It may take a lot of work sometimes, but this hobby is very rewarding as you’ll soon see.
Okay...enough talk, let’s get to the point:
If you’re just starting out, you need to know what you need to buy to get started. Here’s a list of the essentials that you need, no matter if you keep saltwater or freshwater fish:
An aquarium – To keep you fish in.
An aquarium stand – To support your new aquarium.
Filtration equipment – Filters can be chemical, mechanical and biological.
Lights – To help live plants grow, and to enhance the colors of your fish.
A tank hood – To reduce evaporation, and stop anything (such as a cat’s paw) from getting in.
Decorations – These can be anything you decide. There are a wide range of decorations available nowadays, so you can decorate your tank however you like. You’ll also want a background to hide the wires.
Substrate – This is basically the sand or gravel you use for the bottom of your aquarium.
Plants – There’s a wide range of plants you can choose for your aquarium nowadays, including live and plastic plants.
Heater – Tropical fish require a water temperature that is slightly higher than most people’s room temperature.
Chemicals – By chemicals, I mean chemical filtration, which gets rid of harmful gases that the water picks up as it passes through a carbon filter. It’s not always needed, but it is very easy to use and it’s better for your fish.
Thermometer – the plastic strip one with liquid crystals are best.
A net – For scooping things out of your aquarium.
Cleaning supplies (such as a scrubby on a stick, a small round brush
and a bucket reserved solely for aquarium use)
Fish food – to feed your fish, obviously.
And last, but not least… you’ll need the fish!
