Tips: Buying the Tank and Equipment

• Never buy the tank and fish on the same day. Although it may be tempting to go home with several appealing fish, some patience and restraint is called for initially.

• If your space and budget allows, go for a larger tank. Small tanks are often sold as "ideal for the beginner", but this is not really true. Larger tanks are more stable in terms of their water chemistry, temperature, etc. Conditions will change more gradually in a larger volume of water, so things are much less likely to go wrong suddenly. A 3 foot long tank of around 100 litres/20-25 gallons is probably a good size tank to begin with.

• Unless you are buying a complete setup (e.g. the Juwel aquarium packages), you need to select the right equipment for your tank. A reputable dealer should be able to help you with this, but it is helpful to have some advance knowledge of what is required.
  Basically this means a filter, heater, a lid with lighting, 'substrate' (gravel or sand), backing material and other decor such as rocks, wood and real or plastic plants.
  Once set up, you will need additional accessories such as a water conditioner, net, test kits, etc.