Club Jungle: Welcome To The Club!

It’s easy to set up your new aquarium when you follow these easy steps. And don't forget, your local pet store professional can be a continual source of information and advice. The more you learn, the more successful you will be, and the more fish care becomes fun and easy!

We've divided steps to setting up an aquarium into two main sections: Aquarium Setup and Location, and Adding Water and Fish. Steps 1 - 6 below are Aquarium Setup and Location. To jump to Adding Water and Fish, CLICK HERE.

	Choosing Your Aquarium When choosing an aquarium there are two important details to consider—size and shape. A good size for a beginner is a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium. Keep in mind that the larger the tank, the less likely it will suffer from undesirable temperature and water chemistry changes. There are many shapes to choose from, just be sure your aquarium has ample surface area. This is where oxygen is readily absorbed into the water for fish.

	Choose a Location Choosing a location in your home that is away from any heat sources, direct sunlight, or cold, drafty areas is important for keeping the temperature stabilized in your aquarium.

	Light Your Aquarium Lighting not only helps you see your fish and show off your aquarium, it helps regulate day and night for your plants and fish. Lights should be kept on between 8 to 12 hours each day and turned off at night. The hood cover top will also prevent your fish from jumping out of your tank.

	Place Your Gravel Aquarium gravel is available in almost every color and size. We recommend using approximately 1.5 lb. of gravel per gallon. Use angular-shaped gravel that is 1/8 to 3/16 inches in diameter. Gravel also helps with natural biological filtration in the tank. New gravel contains dust and debris from the manufacturing process. Use Jungle Gravel Wash to remove the debris before placing it into your tank. Please note: if you have decided on an undergravel filter, install the filter plates and lift tubes in the aquarium before placing the gravel on top. Place the gravel into the tank 2-3 inches deep in the back and slope toward the front to 1 inch. (See step #8 for more details on filtration)

	Arrange Your Decorations There are many types of aquarium decorations. Just make sure that the items you choose are designed specifically for aquarium use so that you don't put anything into your aquarium that will harm your fish or plants. While "treasures" gathered on your own might be beautiful, they may contain materials that will break down in your aquarium and pollute the water. Your pet shop can advise and familiarize you with an endless supply of decorative wood, rocks, ornaments, and backgrounds. To assure a safe environment for your fish, wash all decorations thoroughly with Jungle Seri Clean before placing them in your tank.

	Position Your Plants If you want plants in your aquarium, you can buy live or artificial imitations. Artificial plants look very natural and require little or no maintenance. Live plants, contribute to the water quality by lowering nitrate and phosphate, assimilating nitrogen and passing on oxygen. If you choose to go with live plants, an easy guide for beginners is our Aquatic Plant Care Book...Everything You Need to Know About Easy Aquatic Plant Care. To help make sure your live plants stay healthy and beautiful, use Jungle Plant Care Solutions products (see our junglelabs.com Products section for a complete listing). Whether you choose live or plastic plants, use a wide variety of types with varying heights. For the best overall visual effect taller plants should be placed toward the rear, medium-size plants in front of them and small ones in the very front.

For steps 7-12, Adding Water and Fish, CLICK HERE.

Click on the links below to jump to the step you're at in setting up your aquarium!

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