Equipment you will need: Aquarium Aquarium gravel Aquarium filter Replacement filter media Heater Other decorations (such as plants) Chemical test kits Fish food Aquarium vacuum Fish net Glass Scrubber 5-gallon bucket Pasta strainer

STEP 1: Realize responsibility involved. A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on tank. Most of time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your tropical fish at least once a day. If you are up to challenge, please proceed!

STEP 2: Decide on an aquarium size. It’s a good idea to have in mind what kind of tropical fish you want to keep before you purchase an aquarium. Some tropical fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches in length! Knowing what kind of tropical fish you want will help you decide size of tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, I would recommend going with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium for now.

STEP 3: Decide on aquarium's location. Place your aquarium in an area where light and temperature of tank won’t be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. A good rule of thumb for determining total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!

STEP 4: Buy your aquarium and equipment. Now is time to decide on type of filtration you will want to use. You will also need to purchase a heater capable of heating tank size you have. Buy gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations. A good rule of thumb for amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon of water.

STEP 5: Set up your aquarium and stand. Wash out your tank with water only! Do not use soap or detergents. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. If you are going to use an under gravel filter (not recommended) now would be time to set it up as well.

What do I mean, "...miss crucial, pet communication signals...?" While many people love idea of having animal companions, we also have daily responsibilities such as jobs, attending school, families, and other priorities. And usually, our pets end up last place on life's totem pole.

Another issue that certainly plays a key factor in how capable we are to understanding our animals' needs and wants is whether or not we have indoor or outdoor pets. Though indoor pets may pose a little extra patience with regard to training, I highly recommend (as does Humane Society ) keeping pets indoors with family.

What most individuals do not take into account is that once a collective choice is made to adopt an animal, that is precisely what is being done: we are adopting a living, feeling, creature into our lives; thus, we must consciously realize that by adopting an animal, he or she is to become a permanent addition and family member.

We certainly wouldn't adopt a newborn and place him outside on a chain all day until we returned from work, would we? Therefore, we must always remember to treat our animals just as considerately and compassionately as we would our own children.