What to Consider When Buying an Aquarium

For obvious reasons, the most important item in your aquarium system is your fish tank. Today there are many different sizes, shapes and styles available on the market. The construction of new tanks are of a much higher quality than the tanks of the past. Old, steel framed tanks should be avoided. The newer tanks are more attractive and sturdier. There is no reason to use one of the older models.

Before you purchase a tank you must assess your situation. Your tank must serve your purposes and fit into the area that you’ve decided to place the tank into and match it’s surroundings. Consider the reasons that you are setting up the tank. Is it going to be in a common area where visitors can view it? Will it be in your private den where only the family will see it? Will it be in your office where you will be the only one enjoying it? These are factors in determining the “look” of the tank that you should buy.

Cost

Before purchasing your tank you will need to know how much cash you have available for the entire aquarium project.  While the tank is the most important part of the set up, it is not the only one.  The costs associated with lights, filtration, heaters and decorations can add up quickly.  Before spending all your money on your tank make sure you have enough left over for all the other items needed.

Consider Starter Kits

To avoid unexpected costs you should consider buying one of the many starter kits available.  These kits typically contain the following:

• Tank


• Hood with Light


• Filter


• Heater


• Thermometer


• Net

Most of the kits are not complete and do not include items such as decorations, gravel or stands.  Make sure you understand what is coming in the package.  The Aquapod kits are quite popular.

Glass, Acrylic or Plastic?

Glass aquariums are still the most popular fish tanks on the market.  All-glass tanks are sturdily constructed with non-toxic silicone sealant and provide years of reliable service.  The glass can be either tempered or plate.  Tempered glass is stronger and lighter, but when it breaks it shatters into a million pieces with all the water coming out at once.  Plate glass is heavier, but when it breaks it only cracks, resulting in a slower leak.

Glass tanks are held together with a plastic frame and are very difficult to scratch.  Because they have all smooth surfaces they typically provide good, undistorted viewing of your tank’s inhabitants.

The big disadvantage of glass tanks is that they can break, leaving you with a big, wet mess and dead fish.

Acrylic tanks have become quite popular in recent years.  They are lighter than glass and can be molded into a wide variety of shapes.  Acrylic is also quite strong and is very difficult to break.

There are problems with acrylic fish tanks though.  The first is that they are significantly more expensive than glass.  Also, because the material is bent during construction you can find that there is a problem with a distorted view.  Finally, acrylic tanks can be scratched rather easily if you are not careful during transporting it or during cleaning.

Plastic aquariums are very inexpensive and come in numerous shapes and sizes.  I do not recommend them because they scratch extremely easily, can melt when they get close to heat and get a funky yellow tint to them when they age.  Even though they are cheap they are not worth the investment.

Tank Size and Space

When you decide where to put the tank you should take measurements of the intended space so that you don’t buy one that is too large (or small) for the area. Don’t forget to leave a little space around the tank for maintenance.

When purchasing your tank you should buy the largest one that you can afford and that your space will allow.  Contrary to common thought, the smaller the tank, the more difficult it is to maintain.  Small changes in water conditions have a greater effect on smaller tanks.  To illustrate this point, consider a ten gallon tank.  If you remove a gallon of water and replace it with a gallon of ammonia, the tank will have 10% ammonia (1 gallon ammonia, 9 gallons water).  If you do the same thing with a 100 gallon tank you will only have 1% ammonia (1 gallon ammonia, 99 gallons water).  The larger the tank, the less effect the pollutants in the tank will have.

Also, larger volumes of water maintain temperatures better than smaller volumes.  It will take longer for a large tank to have a temperature swing in the event of a power outage or heater malfunction.

Shape

Aquariums are available in a wide variety of shapes.  The shape of the aquarium has a lot to do with the amount of oxygen that the water contains.  Oxygen is exchanged between the water and the air at the water’s surface.  The larger the surface area the more air that can be exchanged.  When possible try to get a tank with the largest surface area available.  Your fish will thank you.