New Aquarium Question

Question
I just purchased a new fresh water aquarium for my son. It's a 3 gallon tank. I feel a little funny asking this but I'm still learning a few things to help my son take care of his future little buddies.

1) How long do you rinse the new filter?

2) How often should I add aquarium salt?

3) Do you recommend an airstone?

Thank You  

Answer
Hi Ron, Nicole here, answering your question from the Question Pool.

A 3 gallon tank is a tough size to start with, but it is doable. I recommend you only stick with a betta, or not get any fish instead just get an African dwarf frog and maybe a mystery snail. No fish that are commonly sold other than bettas will really be OK in that tiny tank, although if you ever find "least killifish" (smallest livebearers in the world!) they would be fine in a tank of this size.

1) If you mean the carbon cartridge, you only rinse it once to get rid of the carbon dust. Everything that comes with your new aquarium just needs to be rinsed and then it's ready to be filled up and start running. Make sure if you keep tropical fish (such as bettas) that you get them a little heater, a 25 watt heater would be fine in here.

2) Don't add salt unless you are keeping brackish or saltwater fish. Aquarium salt is just plain old kosher/cooking/sea salt, so all those packages of salt you see at the pet stores are just a gimmick, really. Sure, there are fish that like salt - mollies, for example - but the kind of salt to use is marine salt mix, the kind of salt marine hobbyists use. Fish like bettas don't need salt at all.

3) Yes, an airstone is helpful, but not as helpful as an air-driven filter. The internal filter, Whisper 3i in tank filter is powered by an air pump and it's cheap! Readily available at my local Walmart here in FL, so you should have no trouble finding it. Here's a link:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752355&cp=2767036.2769235&f...

I recommend you (and your son too!) do a bit of reading, here's some websites that will help you get started with fishkeeping:
http://www.firsttankguide.net
http://freshaquarium.about.com
http://badmanstropicalfish.com
Don't forget to check the local library for a book on freshwater aquariums, this is the best way to begin your journey.

I hope that helps, take care!
Nicole