"Billy" wrote in message
...
Welcome to the obsession.

Start he http://faq.thekrib.com/begin.html


*****Pay special attention to the process known as cycling****.


Hi Jenny S,

That comment required quintuple emphasis. Not understanding the nitrogen
cycle in aquaria is a main culprit for early frustration with the hobby.
Bacteria develop in the substrate you lay down (and on plants and
decorations, and inside your filter media), which deal with the waste
products that fish generate. Knowing how this works is important, since (as
I've read NetMax say) fish basically live in their own toilets. Gross, but
accurate. :-)

A couple more things I'd add to your shopping list are

1) a water test kit ($20-35). You'll need to track pH, ammonia, nitrites
and nitrates (the reasons why will become more clear once you read TheKrib
FAQ)
2) a gravel vacuum (a simple siphoning vac is a great help towards keeping
a tank clean. $10-15)

If you are going to use tap water for your aquarium, you might want to
"scout out" in advance how appropriate it is for keeping fish. If you have
well water, have your local fish shop (LFS) test your water for you, to see
if there's anything funky you may need to treat for (depending upon your
area, well water can have non-neutral pH, low level phosphates, or other
suprises which your fish may not like). If you have city water, ask your
town for a water quality report. If your water is chlorinated, you will
need a product to dechlorinate your tap water. Dechlor products can also
contain additional water treatments and additives which help the fish out.

The best advice anyone ever gave me when I was starting out was; Add fish
slowly!!! You'll want to jump in and put six or ten fish into your first
tank, and nothing could be worse for getting the tank established, and more
frustrating due to loss of fish. Read about cycling new tanks.

Regards
DaveZ
Atom W