Looking for a new hobby? 

First things first, fish keeping is categorized as a hobby. Why? Because hobby means something you devote yourself into doing. Fish keeping does require a lot of work; it may seem to be just putting fish in a glass box full of water and feeding it, but really, it isn’t just that. There are a lot of things to put into consideration. At first, it’s quite overwhelming, but trust me, you’ll get the hang of it.

Things you must consider before getting into the hobby.

- It’s expensive.
- It requires a lot of work.
- It needs weekly maintenance.
- It’s addicting.
- It requires research.
So, how to start your very first aquarium?

CHOOSE YOUR FISH.
Choose your fish first before anything else. Just choose and don’t buy them yet. I suggest you choose beginner-friendly species. Only choose from species that can get along well with other fish, are hardy and forgiving to mistakes, doesn’t grow to humongous size, aren’t picky about their food, and produces less waste. Common fishes who fit right into these criteria are Guppies, Mollies, Platies, Swordtails, Danios and etc. Why do you have to choose the fish first? Because there are factors that depend on the fish that can alter things you may need. After choosing, research about the need of that fish.

GATHER THE MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENTS YOU NEED.
- Aquarium tank with 30 – 50 gallons capacity.
- Filter
- Heater
- Anti-chlorine
- Aquarium Test Kit
- Thermometer (To know the temperature of the water.)
- Airpump/Airstone (If the filter can’t provide proper water agitation.)
- Light (You can manage with just the room lighting.)
- Substrate (Optional)
- Decorations (Optional)
- Fish Net
- Bucket
- Fish Food

For beginners, a bigger tank is always suggested. In this hobby, bigger doesn’t really mean a lot of cleaning, it means a huge allowance for mistakes. Always remember that a bigger volume of water can dilute a substance making little to no effect. Imagine a drop of ink gets into the water, the bigger the volume, the bigger dilution capacity it can make compared to what a smaller volume can do. A minimum of 20 gallons up to 50 gallons is advised for starters (Of course it depends on the budget.) Next, you need to buy a heater. All fishes require a proper water temperature. After that, you must buy a filter. Filter is very important in the fish keeping hobby – it serves as the life line of your fishes and processes harmful elements in your tank. Your filter must also serve as a source for water agitation to help with oxygen exchange. What type of filter? It depends on what suits your fish (Some fish doesn’t want a lot movement and some do so.), but the thing to consider is the filter must move the water at least 4 times its size. Example, if you have 30-gallon tank, you need a filter with at least 120gph rate.

Furthermore, you also need anti-chlorine to treat your water. Remember that chlorine may not be harmful to humans but for fish, they are deadly. If you can, get your hands on some aquarium test kit. This kit is used to test water parameters such as ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels.

For the aesthetics, you want to make your tank to look good, right? Then you may want to get some substrate and some fake silk plants. But these decorations still depends on what type of fish you plan to keep. Always do research about the fish you want.

PREPARE YOUR TANK.
Place the tank in its proper place. Don’t place it near a window to prevent a rapid growth of algae. If you’re placing the tank on a higher floor, make sure that the support can handle the weight of the water. After that, decorate your tank and set the filter and heater. Then, add the water without ruining your arrangement and add the anti-chlorine. After everything inside is submerged turn the equipments on.

CYCLE YOUR TANK!
I can’t stress this enough. Always cycle your tank first. Fish needs the help from beneficial bacteria to convert their waste into a less harmful substance; and these bacteria aren’t present in the tank when you bought it. How do you cycle? First, you must understand the nitrogen cycle. Fish food and waste are introduced into the tank, these nasty things decompose through time, and these things make ammonia which is poisonous to fish. Beneficial bacteria are the ones who convert this ammonia to nitrite, which is a less poisonous substance. Next, nitrite is then converted again to a non-harmful (in small amounts) form called nitrate. Do beneficial bacteria convert nitrate to another one? No. Nitrate then are removed by us through water changes, that’s our part.

How do you cycle your tank? A common way of cycling is just by leaving your tank running for at least a month, you can always use the test kit to know if your tank is cycled or not yet. Once the ammonia is at 0, nitrite at 0 and nitrate at around 20-40ppm then your tank is cycled. Perform a water change to lower that number and you’re ready. Another way is by dosing amounts of ammonia to boost the biological process. And lastly, the fish-in cycle – this type of cycling is very controversial since you use fish to cycle your tank, meaning, you make them go through the process of substance that are poisonous to them. Remember, fishes are living things as well.

INTRODUCE YOUR FISH.
Once everything is set, you’re good to go. Go and get your fish from the local fish store or anywhere you prefer to buy them. Make sure you’ve researched that about that fish. Once you get home, place the bag where your fish is on top of the aquarium of water, then let it sit for about 15-20minutes. This process will help match the temperature of the tank water and the water in the bag. After that, release your fish. If you want to increase the chance of success, you can open the bag and place the contents inside a container, then scoop the right amount of water from the tank to the container holding the shop water and the fish every 5 minutes. After releasing the fish, don’t feed it yet. Let it adjust to its new home. Feed the fish the next day with the typical fish food; pellets, flakes, and etc. Do consider giving the fish a balanced diet, like giving fish peas and worms once in awhile. After all those things, consider a weekly water change schedule; remove and replace around 20-30% of the water. Happy Fish Keeping!

My Original Post on Wordpress: https://isxunstaanahowto.wordpress.com/2016/11/27/how-to-start-your-first-freshwater-aquarium/