* Now you are ready to fill the aquarium tank with water. Leave about one inch at the top of the tank. Tropical fish are generally very sensitive to the chemicals found in tap water so ask your aquarist if you will need special water conditioners for the area you live in.
* Switch on your aquarium's water filtration system
* Now place your heater and thermometer into the tank. Tropical fish will thrive at a temperature of seventy-six to seventy-nine degrees. If you are going to keep cold water fish they are most comfortable at fifty to seventy degrees.
* Now the wait! Allow your aquarium to run for at least twenty four hours making sure that your temperature settings are correct and that the water is properly aerated.
* You may need to cycle your tank for a while longer when you first set up a freshwater aquarium. A new tank needs to establish colonies of bacteria that keep the fish and water healthy. This will depend on the fish species you have chosen so ask for expert, professional advice.
* After making sure that the chemical levels are adequate you are ready to add your new underwater friends to your aquarium.
Choosing Fish Species for Your Aquarium
* The size of your tank will determine how many fish you can keep. Allow about two inches of fish per gallon of water.
* Always buy your fish from an experienced dealer or breeder who can guarantee the health of his product. It is very important to house fish that are free from illnesses to avoid infecting the whole tank. Inspect the fish in the dealer's tanks and make sure that they are in a good state of health and that the tanks are clean. Any dead or sick fish should raise a red flag!
* Do some research on the fish that you are attracted to before you set up a freshwater aquarium. Find out about their habits, feeding preferences and if there are any illnesses they are prone to. Make sure you choose fish that have similar temperature preferences and chemical needs. You also need to know if the fish you want are compatible with each other. Many larger fish like Oscars prey on smaller ones so to avoid them vanishing day by day try to choose ones that don't.
* Choosing fish that swim in schools will give you fewer compatibility problems and it is easy to gauge whether any of them are ill by watching them in a group. Neons or Cardinal Tetras are a good choice, as are Corydoras catfish, small barbs, rasboras, loaches or pearl and zebra danios. Either way try to avoid getting only one of everything you like rather get several and allow them to cluster together in the tank.
