Setting up a 10 gallon aquarium is similar to setting up a larger one. Creating the correct environment for the fish is critical to their survival. You can choose to keep either tropical saltwater fish or freshwater fish in this type of aquarium. Common principles apply to setting up a 10 gallon aquarium and some of the principles to follow are elaborated herein.

Initial things to do when setting up a 10 Gallon Aquarium

The first thing to do is to clean your aquarium thoroughly. While the glass might seem clean, there might be dust or dirt in small quantities. Clean the tank, but do not use too much detergent.

Rinse the aquarium thoroughly several times in order to ensure that there is no detergent left behind. Once the cleaning of the aquarium is done, clean the equipment that goes into it in the same way that you cleaned the aquarium. Be extra careful to remove all traces of detergent as this would be harmful to marine life.

If you are adding gravel to the aquarium, ensure that you wash it under running water. If you are adding plants, put them into a bucket of clean freshwater for a while before you put them into the aquarium.

Miscellaneous things to do when setting up a 10 Gallon Aquarium

Test your aquarium for leaks before you add in the equipment. Fill it up and monitor it for several hours. Add in the filtration system and the gravel, and then fill the tank with de-chlorinated water. If you are in doubt about the water, mix a chlorine remover with it (in the correct dosage), just in case.

Pour the water slowly and carefully into the tank in order not to disturb the aquarium gravel. You can do this by placing a dish on top of the gravel and then pouring in the water. The dish will absorb the force of the water. You can remove the dish once the tank is full.