Selecting An Aquarium

There are hundreds of different tanks available. If you have not looked at aquariums in a while you are going to be pleasantly surprised. They come in all shapes and sizes, and you can either buy a bare minimum tank or you can buy a large piece of furniture. If you are really getting elaborate, you can buy one that fits right into a wall, or a wall mounted one if you lack space. You can even custom design a tank. So, before you rush out and buy the first one that you see, or something that just happens to catch your eye, do a bit of research. An aquarium can be a fairly large investment and once you do have your tank set up it is not easy to move. You want to be sure you have made the right choice.

There are two things that you probably should decide before you start looking at the actual tank. What kinds of fish do you want to keep, and where are you going to put the tank once you get it home. Are you looking at a small tank for a child’s bedroom or even a fish bowl? Or did you want a large show piece for the living room?

Glass or Acrylic

Glass does not scratch as easily but is heavier, and the larger the tank the thicker the glass. Glass has a greater chance of chipping or cracking. Acrylic tanks are easier to scratch than glass. The scratches can be fixed but you may have to use products that will be harmful to your fish, and the area where you need to do the repair might have to be dry. If you have fish in the tank this could be difficult. Some acrylic tanks do come with guarantees and they are better insulated than glass.

Size

This will largely be determine by what you want to keep in the tank and how much money you want to spend. If you are on a budget keep in mind that there are still other things you are going to need to purchase even if you are buying an aquarium kit.

Canopy

These usually have lighting sources built in. If you plan to keep live plants in your tank you want to be certain that the canopy can provide adequate light or you may have to purchase a secondary light source. They also help to reduce water evaporation and keep dust and debris from accidentally getting into the tank.

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Stand

Aquariums can be extremely heavy. One gallon of water weighs about eight pounds, therefore what you intend to put your tank on is gong to need to be able to support a lot of weight. You also want to consider if the surface can handle water. The best choice is usually to buy a stand that fits your tank size and weight rather than putting the tank on a piece of furniture that you already own.

You might look into buying tank that is a piece of furniture by itself. You can get some beautiful tanks that come in a cabinet style. These are great because you know that they are built for the purpose of holding a tank and there is often space provided to store all your equipment and extras.

There are three basic ways to buy a tank:

Tank

The basic tank and nothing else except maybe a hood. If you go this route you will have a lot more choice and control over what you are buying. Of course you will have to do a lot more research into each thing that you will have to purchase. You do not want to get a filter that is not capable of adequately filtering the size of tank that you have purchased. The same goes for the heater and any other specialised equipment that you might require.

Kit

These are great for beginners because a lot of the research and work is done for you. They are sold with most of the equipment needed to set up the tank. Read the box carefully to find out exactly what is in the kit you are looking at. They usually do not include gravel, nets and testing kits, you are going to have to purchase these separately.

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Aquarium Systems

These make things even easier for a beginner. The hardware for the tank is built right in, all you basically have to do is choose your decorations and add water. You want to be careful here to find out how to clean or replace any part of the system. If you do have a problem how quickly and easily will you be able to find replacement parts?

Selecting a tank can be a lot of fun. But before you discover that you have bought a tank that is either too large or too small, or you could have gotten better price do your research.

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