What the Beginning and Advancing Aquarist Absolutely Needs to Know and Do When Starting An Aquarium

Start Out By Setting Up the Aquarium and Adding Water, But Without Fishes Or Other Aquatic Animals

The following statement is hard for beginners to consider, but it can save a lot of time and trouble later on:  "Obtain and install the aquarium, its equipment, and fill it with water, but do not at this stage put in fish or other aquatic animals.  That should come later after the aquarium is in balance, and everything is working properly." 

Putting fish too soon into a new aquarium or pond is very stressful to the fish, and can lower their resistance to disease outbreaks, as well as be lethal to them.  And as you will see later in this article, once fish are diseased, it is not easy to help them recover.  There are no "quick cures" out there for most fish infections.  Fishes, both fresh water and marine, are increasingly being imported from a greater number of sources around the world.  New species of diseases are being introduced with them, that are harder to treat than what there was before.  It is best to keep fishes from getting sick in the first place by being extra careful.  But this is not easy to do and deserves your understanding of what you need to know to be a successful fish keeper.

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