Now that you are in possession of the ingredients for setting up a tropical aquarium, you will no doubt be anxious to make a start. Success comes before work , only in the dictionary; for your aquarium to be a credit you must work. In reading this book you have already shown your willingness to learn the correct way of doing things, so don't spoil your efforts at this stage by being over-anxious. Despite the desires of the Family to see the aquarium in operation, you must resist the temptation to skimp on the preparations. To have a crystal clear tank in the future, it must be carefully set up in the beginning. Too few aquarists realize that a little patierlce and forethought now can save hours of trouble in the future.
The decision as to where to place the aquarium will obviously rest with you. But if the stand is placed near a wall, leave sufficient room to hang a box filter on the back of the tank as well as enough space to enable you to reach any electrical connections hanging there. The ne)d step is to insure that the tank and stand are perfectly level. lf they are not, the water in the tank will be lopsided, and as a filled aquarium is enormously heavy and difficult to adjust, level it while it's empty.
And make no attempt to move the aquarium once it is filled with water (in the case of the large tanks, I doubt whether you could), but do give the site some careful thought. Cover the immediate floor area with newspapers or, better still, the large plastic bags from the cleaners. This will protect the carpet and the floor. Now that we've taken care of the preliminaries ,let's examine the tank. Clean it inside and out with salt and water, being careful not to use anything that will scratch the glass. Use no fluid detergents or soaps of any kind. Then rinse and wipe. Any small pieces of cement left by the manufacturer Can be scraped off with a razor blade but don't trim too much; otherwise, on filling, you might find a leaking tank.
Place the reflector on top of the Tank: if other lighting is being used and your tank is minus a cover, be sure to fit a cover glass. Keep the glass just above the rim of the tank either by using clips (purchased at your dealer) or else by running strips of plastic tubing or rubber weather stripping around the edge of the glass. lf you have cut the sheet of glass yourself, smooth off the edges. Before placing the glass or reflector in place, slide the thermometer down the inside front glass with the calibrations towards the front for easy reading. About halfway down is fine. Next, connect your heater, lights and air pump to the power supply. Start your filter siphon and adjust the flow of air through the aerator. Now you can stand back and survey the results of your
handiwork. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and relax; you deserve it. You must refrain from introducing fish to the aquarium for at least two days. Use this period to check that everything is working correctly and that the water temperature is constant at about 75'F. Those who use incandescent bulbs for illumination will find that after long periods this type of lighting tends to heat the water. Don't mistake this for a malfunctioning thermostat. A slight tendency towards cloudiness in the water is quite natural at first and is part of the balancing process. This cloudiness should disappear after a while. Let it alone and the aquarium will repay you by taking on a crystal clarity.
