Here's How:
- 1 ) Make a list of "everything" you are interested in having in your aquarium. This means all fish, crustaceans, corals, and invertebrates you would like to keep. Remember, this is a "wish-list".
- 2 ) Now go down your list and learn about each individual animal's characteristics, then organize them into appropriate groupings based on their compatibility and what kind of aquarium, a fish-only, fish-only with live rock, reef tank system, aggressive or non-aggressive community they are best suited to go into. Keep in mind that some of the animals may not be limited to being placed into just one group, but multiple groups.
- 3 ) From all the groupings or communities you have created, decide on which "one" you would like to have the most.
- 4 ) From your selected community, based on the size of your aquarium and how many animals you can actually put into it, decide on which species from this list you want the most.
- 5 ) With your final list completed, now you need to figure out what you want to put in your aquarium first, which is easy to do. In all likelihood you will have some species listed that will not be suitable for a beginner, should not be used to cycle a tank with, or are poor choices for placing into a newly-cycled aquarium, so just put all the animals in order starting with the best beginner or hardiest species, down to the most delicate or difficult to keep.
That's it! Now when you are ready to put some livestock into your aquarium, just start by picking a couple of the hardiest animals from the top of the list to introduce into the system first, and so on down the line over time. By using this method it allows you to gain experience taking care of your aquarium, and for you and your tank to mature before moving on to the more difficult animals.
