So you want to get an aquarium?

Congratulations! Fishkeeping is a very fun and rewarding hobby, but there are certain things to consider before deciding that getting an aquarium is right for you. If you are a beginner aquarist and this will be your first tank, it's best to start small. I think starting with a 10 gallon tank gives you enough of an idea of how much of a commitiment it is to pursue the hobby. Here's some preliminary thoughts to consider before "diving" in:

• Be prepared to spend at least $200 for the aquarium and equipment. This does not include the price of a stand if you do not have a place to put the tank. This is for a 10 gallon tank setup. If you go larger, you will spend more money.
• Do a lot of research. You will quickly find out that everyone has an opinion and many of them might contradict each other. Do not use this guide as your sole source of information, although it might be a good starting point. My best advice is to go with the opinions you read and hear most often. Majority wins!
• When purchasing your aquarium and equipment, do not purchase your fish on the same day. Several things must happen before you can fully stock your tank, which will be covered below. Patience is key in keeping healthy and beautiful fish.

What do I need to buy?

Here's a list of what you will need to buy. Details and guidance will follow below.

• A 10 gallon aquarium and hood with built-in light sockets
• Light bulbs (they will not be included with the hood)
• 15 pounds of substrate (sand or gravel)
• Ornaments
• Live plants (optional)
• Plant food (optional)
• Hang-on power filter
• Air pump with either an air stone or bubble wand
• Thermometer
• Heater
• Fish net
• Water dechlorinator
• Aquarium salt (optional, but strongly recommended)
• Master test kit
• Gravel vacuum
• Algae scrubber
• Two 2-gallon buckets (one MUST be brand new)

Buying a 10 gallon aquarium

I'm not going to go in too much detail, but I would suggest getting a brand new tank. You can pick one up with a hood for about $25. Sure you can get a used one for $10, but it might leak or it will be dirty and you'll have to clean it. Save yourself the hassle and go for new.

Lighting

Your choices of lighting for a 10 gallon tank are fairly limited. For large tanks, there are so many choices it makes your head spin. Lighting is really only a factor if you have live plants, which will be covered later. Other than that, it's a matter of personal choice.

Substrate (gravel or sand)

The rule of thumb is you will need 1.5 pounds of substrate per gallon. Hence, 15 pounds. The color of the substrate is a matter of personal preference, but I like natural colors. I believe the more you mimic the fish's natural environment, the more they will thrive. I would also suggest getting gravel over sand. You can vacuum gravel and get all the debris up without sucking up the gravel. With sand, that is not the case, although it looks great. The only other consideration is if you will have any kind of catfish in your tank, like corydoras. If so, go with a smooth gravel as rougher gravel will damage a catfish's delicate barbels. Without their barbels, they cannot find food or mate.

Ornaments

Choose ornaments that are made for aquariums or else you run the risk of chemicals or other harmful matter being released into the water. Place at least one ornament in your tank so your fish don't get bored. Also, some fish like hiding places and having ornaments and plants in the tank will make them feel more secure. Make sure you don't overcrowd the tank. There should be some open swimming space for the fish to play in.

Live plants

I highly recommend getting a few live plants for your tank. First, it will help control algae as they compete for the same nutrients that algae consume. Second, many fish prefer a planted tank and it will help them feel more secure. Make sure to get hardy low maintenance plants that don't require a lot of light. You can't get that much wattage out of bulbs made for a 10 gallon tank. Good choices are java moss, java fern, amazon swords, anacharis, and anubias. You don't need special substrate for them either. Just make sure you leave your lights on about 8 hours a day and give them a plant supplement like Leaf Zone from API (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc.) once a week.

Personally, I would stay away from fake plants. They look great at first, but they accumulate dirt and gunk over time and then they don't look so good anymore.

Filtration

For a tank this size, a hang on power filter is sufficent. I use an AquaClear20 by Hagen. There are many different brands and I would highly suggest doing some research to decide which filter is right for you. My only advice is to read the directions that come with the filter so you know how to maintain it properly.

Aeration

Although not necessary, I prefer using an air pump with either an air stone or bubble wand. This gets adequate oxygen into the water and some fish love to play in it, which gives you entertainment value. I like the bubble wands. They suction cup to the back of your tank and give you a shimmering curtain of bubbles. My fish like to "surf" in it. Just make sure to get a pump that is appropriate for your tank size. Do not overdo it because too much aeration is not good either.

