Hopefully your tank is going to be around the thirty / forty gallon size and you’ve not been greedy and gone for something larger.Your gravel or substrate should be to hand as well as the laterite that you are going to use to feed your plants. 

Start off by putting the aquarium where it is finally going to be, making sure that it is level and secure. It needs indirect light but definitely shouldn’t be in direct sunlight..

Clean the tank before you start by using a clean, ideally unused, sponge and some fresh tap water………..Ready to go.

You should have your power filter or filters plus all the lighting set up and ready to go.    If in doubt refer back to our other pages on these subjects!

Place your filter where it needs to go.    This can vary from one manufacturer to another so always read the instructions.

Wash your gravel….and then wash it again…and again, until the water runs clear.    When I first started in this I used the kitchen colander for this.    Not advisable unless your mum, or wife is out the house.

Now you need to mix about a third of your gravel with the laterite(25% laterite) and use this as a base layer in the bottom of the tank, covering it with two separate layers finishing with the finest gravel on top.  Don't make this entirely level.  Slope it so that it is deeper at the back where the larger deeper rooting plants are going to go and don’t be afraid to use your imagination and create some contours and variety to the substrate.  It usually looks better if it is irregular.  You want a depth of between 2 and 4 inches depending on the position in the tank.

It's  time to start filling the tank using de-chlorinated tap water up to about the half way mark.  One tip is that when pouring in the water put a plate or saucer at the bottom of the tank and pour onto this.  It will stop you churning up your gravel and laterite and hopefully the water will remain fairly clear.

From now on it’s time to really use your imagination and artistic flair.    Choose your decorations, driftwood, Greek urns, treasure chests and put them where you want them to eventually go.    Remember that anything you put at the back is likely to get hidden as the plants grow and the tank fills up.

Finally fill up the rest of the tank, turn on the filters and….. wait for a couple of days.

What…no plants?

That’s right.    Let the water settle for a few days.    You may find that it goes cloudy and then clears, this is normal.    After a few days when the tank has settled, start to add your plants.    Don’t overdo it, remember that these are going to grow and leave room for them.    Get the feel for the ones you have planted before adding any more.

Now you wait again……..this time for a couple of weeks

You are waiting for the nitrogen cycle to begin and you can speed this up by either adding small quantities of food, frozen prawns or household ammonia or by using starter fish depending on your preference.  We cover this in our articles on the nitrogen cycle and starter fish.

You may well see algae start to appear on decorations and the sides of the tank.    This is quite normal and unavoidable in a populated tank.    Once the algae have started you can if you want look at introducing algae eating fish like Platies.

Two more weeks and your fish tank set up is complete and you are into the maintenance routine with partial water changes every week or two.

Quite simple really.    Success is all in the research and preparation and hopefully we have helped with that!

Finally, grab a beer and sit back and enjoy it!