Most of all, you want to make sure that you choose an aquarium  location where you will also be able to enjoy your fish. Remember that a fully set-up aquarium is heavy and difficult to move, so time spent before setting up your tank will save you time and effort if you choose the wrong location.

Choose an Aquarium Location that is:

• Large enough for your aquarium and accessories
• Structurally strong enough for the weight of the aquarium, aquarium stand and canopy, and other aquarium accessories.  This usually means locating the aquarium (especially a large aquarium) by a load-bearing wall or in a corner, and not in the middle of a room.
• Close to an electrical outlet to plug in your lighting, filter(s), heater(s), air pumps and any other accessories
• Close to a bathroom or other water source for easier tank refills
• Away from windows, exterior doors or other sources of drafts and direct sunlight
• Away from heating ducts or air conditioners which could cause fluctuations in your aquarium temperature.  Sudden changes in aquarium temperature can stress your fish.
• Away from heavily-trafficked areas or any appliances (washer, dryer, dishwasher, etc.) that cause vibrations to the floor
• Has sufficient space around the aquarium to easily access the back and top of the tank for easy maintenance
• Preferably on a hard surface (wood floor, vinyl floor, etc) in case of a tank leak or occasional water spillage (especially for saltwater tanks)

All that is needed to start the Nitrogen Cycle and begin the building of beneficial nitrifying bacteria is ammonia.  Ammonia is created in your aquarium by fish waste – rotting plant leaves, excreted waste from your fish and uneaten fish food to name a few sources.  While the standard method to start the cycling process has been to introduce a few hardy freshwater or saltwater fish into your aquarium, the cycling process can be hard on these fish, and these may not be fish you want to keep once your tank is ready to go.

Fishless Cycling with Fish Food
Decomposing fish food is an inexpensive (and more humane) method to introduce ammonia into the aquarium.  Any type of fish food works well to kick off the process – flake food, pellet food, or even chopped up shrimp (frozen or raw).

To start cycling your tank with fish food, you want to make sure that your aquarium is fully setup with your filter equipment operational.  The objective of the cycling process is to establish sufficient numbers of beneficial bacteria to process both the toxic ammonia and nitrites that are produced in a tank into the less harmful nitrate.  Without your filter equipment running during the cycling process, there may not be sufficient surface area for the bacteria to grow on to deal with the increased levels of ammonia and nitrites produced when you add your fish.

Once your tank and filter are setup, simply add some fish food to the tank to get started.  If you are using pellet or flake food, start off with a measured teaspoon of the flakes on day 1, and then simply add a small pinch of food each day to keep a steady supply of organic matter in the tank to produce the required ammonia waste.   The decaying food will begin releasing ammonia, and the tank will start the cycling process.

If you don’t want to worry about “feeding the tank” on a daily basis, then you can chop up one or two tablespoons of raw or cooked shrimp and place it into the aquarium.  Follow the testing instructions listed in How to Cycle Your Fish Tank to determine when the cycling process has completed and your tank is ready for stocking with fish.

To keep cleanup of your tank easier through this process, place the food in an old sock (nylon is best!) which can be removed and thrown out once your aquarium has been fully cycled.

Fishless Cycling with Ammonia
Rather than using fish or fish food to produce ammonia and kick off the Nitrogen Cycle in your tank, why not go straight to the source?  You can cycle your tank with ammonia just as easily as using fish or fish food.  You can find ammonia at your grocery store, but want to make sure that you select pure ammonia – don’t get a brand with perfumes or added cleaners or surfactants as they can leave residue in your tank.

To start the Nitrogen Cycle with ammonia, begin by adding a teaspoon (tanks up to 20 gallons) or tablespoon (20+ gallon tanks) of ammonia to your aquarium.  Continue adding ammonia until you get a reading of around 5ppm (parts per million).  At this point you can stop adding ammonia to your tank.  In about 7 to 10 days, you will notice the ammonia levels drop suddenly, down to a level approaching zero.  The bacteria in your tank able to process ammonia into nitrites are now at a sufficient level, and your tank is now starting the second stage of the Nitrogen Cycle – growing the bacteria able to process the resulting nitrites into nitrates.  At this point, you want to begin adding a small amount of ammonia to your aquarium again to keep these bacteria fed, and to continue to produce nitrites for this part of the process.  Follow the testing instructions listed in How to Cycle Your Fish Tank to determine when the cycling process has completed and your tank is ready for stocking with fish.

What is a biofilter?  Basically, a biofilter is a natural system made of colonies of bacteria that turn the harmful fish wastes in your aquarium into less harmful substances which can be removed during your regular water changes.  When you first setup your aquarium, you need to give it time to develop these naturally-occurring bacteria to process the ammonia produced by your fish into the more harmless nitrate.  This process can take up to 8 weeks, during which time it is important to not have too many fish in your aquarium, and to do weekly water changes (15-20% of the water).  Your chance for success is very slim if you setup your aquarium and add fish in the same day, or even the same week.

