1. Selecting a Tank
 2. Accessories
 3. Cycling
 4. Stocking




1. Selecting a Tank
There are number of aquariums (tanks) available in various shapes and sizes. These tanks are made from either glass or acrylic. There are advantages and disadvantages of glass and acrylic aquarums. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-03/dw/

Advantages of Glass Aquariums
1. Lower Cost. Glass Aquariums are cheaper than acrylic or pexiglass ones.
2. Glass is more resistance to scratches than acrylic.


Disadvantage of Glass Aquarium
1. Glass aquarium are heavy.
2. Glass aquarium are more susceptible to leakage and breakage. Glass aquariums tends to leaks at the seams since they are bonded together with silicone whereas Acrylic has a molecular bond which is five times stronger. An accidental bump with shapr object or child throwing an object that aquarium can easily result in breakage, although some of the aquariums are made of thicker galss that can withstand the punishment.
3. If medication is used, the Silicone will discolor turning a blue tint over time.


Advantages of Acrylic Aquariums
1. Acrylic aquarium come in various shapes and sizes. Unlike glass Acrylic can be made into circular shapes. Whereas most glass aquariums are rectangular.
2. As mentioned Acrylic aquariums are lighter.
3. Acrylic aquarums are stronger than glass ones. Although they can be broken, they are able to withstand accident and mistakes better than glass.
4. Since Acrylic is a better insulator than glass, it will be easier to maintain a contant water temperatur better than glass aquariums. Acrylic will not have a large impact on the water temperatur due to ambient room temperature.
5. Although Acrylic aquariums scratches easily there kit than that repair these scracthes, unlike glass where the scratches are permanent.



3. Cycling
Once everything is setup, fill the tank with water and turn on the filters. If you are like most people used tap water, drop the recomended amount of de-chlorinator remove the chlorine in tap water. Most experts aggree that there are two types of cycling, fishless and with fish. The cycling process usually tank about seven or more weeks depending on the tank size and water conditions. During this you should do 20% to 25% water changes once a week and measure the Ph, nitrite, nitrate, amonia and dH (hardness) levels. You could easily buy a testing kit from Wal Mart, Petco or PetSmart. Most of the kits are cheap and they come in a bottle with about 30 or 40 test stripes.
Iniatially you will see these parameter come down and the spike after three or four weeks. Don't be alarm this normal. Most beginners panic and do a massive water changes or add pills to reduce the different parameters. That is a big mistake. Durin the cycling period you should never do more than 50% water change since this doesn't allow the bacteria to grow. Adding medication or pills only kills the beneficial bacteria developed in the tank.
Some suggest that during this cycling period you should have fish in the tank, but I disaggree. It would only kill whatever fish you add. They tell us that by adding fish you reduce the cycle time. In my experince I have never found this to be correct. But there other ways to increase the cycling time. If you have an older and established tank use some of the gravel or decor from that tank to speed up the cycling. You could also use the water from the older tank to fill the new tank during the weekly water change.