Freshwater
The most popular way to keep fish at home: forgiving, colorful and endlessly varied. Here is how the main styles compare, and how to set one up the right way.
For most tropical community fish. Goldfish prefer it cooler, around 65–72°F.
The time it usually takes to cycle a new tank so fish waste is broken down safely.
A 10–25% water change, a quick glass clean and a look at every fish.
Bigger tanks hold steadier water than small ones and forgive more mistakes.
Choose a style
Most tanks fall into one of these styles. Pick the one that matches the fish you love and the time you want to spend.
A peaceful mix of small schooling fish and bottom dwellers sharing one tank.
Live plants are the star, arranged like an underwater landscape.
Small 5–10 gallon setups for a single betta, a shrimp colony or a few tiny fish.
An unheated tank built around fancy goldfish, which grow bigger and live longer than most people expect.
Bold, colorful fish with big personalities, from African lake cichlids to angelfish and rams.
A small, stable tank for dwarf shrimp and snails, often planted with moss.
Step by step
These are general guidelines. Needs vary by species, so check the specific fish and plants you plan to keep.
Decide which fish you want, then size the tank to their adult size and needs. When in doubt, go bigger: more water means more stable water.
Water weighs about 8.3 pounds per gallon, so a filled 40-gallon setup can top 400 pounds. Use a stand made for aquariums on a level floor, away from direct sun, heat vents and drafts, and near an outlet.
Rinse the substrate, place rock, wood and plants, then fill with tap water treated with a dechlorinator. Start the filter and heater and let the temperature settle.
Beneficial bacteria need to grow before fish can live safely in the tank. Add an ammonia source and bottled bacteria, then test until ammonia and nitrite both read zero and nitrate shows up.
Start with a small group of hardy fish. Float the bag to match temperatures, and add more over the following weeks so the bacteria can keep up.
Feed small amounts once or twice a day, change 10–25% of the water weekly, and rinse filter media in old tank water rather than tap water so the bacteria survive.
See how it works
Living Showroom
Walk around a planted freshwater aquarium in 3D, meet its fish and see how a living tank works.
Open the 3D view
Inside a canister filter
Take an external canister filter apart in 3D and follow the water from the intake, through each media layer and back to the tank.
Open the 3D view
Keep learning
When you are ready to pick out supplies, everything we carry is in one place. Questions first? Call (215) 269-4930 or visit us at 4501 New Falls Rd, Levittown.