SETTING UP AN AQUARIUM

What is an Aquarium?
An aquarium is a specially designed device that acts as an artificial habitat for water-dwelling animals. Although most people associate an aquarium with tropical fish, aquaria can also be used to house amphibians or large marine mammals. In addition, many aquaria contain a variety of plant species.

Wall mounted fish tank.

Public aquaria are popular tourist attractions throughout the world and frequently found in zoos or marine parks. They are made from reinforced concrete and plastics to create a tank that is large enough to hold an entire underwater ecosystem. For example, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois has a capacity of approximately two million gallons (7,570,823.6 liters). The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia is the world's largest aquarium with more than eight million gallons (30,283,294.4 liters) of marine and fresh water.
Most public aquaria can be considered biotopes, ecotypes, or ecotopes since they house plants, fish, and invertebrates that would only live together in a natural habitat. Sharks and whales are some of the most common species found in public aquaria, although otters, penguins, and other semi-aquatic animals are often quite popular. An aquarium that is designed to hold dolphins is called a dolphinarium.
 HOW TO SET UP AN AQUARIUM?

Aquarium set up.

The first step in creating an underwater zoo is to set up your tank. Then the fun begins as you choose a variety of colorful underwater decorations and inhabitants.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Clean the tank, gravel and decorations with an non-soap-based product.
2. Set up your tank stand in an appropriate location.
3. Install the filtration system. 
4. Follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully, since models vary in their installation. Add clean gravel. Figure on 1 pound of gravel per gallon the tank holds.
5. Put the plants in, anchoring the bottoms in the gravel.
6. Fill your tank with water, leaving about an inch at the top. Tap water generally has chemicals in it that aren't good for tropical fish. Ask at the fish store if you'll need special conditioners, since they will be familiar with the composition of the local water.
7. Start the filter system.
8. Add the heater and thermometer. Most tropical fish do best at 76 to 79 degrees. Cold-water fish prefer a range between 50 and 70 degrees.
9.  Let everything run for at least 24 hours and get the temperature settings right and the water moving.
10. Put the new fish in when the chemical levels are all OK and the tank temperature is within tolerances.