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Just like my house and yard won't care for themselves, neither will my fish tank. Research advises to take it slow, and not to expect to have the new aquarium fully stocked and functional for 6 to 8 weeks.
Most of this time is spent in making the water suitable for living (temperature, filtration and chemistry), so the fish won't become "stressed". (Why can't they relax by watching me watch them?) The good bacteria need a chance to establish themselves. Some eat the ammonia exhaled by the fish and formed by decaying "ka-kah". Other bacteria will eat the nitrite that the first bacteria expel. Nitrite is then converted to nitrate; a supposedly less harmful by-product.
But, I don't want nitrates either, so I want to regularly do partial (25-30%) water changes (at least every other week), as well as water tests. The nitrate levels should be below 40 parts per million
I'll also clean my gravel on a regular basis by using the neat little fish tank vacuum that came with my filtration system.
When I do my water changes I'll make sure the new tap water is treated to neutralize the chlorine.
I'll test the water regularly, every day in the beginning. If all is well after the first month I'll decrease intervals until I'm checking only once a month. In addition to testing for nitrates, I'll check the pH levels (between 6.5 and 7.5), and the chlorine level (maybe as low as .005ppm). Hopefully pH maintenance chemicals will not be needed.
New fish will be added only after I'm sure that the store water has been completely diluted. If possible I'll let them swim around in a smaller tank until I can make sure they're healthy.
Part of my daily enjoyment of my fish will be devoted to checking them. I'll look for out of the ordinary behavior, compatibility problems, and any signs of poor health. And, I'll correct any problem immediately.
Because I want my fish to be as relaxed as they make me, I looked into "fish stress". Please read I'm OK, You're OK. Go back to the start at Let's Get Some Fish!
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