Aquarium Setup 1

So you have bought an aquarium kit and wonder how to keep your fish alive this time. Here's what you need to do:
1. Add water (de-chlorinate tap water or use bottled)
2. Add gravel (gravel supports nitrifying bacteria which remove amonia from your aquarium)
3. Add plants (plants use nitrates as food which are the byproduct of nitrifying bacteria)
4. Let it run for at least a day to allow nitrifying bacteria to get into your tank.

That's it for the setup portion. Next we need fish.

Adding Fish 2

When selecting fish make sure that they are not sick. Signs of disease include:
A. White spots (ick)
B. Damaged fins (possible tail rot or might just be eaten by another fish which are both bad)
C. Fuzzy stuff on body, mouth, or eyes (fungus)
D. Red sores

Also make sure that the fish are compatible otherwise they may kill each other.

Make sure that you float the bag in your tank for 15-30 minutes so the fish adjust to the water temp.

To keep disease from spreading do not pour the bag water into the tank. Instead, net the fish out. Also treat any new fish with quickcure (for ick) , melafix(for tail rot, red sores, and fungus), and StressCoat (to protect and heal damaged fins). Fish will usually survive in the bag for a couple of hours before running out of air.

Start out with a couple of fish and gradually add more so amonia levels dont spike.

Adding more fish 3

Usually an aquarium can support 1" of fish per one gallon of water. So a 10 gallon tank can support about 10 fish. You can have many more smaller fish like neons. You will know that you have more than enough fish when the water gets dirty. This is a bad thing. The water should be crystal clear. A change in water quality like this may be caused by:
1. Overfeeding the fish
2. Not enough organisms (bacteria) to break down fish waste and amonia.
3. A problem with the filter

A 25% water change will help bring water quality back to normal (unless there is something wrong with the filter) .

Within 4 days water should start to clear up.

Watch water quality closely as it is a sign of the health of your tank.

Maintenence 4

Basically every week you use a hose-like device called a python to suck fish poop out of your tank along with 1/4 of your water. This is what is meant by a 25% water change. You de-chlorinate your new water if you're using tap or just use bottled water. That's it! Enjoy your fish for another week.
Why do a 25% water change?
1. It keeps your water clean.
2. It removes some of the toxic amonia from your tank.
3. It replenishes any evaporated water.
A 25% water change every week is the single most important thing you can do to keep your fish healthy.

What happens if you don't change the water?

About a month after you set up your aquarium the fish produce more amonia than what the bacteria can convert into nitrates. The amonia levels reach deadly levels at this point and kill all of the fish.