Thermometer and heater

It's important to keep your water at a relatively steady temperature. And some fish can only tolerate a certain temperature range or don't like big fluctuations. Tropical fish like warmer water and if you live in a cold climate, not having a heater could be deadly. Heaters are relatively inexpensive and have thermostats on them that will regulate the temperature to whatever you set it at. Having a thermometer is obviously a must. I like the stick-on kind. You can get one that floats in the water, but I think with a 10 gallon tank it makes it look cluttered.

Tank maintenance supplies

You will obviously need a net for getting new fish into the tank, taking out dead fish, or rounding up sick fish. For water changes, fresh water will need to be treated with dechlorinator and aquarium salt before you place it in the tank. A master test kit is another must as you will need to test water parameters such as ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate frequently at the start. More on that later. A gravel vacuum and algae scrubber will also be used during maintenance. Finally, make sure you have two 2-gallon buckets, one of which must be brand new. More on that later too.

Setting up a tank and the nitrogen cycle

The first thing to consider is where to put your new tank. With water and substrate, the tank will weight almost 100 pounds! An aquarium stand is a good investment since they are made to handle the weight. If you did not purchase a stand, make sure that whatever you place the tank on is solid and stable. Do not place the tank in front of a window. Direct sunlight will promote algae growth.

Rinse everything with water before you place it in the tank, including the gravel. Do not use soap or other cleaners. If any residue is left over, it will get in the water and harm the fish. A thorough rinse with only water should be adequate and perhaps a scrub with a dedicated brush to loosen debris on ornaments.

Place the gravel in first and then your ornaments. If you're using a bubble stone or wand, hook it up to the airline hosing and place in the tank. Bubble stones will need to soak for an hour before you turn on the air pump. Bubble wands can be used right away. Plants are easier to place in the gravel if you fill the tank half full of water first. When everything is in place and to your liking, fill the tank up with water. Following the directions on the labels, add dechlorinator and aquarium salt. Aquarium salt is not the same kind of salt used in saltwater tanks. Aquarium salt acts as a tonic for freshwater fish and is very beneficial, although definitely not required. Last, install the heater and set up the filter, again following the directions carefully.

What kind of fish?

If this is your first tank, I would suggest purchasing fish that are hardy and forgiving. Do your research! There are many resources online that will help you select the fish that are right for you. I would also suggest starting with peaceful community fish. That way you can have different species for variety and not have any fish death matches. The rule of thumb for the amount of fish in a tank is one inch per gallon, so plan accordingly. You do not want to overcrowd the tank. Good starter fish include white cloud mountain minnows, most tetras, danios, rasboras, mollies, guppies, platys, corydoras catfish, and goldfish. For goldfish, however, you need two gallons for every inch of goldfish.

Get a good "cleaning crew"

One thing I think no tank should go without is a good cleaning crew. These are fish that eat food off the bottom or algae. Bottom feeders do not eat waste but will get every last scrap of food that got to the bottom. Corydoras catfish are great. They are one of the most peaceful fish I've seen. They don't seem to notice the other fish and are more concerned with finding food. A great algae eater is the otocinclus catfish, usually called oto cats for short. They are a suckermouth catfish that do a great job keeping algae at bay and they only get about 2 inches long. You can't go wrong with these guys!

The nitrogen cycle

Now that your aquarium is up and running, let it run for at least a day before adding any fish. Let the dechlorinator do its work and the water cycle through the filter. This also gives you time to make sure there are no leaks. This is one of the reasons you don't buy fish the same day you buy the aquarium. If it's leaky, where do you put the fish?

Because of the nitrogen cycle, which I will explain next, you do not want to introduce too many fish at once. Either purchase one or two medium-sized fish (3 or 4 inches) or two or three smaller fish. These fish will help you get your tank cycled.

Fish produce waste, which turns into ammonia. Ammonia is toxic to fish. This is why you don't buy a bunch of fish and put them in the tank. Too much ammonia will be introduced in the water and casualties can occur. Once ammonia is present in the tank, bacteria will start to grow that will consume the ammonia. The ammonia will then turn into nitrite, which is also toxic to fish. Once nitrite is present in the tank, another kind of bacteria will grow that will consume the nitrite. The nitrite will then turn into nitrate, which is NOT toxic to fish. This is where your master testing kit will come in handy.

