The first decision you have to make in setting up your first aquarium, is what size fish tank you want. I recommend at the very least a 10 gallon tank, although larger will be easier for a beginner. The stuff at the bottom of the tank is called substrate. You will probably either want gravel or sand. This is mostly a matter of what you think looks better. You will need some kind of filtration. For a smaller tank I recommend a hang on back type power filter. You will also need a heater. The general rule of thumb is 5 watts per gallon, but that can be a bit more than you need if you are in a warmer climate.

The lighting that comes with your fish tank is sufficient unless you want to grow plants. Planted fish tanks are very nice, but they can be tough to keep up for a beginner. I recommend you start with a fish only tank, and move on to planted tanks later if you are interested in them.

Before you fill your tank you need to rinse your substrate, and dechlorinate your water. Once that is done, setup the tank with the substrate, filter, heater, and lights and let it run like that for about 24 hours to test for leaks or equipment malfunctions. Once that is done you can start cycling your tank. This can be done either with fish, or you can do a fishless cycle. A fishless cycle is done by adding an artificial source of ammonia into the tank to start the nitrogen cycle. Once you see the cycle has finished, you can slowly stock the tank. A general guideline on how many fish you can keep is one inch of fish per gallon of water. Remember, that refers to the fully grown size of the fish, so plan for the future.