When you have decided what type of fish and plants you wish to keep, found a suitable tank and purchased all the necessary equipment, the next step is to actually set up your aquarium. Many people quite randomly add stuff to their aquarium without much consideration, which usually mean that they will encounter a lot more problems that the prepared aquarists. By sticking to a plan when you arrange your first aquarium you can save yourself a lot of time and trouble.

The first thing you should do is to thoroughly clean your tank. If you skip this stage simply because your new aquarium looks clean and shiny, your fish might die due to left over contaminants that become dissolved in the water. A previously used aquarium also needs a good scrub to remove unwanted parasites and diseases. Many microorganisms are remarkably resilient and can stay dormant even in an empty aquarium. Normally, it is unadvisable to use detergents when cleaning aquarium equipment, but during this first wash you can use a small amount of dish washing liquid in warm water. It is of imperative importance that you rinse away all traces of washing liquid as soon as possible. Use warm water to thoroughly rinse the aquarium several times. Fish can die from even tiny amounts of dish washing liquid.

When you have cleaned your tank, you should clean all the items that will go into the aquarium, such as equipment and aquarium d