How to Buy The Right Aquarium

Aquariums are expensive and you may end up spending a lot of money for it. A smart buying exercise will help you get a good aquarium within reasonable price. Before you start looking for an aquarium it will be wise to know a few things. You should be clear as to the number of fish, type of fish and the kind of decor you would like to have.

If this is your first aquarium you may be thinking that you should start off with a small tank and just a couple of fish. However, this may not be the way to go. When you are setting up an aquarium you are essentially trying to setup a mini ecosystem with the proper pH balance and even living plant life. The smaller the tank the harder this is to accomplish. Twenty gallons is a good size to start with. This may seem like a lot but you certainly don't want your fish to be cramped.

When choosing the fish it will have to be decided whether you want salt or fresh water fish. The tropical fish are fresh water fish. They both cannot be kept together. You can start with a few fish, say four or five. You can always increase the number when you desire.

Before you randomly choose some fish, do some Internet research or talk to the pet store employees. Some fish species don't interact well and may actually eat one another for lunch.

Then decide what you want to put in the tank for decoration. Just ensure that the item you put in the aquarium have been purchased from the pet store. Do not put anything that you might have picked up from the beach, especially the gravel. The gravel that you pick up at the beach is not what you find at the pet store. The items from the store have been treated and will ensure that the balance inside your aquarium is maintained.

After having your fish and decided upon the aquarium you would like, next you will have to bring in the water. The chlorine in the normal tap water is harmful for the plants and the fish. This is the most important factor. You will have to treat the tap water to remove the chlorine content. Use a chlorine remover before adding the water to the aquarium.

The water temperature in your aquarium should be between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. You will need to have a thermometer to ensure that your tank is never too hot or too cold. Fish are very sensitive to water temperature and it can prove to be fatal if the temperature isn't correct.

As for food, once again check with the people at the pet store. You can feed the fish flakes or pellets, but it's a good idea to find out if they recommend one type of food over another. Typically, fish aren't that selective about what they eat.

Establishing and maintaining an aquarium can bring you special rewards. Too many people think you just buy a tank, add some water, and toss in a few goldfish. A true aquarium is much more than that, so enjoy your new project.

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Kathy Strander runs a very interesting website at Rock Aquarium, it's one of the webs most up to date Aquarium sites, while you're there sign up for the free newsletter. If you want to read more Aquarium articles go to: www.rockaquarium.com/articles
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