Hi, In this instructable I will show you the necessary equipment to keep and maintain a healthy aquarium in your home. Fish keeping can be overwhelming if you don't know what you are doing.
This instructable will help people that are new and or a beginner in the fish keeping hobby. Keeping an aquarium in your home can be fun and enjoyable if you know what you are doing.

Feel free to ask questions and concerns in the comments..... ENJOY!

Step 1: The Stand

You will need a stand to keep you aquarium on. The stand needs to be able to hold the weight of your tank when it is fully filled.

A general rule of thumb is every gallon of water weighs about 10 lbs

10 gallons - 100 lbs
20 gallons - 200 lbs
And so on..

For my stand I used a large dresser which can easily hold me 30 gallon tank.

Step 2: Placement

Your aquarium needs to be away from direct sunlight and near electrical outlets.
Having your tank near a window causes Algae to grow very rapidly.

Step 3: The Aquarium

You will need to buy the following items:

Tank
Heater
Thermometer
Filter
A hood with lights
Gravel
And decorations ( rocks , plants, etc...)

(Optional)
Air pump
Air line
Air stone/ bubble wall

At most pet stores you can buy a complete aquarium kit for around 50-100 dollars. These kit come with every thing you would need.

Step 4: Getting Started

Set up your tank the way you want it before adding water. Once it is to your liking place a small plate in the bottom of your tank and begin pouring water onto the plate. Take the plate out when your tank is half filled then finish filling it up. Place the hood and filter on and plug all the electrical cords in. Make a drip loop for safety reasons. ( a drip loop is a section of wire that hangs blow the outlet )

Step 5: Introducing Fish

Allow the tank to run for about a week before buy fish. Add all the necessary chemicals to the water too.

Note the size of your tank when buying fish. Some fish will look small in the store but will grow a lot down the road. Goldfish are not the ideal fish for aquariums they are very dirty and shouldn't be mixed with other fish. (I have two in my tank because I've had them in a old tank and didnt want to be cruel and flush them) do your research before hand to make it easy ire at the store.

Snails are great for cleaning and don't really need any care they just do their own thing.
Ask questions at the store too, the workers are a big help.

Once you have the fish float them in the bag for 10-20 mins and gradually adding half a cup of your tank water to the bag until it is full. Use a net and place the fish into their new home and don't put the water from the store into your tank.

Step 6: Maintenance

Use a gravel vac and take out 20-30% of the water and replace it ... This should be done weekly not when the tank looks gross. Then scrub off the algae off the sides of the tank.

I made my own gravel vac using a bottle and some large airline tubing

Also add the required chemicals too

NEVER USE SOAP TO CLEAN THE TANK IT WILL KILL YOUR FISH

Step 7: Feeding

Sprinkle the food in the tank and watch the fish eat for 2-3 mins and later just add the amount they ate in the 2-3 mins DO NOT OVER FEED it makes your tank very dirty and you fish unhappy. If there is leftover food floating around take it out with a net

Step 8: Lighting

Your lights do not have to be on 24-7.. 10-12 hrs a day is fine and a moon light if you have one for the night .

THANKS I HOPE YOU ENJOYD IT AND FEEL FREE TO PUT QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS IN THE COMMENTS !!