Test your water every day for these three things. At first your ammonia level will start to go up and there will be no nitrites or nitrates. Your ammonia will suddenly spike sharply and then you'll start to get readings on your nitrite levels. After a day or two, your ammonia level should read zero, which is good. The same thing will happen with the nitrites. They will spike and then taper to zero. Once your ammonia and nitrite levels read zero, your tank is now cycled. Cycling a tank can take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks so be patient.  Word of warning: you might lose some or all of your starter fish. A lot of people think this is inhumane and opt for the fishless tank cycling method. This involves just simply adding pure ammonia to the tank with no fish. It's your choice which method to use. I was fortunate enough to not lose any fish when I cycled my 10 gallon.

One caveat. I would not use ammonia removers. Adding this turns ammonia into ammonium, which is not toxic to fish. The only downside is that your ammonia test will come out to a false zero. It does not measure ammonium and you will have no idea when your ammonia level is truly at zero. It also does not speed up the cycling process.

Once your tank is cycled, you can add more fish now. Do not add too many at once as they might add too much waste that the bacterial colonies can't handle at once. There is no need to test for ammonia and nitrite anymore and you really only need to worry about nitrate levels. If nitrate levels are too high, it can stress out your fish. A good rule is to make sure nitrate levels stay at or under 20 ppm, and 10 ppm would be even better. High nitrate levels signify a lot of waste in the water. Rotting plants and food contribute to high nitrate levels. Make sure to keep plants well pruned and cut off any dead leaves as quickly as possible. Having cory cats in your tank should help prevent food from rotting. Water changes also help keep nitrate levels in check.

Water changes

Water changes are extremely important to the health and life span of your fish. For a 10 gallon tank, I would highly recommend doing at least a weekly water change of 20% of the water, which is 2 gallons. If you are having issues with water parameters (ammonia, nitrites, etc.), more frequent water changes might be necessary.

Prepare your fresh water the day before the water change. Take one of the 2 gallon buckets and fill it with water. Add your dechlorinator and aquarium salt. Letting it sit for 24 hours not only gives the water time to dissipate harmful chemicals, but also allows it to become about the same temperature as the water in your tank. Remember that big temperature fluctuations can stress out your fish. Also remember that this bucket is now your "clean water" bucket and should not be used for anything but preparing your water. I took a Sharpie and wrote "Clean Water" on mine so I don't get it mixed up with the other bucket, which is labeled "Dirty Water".

On the day of the water change, start by cleaning the inside of the glass with an algae scrubber. Do not scrub ornaments for they house beneficial bacterial colonies that consume ammonia and nitrite. This is also a good time to prune any plants. Now use the gravel vacuum. Gravel vacuums do two things: one, it gets water out of the tank and two, it removes waste from the gravel. I would focus on vacuuming one quadrant of the tank. Rotate what quadrant you vacuum so in a month the whole tank has been vacuumed. Gravel will float up into the vacuum tube but it won't go all the way up. Just jiggle the vacuum and the gravel will go back out again. Keep vacuuming until you get about 2 gallons into the dirty water bucket. To make up for evaporation, make sure you take out slightly less water than what you'll be putting in.

A couple words of warning when siphoning the water out of your tank. Watch your fish to make sure no one gets sucked up. Usually your fish will avoid the vaccum, but sometimes you get a brave one. Also, make sure the water level does not go below your filter intake. If the filter has no water to suck up, it could be damaging. For a two gallon water change, this shouldn't be an issue, but all filters are different so just keep an eye on it.

Now it's time to add the fresh water. I use a 2-cup measuring cup to add the water back. Pouring it from the bucket creates a big current and could wash out the gravel on the bottom. Now clean the lid and outside of the glass, using water or a cleaner that's aquarium-safe such as Safe and Easy by API. I would suggest using paper towels to clean and wipe since cloth towels can have laundry detergent or dryer sheet residue, which is harmful to fish.

That's it!

So that's pretty much the basics in setting up and maintaining a 10 gallon aquarium. I can't stress enough how important it is to do research. I would also suggest subscribing to an aquarium forum online. There's quite a few to choose from and you can get a lot of valuable help and advice from people who have been doing it for years. The more you know on how to care for your fish, the happier and healthier they will be. Thanks for reading!