Freshwater

Chemicals You Need to Start
Your Aquarium
When you first set up a brand new aquarium, certain chemicals can help you
out a great deal. You can purchase most of the chemicals mentioned in this
section at your local pet shop, and the other ones you can most likely find at
the supermarket or even around your own house.
Glass cleaner
You can use a household glass cleaner to clean the outside of your aquarium
and its frame. Standard window cleaning products such as Windex work very
well. Make sure you cover the top of the tank with a towel so that mist from
the cleaner does not get inside the tank. Cleaners that have a citrus base
seem to work the best. They leave the glass clean and streak free and also
help to keep fingerprints from reappearing on the glass. (This is especially
useful when you have small children in the house.)
Never use a household glass cleaner on the inside of your tank! Glass cleaner
residue can kill your fish very quickly. The only thing that should be used to
clean out the inside of an aquarium is fresh water. Never use soaps or any
other types of chemicals on the inside glass.
Dechlorinator
When you first add water to your aquarium, you have to remove the chlorine
from it first. Chlorine will kill your fish. Dechlorinator usually comes in liquid
form and removes harmful chlorine instantly. With most brands, you need to
add only a few drops per gallon to do the job (read the label carefully, of
course). Basically, the main purpose of dechlorinator is to make the aquarium
water safe for your fish without your having to wait for the chlorine to
dissipate naturally (which usually takes 24–48 hours).
Water conditioner
Chapter 13: Those Crazy Chemicals
Water conditioners often combine a dechlorinator with other chemicals that
instantly detoxify the heavy metals in tap water. You can use a water conditioner
when you are setting up a new aquarium, changing water, or adding
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