1. Research the aquarium equipment you are looking at before you purchase it. Different sizes of aquariums require different pumps and heaters. Find out which products are best for your aquarium before you start ordering the wrong products.
2. You need to have some healthy natural bacteria to process the wastes and chemicals in your aquarium. This will take around 4 weeks to grow naturally, but you can purchase products to speed up the process.
3. You should be sure to rinse out all of the materials you are going to be placing in the aquarium with water. Do not use soap or detergents, soap can cause toxic results for the fish in your aquarium. Just rinse the equipment with distilled water.