How do you start anything or do anything without knowledge? Beats me.
Common sense isn't it? Everything you do needs knowledge but some folk get on with something without it and then wonder where it all went wrong.
When you start a tropical freshwater fish aquarium you need knowledge.
Don't try without it.
Hey I ain't no psychic but I can tell you that if you start a fish aquarium with zero knowledge then it will last a week and you'll be calling fish enthusiasts all the rotten names you can think of.
But all the time it will be your fault, no one else's.
You can't expect to look after a few fish in a visually stunning aquarium if you know nothing about it.
Will you treat the water? Did you know it had to be treated? Will you choose fish which will eat each other? Did you know some fish actually eat each other? Will you treat the algae? Did you know algae would build up in the tank? Did you know what algae is? OK you get the message.
But it doesn't have to be that way and don't try 'cos you will fail.
Get the knowledge first before you do anything because you need it for success.
And listen, it only takes a few hours, not weeks on end studying, studying and studying, and as you dig into your research you'll be amazed at the information anyway, so boring it is not.
Where can you get that information? Books, magazines, libraries and the good old internet.
There are lots of websites with good information to help you start.
Yes there are some which blatantly try to sell you stuff and there are others which simply contain information and nothing else.
Starting a freshwater fish aquarium is just so much fun and will give you pleasure for life - if you start with knowledge.