Selecting Your First Fish Aquarium

There are several different factors you need to consider before purchasing your first fish aquarium. These include the size of the tank, the material it is made of, i.e. glass or acrylic and the accessories that are required. This can be a daunting task if you're just getting into fish keeping. I've outlined some points in this article which I hope will help you greatly.

First, when choosing the size of your fish aquarium consider these main two factors: 1. the space you have available in your home or office where you are going to position your aquarium and 2. the amount of fish you want to keep in the aquarium.

When considering the space you have available don't forget to include room for a stand, if required. Always check the dimensions of the fish aquarium (and stand) with the seller or manufacturer before buying. All good retailers should have this information readily at hand.

If you are selecting your fish aquarium size based on the number of fish you want to keep, there is a frequently used rule of thumb which states “up to a maximum of 1 inch of adult sized slender bodied fish per 1 gallon of water”. For example, the popular neon tetra fish grows up to an adult size of 1.57 inches. They are a schooling fish so let's say you want to keep 10 of them in your tank. Using the rule of thumb above you would need to purchase at least a 16 gallon tank (1.57 inches x 10 fish = 15.7 gallons). Allow for a filter to take up some space in the tank and I would go with a 20 gallon fish aquarium. This is a general guide only and by no means a definitive answer.

Great. We've now chosen the size of our fish aquarium, either by dimensions to fit the space you have available or the amount of fish you want to keep. The second factor to consider is the material your tank is made of. Whilst this may not seem that important, it's worth considering the options available.

The first is the acrylic fish aquarium. Manufacturers of these tanks claim they are 17x stronger than glass and weigh 50% less. They are less likely to break or shatter than a glass aquarium, however are much more prone to scratching and often are scratched during shipping! Acrylic aquariums do, however, refract light better than glass does, giving a less distorted view of the inside of your fish aquarium.

Glass aquariums are the most popular choice for fish keeping. Glass is considerably stronger than acrylic, and can support substantially more than it's own weight over distances. Glass also maintains it's clarity over time, whereas acrylic will tend to yellow with age, especially when exposed to light. Glass aquariums are generally cheaper to buy as they are easier to ship and require less tools to work with, as compared to acrylic tanks. I personally would recommend a glass aquarium over an acrylic aquarium.

Lastly, we come to accessories. Several of the popular brands of fish aquariums, including Tetra and Aqueon, offer aquarium starter kits and complete aquarium kits, that include all the accessories needed to get your aquarium started. These kits come in basic and deluxe form. The basic kit includes such items as, filter, filter cartridge, set-up and care guide, lighting, water conditioner and fish food. This is a good basic kit. The deluxe kits will also contain a water heater, thermometer and fish net. When starting your fish aquarium, at a bare minimum be sure to have fish food and water conditioner, preferably a basic water filter as well.

Good luck setting up your first fish aquarium! Fish keeping can be a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding hobby.

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