Getting Started with a Tropical Fish Aquarium

I’ve bought my aquarium, gravel, plants filter and heater, how do I get started?

• Place the aquarium on it’s stand in it’s final position.
• Take the gravel you’ll be using for the aquarium outside, and using buckets and a hose, rinse until water flows completely clearly. This equally applies to prewashed gravel.
• Place the wet gravel in the bottom of the aquarium so that it’s deepest at the back, sloping gently to shallow at the front. Place any rocks or ornaments so they can’t fall over. Using a hose add about 3 inches of water, taking care not to disturb the gravel with the hose. Add the plants with the tallest at the back, mid height in the middle, and low foreground plants at the front. Place the filter and heater in the final position, then fill the tank up to about an inch below the top, using a hose.
• Plug the heater and filter into the mains, then add a tap water treatment and leave for 24 hours to clear and come up to right temperature. After 24 hours plug the lights in and set the aquarium lights on a timer to come on for for 2 hours every morning, and 6 hours every evening.
  

Do not add fish yet.
After 2 weeks, prepare to follow the cycling method. Do not add any more fish until cycling is complete.