So how exactly do you cycle your tank?  Your objective is to grow certain bacteria to serve as your biofilter and make your tank fish-ready.  This basically means that your tank needs to complete the Nitrogen Cycle (Ammonia => Nitrites => Nitrates) before you add all your fish. Luckily, this process is fairly easy to accomplish if you have the patience to wait it out and not over-populate your aquarium at the start.

Six Steps to Cycle your Fish Tank

1. Choose your biological filter
   The beneficial bacteria you want to grow in your aquarium needs plenty of surface area on which to grow.  For external filters, this would be sponges for power filters or canister filters, and grooved plastic balls for a wet/dry filter.  For internal filters, the biofilter could exist in sponges or in the form of an undergravel filter.  Indeed, an undergravel filter is one of the best mediums for establishing a biological filter.  For saltwater aquariums, the biofilter can also include live rock (the more the better!).
2. Select a few (2-3) small hardy fish.
   It is important that you consider the hardiness of the species of fish you use during the cycling process, as they will need to be tough enough to withstand the high levels of Ammonia and Nitrites that may be present in your aquarium during the cycling process.  Some good hardy freshwater fish to introduce during the cycling process include guppies, platies, White Cloud mountainfish and zebra danios.  Popular saltwater fish include the damselfish, although the clownfish may be a more desirable species of fish to keep after the cycling process is complete.
3. Test your Water for Ammonia (Days 1-15)
   During the first ten days of the cycling process, Ammonia will steadily grow to lethal levels while bacteria capable of converting ammonia to nitrate are growing.  In freshwater, these bacteria double in number about every 8 hours (about every 20-24 hours in Saltwater).  In about 8 to 12 days, the bacterial colonies will have grown to a sufficient number to dramatically reduce the ammonia levels in your freshwater tank to near zero (This process can take 15-20 days in a Saltwater tank).  During this time, you should regularly test your water quality, and do 15-20% water changes when the ammonia levels are the highest to reduce the stress on your fish.
4. Test your Water for Nitrites (Days 20-35)
   After the ammonia has been reduced to nitrites (still a lethal substance to fish), the next set of bacteria capable of converting nitrites to nitrates will begin to grow.  The nitrite levels will usually peak in days 30-35, after which they will dramatically drop to levels near zero as the nitrite is reduced to nitrates.  During this time, you should regularly test your water quality, and do 15-20% water changes when the ammonia levels are the highest to reduce the stress on your fish.
5. Final Water Change
   Once your nitrite levels have dropped, your tank has been properly cycled and is ready for you to introduce fish. Before you add your fish, however, you should test for nitrates, and conduct a final 50% water change if the nitrate levels are above (or close to) 20ppm (parts per million).
6. Test your Water for Nitrates (ongoing)
   Once your tank has cycled, you should only need to test for nitrates on an ongoing basis. If you are conducting regular water changes (10-15% of the water volume every week), you should rarely get levels over 20ppm.  Fish can tolerate levels up to 40-50ppm, although I would recommend doing a larger (25%) weekly water change whenever your nitrate levels exceed 20 ppm.

Cycling your Tank Without Fish
The process of cycling your tank with fish may seem cruel to some, and is actually unnecessary.  I mention it here because I think it is easier for people to hold off on adding a bunch of fish to their tank if they (or their kids!) AT LEAST have one or two fish to look at.  And if you conduct daily 15-29% water changes when the ammonia or nitrite levels are the highest, your starter fish should not suffer from too much stress.

However, the cycling process can easily be accomplished without fish through a method called Fishless Cycling by adding a small amount of fish food (or ammonia) on a daily basis.  The food will decompose, releasing ammonia and kicking off the Nitrogen Cycle.

The birthday morning is then spent setting up the aquarium. That afternoon, the family goes back to that local Pet Store to buy some of those colorful fish. And those small shiny ones. Oooh – and that cool-looking catfish in the corner tank. Dad! I want one of those neon-looking ones too!

One week later, the fish have died, and Mom & Dad decide that maybe starting a fish tank wasn’t such a good idea. Junior is bummed that all of his fish died, but he’s since been distracted by the new video game he got for his birthday as well. The fish tank is emptied and put into the attic or garage, only to be sold at next spring’s garage sale.

Luckily, your experience with starting your fish tank doesn’t have to end up like this. Follow these 11 simple Tips to Starting your Fishtank, and you should avoid many of the common mistakes made by first-time fish keepers.

