| The first thing to consider when you are planning | | | | job. For example, you need a decent filter to |
| anew aquarium is where are you going to place it? | | | | keep the water clean. But in my experience, the |
| You will obviously need to be able to see it, whilst | | | | filter that arrives with the tank is only just up to |
| having easy access on the water changes to | | | | the job if you have no living plants and only a few |
| remove and replace the water. But, whilst all of | | | | clean living fish. Start building up to a full tank and |
| this water is being moved about, you also need | | | | lots of the required plants and the load on the |
| access to electricity (with a lot of plugs!). Given | | | | filter is far too much. I always upgrade a filter to |
| that water and electricity do not mix, some | | | | at least the next size up from that which is |
| thought is needed. | | | | recommended for / supplied with the tank. |
| Then, with a lot of fish, if the tank is in a high | | | | If you have bought a general tank then it might |
| traffic area of your household, a lot of varieties | | | | be setup for cold water fish. The conversion to |
| will not take kindly to the constant disturbances. | | | | tropical fish is quite simple, as long as the tank is |
| You will also want to avoid draughts and direct | | | | made of suitable materials (you should not try to |
| sunlight. So in all, quite a conundrum when you are | | | | convert a plastic tank to a tropical tank). All that |
| trying to work out where to position the tank. | | | | you need is an underwater heater. If you have a |
| Now, you need to start on the supplies! Along | | | | centrally heated house then the heater is not |
| with the actual tank you need the cupboard to | | | | going to have to work too hard, so the minimum |
| place it on. A large tank will weigh a lot - even a | | | | for the size of the tank will be plentiful. But some |
| two foot tank can weigh more than a grown | | | | fish keepers prefer to double up with two heaters |
| man. So the furniture that you place it on should | | | | set to the same temperature, or sometimes |
| be the proper equipment, not just any old bit of a | | | | setting one slightly higher. |
| cupboard that might not take the extreme | | | | Finally you need an air supply. You can fit a |
| weight. | | | | venturi to the air pump that adds air to the out |
| Next, look at the equipment that is needed to fit | | | | flow, but you must keep the filter clean. I use this |
| out the tank. You might find that your tank | | | | on my bigger tanks, but a separate air supply on |
| arrives with much of the gear that you will need, | | | | the smaller tank as the filters clog quicker. |
| but a lot of the time it is not actually up to the | | | | |