Cheap Pet Insurance

October 30th, 2008 by Trish Hunter

10 gallon aquariums need the same kind of attention that one would spend on setting up much larger size ones. The right set up will ensure that you then create the ideal environment for your fish and marine life to thrive in a 10 gallon aquarium.

No matter whether you go for a 10 gallon aquarium or something much larger you have the choice of either keeping freshwater or saltwater tropical fish in one. The principles still remain the same for any size of tank whether it is to be a freshwater aquarium or a saltwater aquarium. Below we look at the things one needs to do before you actually can set up a freshwater 10 gallon aquarium.

Things You Need To Do First For Setting Up A 10 Gallon Aquarium

Once you have got your 10 gallon aquarium home the first thing to do before you do anything else is clean it out thoroughly. To do this take some warm water in a bucket and add to it a small amount of detergent (washing up liquid is fine) and scrub the all parts of the tank completely (inside and out). This way you are getting rid of any airborne contaminants, dust and debris that are in contact with your 10 gallon aquarium and which you cannot see.

When you have washed the 10 gallon aquarium with the detergent mixture now get on with rinsing it out. You need to wash it out with fresh clean water several times to ensure that not just debris but any detergent residue is removed.

As well as cleaning the 10 gallon aquarium out properly one needs to do the same with the equipment that you are going to be installing in it. As with the tank remember to rinse each piece of equipment thoroughly several times to remove unwanted debris and detergent residue. If not then this may well cause to problems for the fish and marine life that can be detrimental to their health and may well kill them.

When it comes to cleaning the aquarium gravel before you place it in the tank make sure that is has been washed through well. Do this by placing in a colander and then put this under a running tap and allow to stay there for some time. If you are intending to put plants (real or plastic) into a 10 gallon aquarium then keep them in a bucket which contains clean freshwater until the stage when you are ready to put them in place.

Setting Up A 10 Gallon Aquarium – Other Things You Need To Do

The other thing one needs to do before you actually move on to the stage of setting up your 10 gallon aquarium for real is to test that it doesn’t leak. Do this by filling with water and allow to stand for several hours whilst you monitor it. If everything is okay then you can start on the first stages of preparing your aquarium before you introduce the aquatic life to it.

The first thing you need to put into your 10 gallon aquarium before you add any water (which must not contain chlorine) is to put in place the filtration system (side or under gravel one) and the gravel. To ensure that the water you are putting into your aquarium contains no chlorine is to add to it a product known as chlorine remover. It is crucial that you follow the dosage instructions to the letter provided by the manufacturer when adding this product to the water.

A superb way of avoiding disturbing the gravel in your 10 gallon aquarium when pouring in the water is to place a dish on top of it. Then rather than pouring the water directly into the tank pour it slowly and gently on to the dish and allow it to flow over the side into the tank. Then once you have finished filling the 10 gallon aquarium full of water can you then take the dish out.