starting nwe fishtank

Question
Hi Stephanie,
I moved house 3 years ago and just now I am ready to set up my old fish tank. However,all my books are still in the attik unpacked.I used to have 100L fish tank, but I do not remember what to do to set it up again.I still got all necesary bits amd pumps, and I still keep the old gravel . Please help me. Thank you very much

Answer
Hello,

Here are some steps to follow to set up your tank:

1)Place the tank in a location you want it. Preferably in a bright room, without to much direct sunlight or cold draughts.

2)Rinse the gravel under running water and then place it gently in the bottom of the tank.

3) Bucket water into your aquarium. Make sure you add dechlorinator if its tap water.

4) When your aquarium is about 85-90% full, add the decorations/plants you want. Also set up your heater, aerator and filter. Make sure you rinse any carbon before putting it in your filter. Once everything is in, add a little more water if you need to.

5) Add a denitritfier/good bacteria product like Cycle. You can do a double dose.

6) With everything running let the tank sit for at least 24 hours but preferably 48. During this time, make sure the temperature is between about 72 and 78 F and that everything is running properly.

7) After your waiting period, add a couple inexpensive fish to start the natural cycle. After they have been in there (and have survived) for about 1 week- 2 weeks you can start adding more fish, a few at a time.

I hope this helps.

Good-luck,
From Stephanie