands.
• Gravel – Choose whatever type of gravel you like. The gravel is important because it actually houses the good bacteria your tank will need to stay healthy.
• Test Kit - This is a must when first setting up your tank. After the aquarium is established, you won't really need to test it. The test checks the levels of PH, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia, and CO2. Once these levels check in the safe zone, it is time to add fish.
• Stress Coat – This is added to the water. It helps protect the fish when adding them to a new environment.

Those are all the necessities needed for starting a fresh water aquarium. Now comes the fun part. Choose the decorations you would like for your tank. Once again, pet supply stores carry all types of theme decorations. You can get driftwood, colored gravel, plants, moss, bubble wands, back drops, and various stones.

Time to Set Up the Tank:

1. Place the fish tank stand out far enough away from the wall to allow the filter to hang over. Also, it is best to situate the tank where it will not be in the direct sunlight. This could cause an algae problem.

2. Rinse the gravel to remove any dust particles and place in the bottom of the tank. Slowly add about 2" of water to the tank. Bottled water will not need to be treated, but if you use tap water, use a chlorine remover.

3. Set up the equipment: heater, filter, thermometer, pump if needed.

4. Decorate with ornaments. Spread them out so the fish have enough room to swim around. 

5. Fill the tank with water. Turn on the filter, heater, and pump. Let it run for 24 hours and test the water. Make sure all levels are correct before adding fish. Sometimes, it can take up to a week for good bacteria to grow. If you visit a pet store, ask if you can take a little water from one of their established aquariums. This can help the bacteria grow quicker in your tank.

6. Time to add the fish – Start with only a few hardy fish to be sure your tank is safe. Once you have the fish for a few weeks, add a few more. The typical recommendation is one fish per gallon, so the size of your aquarium will determine how many fish you can have. 

7. It is best to have at least two bottom feeders to help keep your tank clean: cat fish are great for this. You will also want at least one algae eater to keep the algae under control. Choose some peaceful community fish like: neons, barbs, tetras, gouramis and danios. 

Many fish will nip at each other, so be sure to check if the fish you are buying are community, semi-aggressive, or aggressive. You really can't mix these types of fish.

Hope this guide helped you set up the perfect fish tank for you. Now that all the work is done, you shouldn't have to do anything but change about one quarter of the water every couple of weeks. You can also use a siphon vacuum to clean the bottom of the tank of you think it needs it. Enjoy your new tropical aquarium.

Gouramis Are Fun Additions to Your Aquarium

If the fish world had comedians, Gouramis would be superstars. They have so many funny, incredible behaviors that they can put on quite a show in your fish tank. 

You can mix and match different types of gouramis too because they are a docile, friendly fish most of the time. 

The gourami (Trichogaster), also known as a labyrinth is one of the most colorful ornamental fish, and its distinctive behavioral habits make this a favorite fish for aquarists, according to Aquarium USA.  

Different species of gouramis like the dwarf gourami, croaking gourami, chocolate gourami, blue gourami, pearl gourami and kissing gourami can live in the same tank, so you can enjoy all the gourami’s unusual habits.

Gouramis Touch Everything

Gouramis touch everything in the aquarium, using their long, thin, sensitive pelvic fins as feelers to find food, potential mates and maneuver their way through cloudy, muddy water. 

Although your fish tank has clean water, gouramis continue this interesting habit, even touching all the other fish in the tank. If you have gourami in your aquarium, avoid adding fish that nip at long, threadlike fins. All species of gourami touch things, especially the dwarf gourami.

Gulping Gouramis

You may notice that all gouramis reach out of the water for gulps of air, as if breathing.  All types of gouramis gulp the air at the water’s surface, which passes through the mouth into an extra respiratory organ that carries oxygen through a labyrinth into the gourami’s bloodstream. This labyrinth system supplements their gills, allowing gouramis to live in low-oxygen or polluted water. Gulping air is most noticeable in snakeskin gouramis and kissing gouramis.

Gouramis Chirp and Croak

Kissing gouramis make sounds during social interaction by grinding their teeth together. The male croaking gourami chirps and croaks when putting on a show for females. Two males also make the croaking sounds when aggressively facing each other.

Kissing Gouramis Could be Fighting 

Kissing Gourami

Although gouramis touch their mouths together in what looks like a kiss, they are actually displaying aggressive behavior, sometimes known as mouth fighting.  Kissing can also occur during mating or in aggressive situations but gouramis are usually friendly, passive fish. This behavior is most noticeable in kissing gouramis because of their large, protruding lips but all gouramis use their mouths for “kissing” rocks, plants and gravel while searching for food. 

Watch out for Spitting Gouramis

Many new fish hobbyists are surprised when they walk up to their aquarium and their gourami spits a jet of water in the air. Because of the gourami’s ability to gulp air, they can take in water and blow it out above the water line. Gouramis often spit water to knock insects out of the air, snatching them up for food. All gouramis can also jump above the water to grab insects.

If you decide to give gouramis a try, read up on what you'll need for supplies and food. Hope you have a great time watching your silly gouramis.

Image Credits: 

By Jörn (Flickr: küssender Gourami II) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By Green Yoshi [CC BY-SA 3.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Resources:

2012 Annual Aquarium USA: A Great Group of Gouramis: Jeffrey Howe

University of Michigan: Animal Diversity Web: Helostoma Temminkii, Green Kisser

Oklahoma State University: Diel Activity Patterns of the Male Snakeskin Gourami, Trichogaster Pectoralis

Do I Need an Aquarium Bubbler and Air Pump for My Fish Tank?

Photo by Vestman

Freshwater and saltwater aquariums require equipment that prevents the water from becoming stagnant and polluted. Water movement provides oxygen for the fish, keeping them healthy and disease free. The aquarium filter is necessary for all aquariums because it filters out fish waste and excess fish food. The filter also provides oxygen as it circulates water throughout your fish tank. Two other pieces of aquarium equipment that aerate and move aquarium water are the air pump and bubbler. Although the air pump and bubbler are not essential equipment for your aquarium, they do provide extra aeration and water circulation in the fish tank.

Air Pump

An air pump produces air that flows through plastic tubing into an aquarium bubbler, air stone or into a sponge filter. Sponge filters do not provide their own pumping action like an external, power filter, so it needs a pump to force air into the filter and push the tank water through the filter material. Air pumps also carry air to bubblers and air stones through plastic tubing. The air produces bubbles that add oxygen to the aquarium.

Bubblers and Air Stones

The aquarium bubbler is a long tube with tiny holes that connects to the plastic tubing, which comes from the air pump. They are also known as ‘bubble wands’ or bubble walls’. Bubbles from the wands rise to the surface of the aquarium water, taking toxic gases out of the tank. The bubbles provide additional oxygen to the water, helping fish to remain healthy and active. The bubbles also keep the water moving, keeping fish waste and food from settling on the tank bottom.

Air stones are porous stones that release bubbles from air forced through air pump. Aquarists use air stones, not only for added aeration but also as ornamental bubble stones in the aquarium. The bubbles look great as they rise to the surface and they reflect the colors and lights of the fish tank.

So, if you’re wondering whether you need an air pump and bubbler, keep in mind that any extra oxygen you can add to the fish tank helps keep your fish healthy and bubbles are also pleasing to the eye.