How to Start a Small Fish Tank

Starting a small fish tank can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it is by no means to be taken lightly. Keeping fish, like keeping any other pet, is a responsibility that should only be undertaken after careful research and consideration. With the right steps towards educating yourself before you "dive in," you will be well prepared to enjoy all the excitement of fish keeping.

Things You'll Need

  • 5 to 10 gallon aquarium
  • Cycle starting liquid or liquid ammonia
  • Water conditioner
  • Gravel
  • Filter
  • Heater
  • Thermometer
  • Test kit
  • Decorations
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Instructions

    • 1

      Rinse the aquarium gravel thoroughly in clean tap water, and fill the bottom of the tank with a one to two inch layer.

    • 2

      Add decorations to the tank such as plants, rocks and caves, to give your fish plenty of hiding places. Also add your filter, heater and thermometer at this point.

    • 3

      Fill the tank with water, and turn on the heating and filtration units. The temperature of the tank will vary based on what fish you decide to keep, but most tropical fish do well between 75 to 82 degrees.

    • 4

      Cycle the tank by adding a commercial nitrification product to the water, or adding household ammonia a few drops at a time until you see an ammonia reading show up on your test kit (usually 5 drops per 10 gallons will do it). Add more ammonia at half the initial dose every day until a nitrate reading shows up on your test kit. Change 1/3 of the tank water before adding fish.

    • 5

      Introduce fish to the new tank a few at a time over several weeks to give the tank time to adjust to the increase in bio-load (waste). New fish should be observed carefully for signs of illness, and removed immediately if any suspicious symptoms develop.

    • 6

      Clean the fish tank by changing 10 to 15 pecent of the water every week with tap water that has been treated with water conditioner.

    • 7

      Change the filter cartridges once per month, and rinse the filter sponge or biofilter material in used aquarium water (never tap water, which will kill all the beneficial bacteria you worked so hard for).