Tip #1: Buy and Read a Book on how to Start an Aquarium
A book on starting an aquarium is a must if you are a first-time fish keeper looking to start a fish tank.  You can research your aquarium interest online as well (for free), but books offer portability and are sometimes just an easier read.  You will learn what conditions fish need, what aquarium equipment you will need, how to choose proper aquarium lighting, what type of filtration works for freshwater or saltwater aquariums, whether to choose live plants, how to setup your aquarium, and lots of other handy background information you need to be successful.

Some good starter books include:

• The Simple Guide to Fresh Water Aquariums
• Setting up a Tropical Aquarium Week by Week
• Freshwater Aquariums For Dummies
• Saltwater Aquariums For Dummies

Tip #2: Start with a Freshwater Aquarium
For a first-time fish keeper, I would recommend starting out with a freshwater aquarium.  A freshwater aquarium setup is considerably less expensive and less complicated than its saltwater equivalent.  Freshwater fish are also much cheaper for starting out, ranging from $2 to $10 instead of $20 to $100+!

Tip #3: Buy the largest aquarium you can
In general larger tanks are easier to maintain than smaller tanks. The larger water volume serves as a buffer to slow down chemical imbalances in your aquarium, and also let’s you have more fish!  Stay away from the ten gallon fish tank special at WalMart – a starter tank would ideally be a minimum of 20-30 gallons. Regardless of whether you buy a glass or acrylic aquarium, be sure to check out our chart of glass aquarium sizes to get an idea of the dimensions and approximate weight of your finished aquarium.

Tip #4: Purchase the required equipment to start your fishtank

• Lighting
• Heater
• Thermometer
• Filter (Power Filter, Undergravel Filter or Canister Filter)
• Gravel or sand (one to two inches)
• Aquarium Vacuum
• Nitrogen and PH test kits
• Aquarium Glass Cleaner
• Fish Food
• Decorations / Plants
• Fish Net
• Two 5-gallon buckets
• Towel

Tip #5: Choose an appropriate location
The location of your aquarium is an important consideration for your new hobby.  You want to keep your fishtank away from drafts and direct sunlight, and preferably away from any areas in your house that has heavy traffic.  You also want to locate your aquarium stand near an electrical outlet, as you will have lighting, heating, filters and possibly an air pump to plug in.  If you are keeping a large tank (100+ gallons), you may also need to take structural considerations into account, as your finished tank setup will weigh over 1,000 lbs!

Tip #6: Provide some decorations & shelter for your fish
Decorations, such as large rock, live plants, plastic plants or wood make your aquarium more attractive and provide a place for your fish to hide when they are stressed.  Live plants provide a benefit of being able to process some of the aquarium waste as well.

Tip #7: Setup and cycle your aquarium
When you first setup your aquarium, it will not be able to process the waste the fish are producing.  You need to cycle your fish tank, giving the aquarium time to develop the naturally-occuring bacteria needed to process the amonia produced by your fish into the more harmless nitrate.  This process can take up to 8 weeks, during which time it is important to not have too many fish in your aquarium, and to do weekly water changes (15-20% of the water).  Don’t forget to add a water conditioner (such as Start Right) to remove the chlorine from your water if you are on a municipal water supply.

Tip #8: Purchase some starter fish
During the cycling process, you need to have some fish in your tank to produce the waste that creates the beneficial bacteria for your filter system.  These fish should be hardy and able to withstand some less-than-ideal water conditions.   White Cloud Mountain Fish, Zebra Danios, Platys and most catfish are all good choices to start with your aquarium.  Don’t overdo it though!  Two or three of these starter fish are all that your tank can handle at the beginning.

Tip #9: Introducing more fish to your aquarium – don’t overpopulate!
As a general rule, you should budget one to three gallons of tank size per one inch of fish to not stress your filter system.  For a 20-gallon tank, this would mean 15 to 20 inches of total fish length total.  Resist your urge to get more fish than your tank can properly support.  After selecting your fish, travel straight from the store to your house, and float the bags in your aquarium for 15-20 minutes prior to introducing your fish into your aquarium.  This will help match water temperatures and reduce the stress on your fish.

Tip #10: Conduct regular 15-20% water changes
More than anything else, regular water changes will help recover from any mistakes you might be making with your aquarium.  Smaller, weekly water changes of 15-20% of the water volume are better than a large (40+%) monthly water change, and will keep your fish healthy and happy!

Tip #11: Involve your whole family!
If you’ve followed all these steps, congratulations!  Take some time to enjoy the fruits of your labor with your whole family.  We’ve spent countless hours in front of our salt and freshwater aquariums watching our fish, plants, invertebrates and other animals interact with each other.  By having all family members involved, no one individual gets stuck with all the maintenance, and it can be a fun family activity for all involved.