Now that you’ve managed to get all this equipment home, what’s the next step? The first thing you’ll want to do is dampen some paper towel and gently clean out the inside of the tank. No soap required. In fact, you don’t ever want soap anywhere near your tank unless you plan on murdering your fish.
Now rinse off the gravel. A colander is a great tool for this job. Simply dump the gravel into the colander and rinse it under warm water for a minute or so.
Set your tank on its stand and gently place the gravel in the tank. Generally speaking you’ll want the gravel to be higher in the back so that any debris will fall to the front of the tank, making it easier to clean. Fill a bucket with cold water and slowly fill the tank almost to the top. To help prevent the water splashing around in the tank and scattering gravel everywhere place a saucer on top of the gravel and pour the water over that. Don’t forget to add your water conditioner!
If you’ve decided to purchase plastic plants, now would be the time to put those in. Make sure they’re rooted deeply in the gravel; otherwise they run the risk of being used as tank toys by your goldfish.
Following the instructions that came with your power filter, get that up and running. Unpeel the backing from your thermometer and position it on the front of your tank.
Let the filter run overnight and the water come to room temperature. Check your thermometer the next day. If it’s somewhere between 60 and 85 degrees you’re ready to purchase your goldfish!