Aquarium Guide

Freshwater aquariums - a good choice for beginners.

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Freshwater tanks are generally recommended for first-time aquarists. This is particularly so if children will be caring for the fish.

Freshwater fish are much easier to tend, and are generally more resilient to less-than-perfect water quality and changes in temperature. Plus, beginners can make mistakes, and freshwater fish will be much more forgiving--that is, they won't die as easily! In general, freshwater tanks are easier to maintain and less expensive to purchase initially than saltwater tanks.

Learn more about how to set up an aquarium and have it swimming with happy fish within 24 hours!

Acrylic Aquarium - Build Your Own

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Building your own aquarium can save a lot of money. You can order a kit or select your own components.

For beginners, using a kit is the best choice.

Building an aquarium from scratch is quite a project, and requires a lot of woodworking tools, including saws, drills, routers. The skills needed are similar to building a piece of fine furniture. While there may be some cost savings over buying a ready-made aquarium, this is not the prime consideration in building an aquarium. Acrylic sheets are actually quite expensive, about $75 for a 4-feet x 8-feet sheet that is 1/4-inch thick. This is a do-it-yourself project for those who love to, well, do it themselves.

A carpenter who already has a workshop full of tools might save some money by building a cabinet himself. But if you have to buy all of the equipment first, there is really little

Of course, a big reason for building your own aquarium would be to implement your own special design.

You will purchase your acrylic in sheets just as you will the wood for the stand and canopy.

After making the cuts, the sections are seamed together with a plastic solvent.

After the aquarium is completely assembled, it needs to rest or "cure" for at least a week.

Advanced planning is key to a finely crafted aquarium.

Want to learn how to raise healthy, happy, long-lived tropical fish?

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Then I recommend Katy's Tropical Fish.

A tropical aquarium is an amazingly delicate balance of conflicting factors. All of the pieces must be properly adjuste for the fish to survive and exist with each other peacefully.

There are many considerations to bear in mind when setting your aquarium. Katy's Tropical Fish tells you everything you need to know to keep a well-maintained aquarium, swimming with beautiful fish, for a minimum of cost, effort, and time-investment.

Acrylic Aquarium - Build Your Own

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Residential Acrylic Aquarium

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Residential aquariums can range in size from small, table top units to large tanks the size of a fireplace or big screen TV. Just about anything can be turned into an acrylic aquarium...

coffee table
room divider
wall display

Many fun and creative pieces are available in kits that include all the components of the acrylic aquarium are quite popular. These start at around 15 to 20 gallons and cost about 200 dollars or so. Just follow the set-up instructions and add fish!

Keep in mind that unless your butler will be maintaining the aquarium, you will have to maintain the aquarium. It's not a "set it and forget it" proposition. That's why the smaller units work best for homeowners, at least starting out.

The smallest size recommended for an aquarium is 5 gallons.

If you are looking for something truly unique for your home, you will certainly want to go with a professional aquarium designer. The last five years have seen a huge interest in lavish, custom-design home aquariums. High-end luxury home aquariums can weigh over 14,000 pounds and cost more than $100,000. Monthly maintenance runs upwards of $1,000.

People who own multimillion dollar homes are always looking for the wow factor and custom-designed aquariums can certainly provide that. With these combination architectural elements and art objects, the superwealthy can relive their trips to Las Vegas and mega hotels. In addition, homeowners love the stress relief these serene water sculptures provide. After all, you can always find an aquarium in a dentist's office--a big place for stress relief.

Acrylic Aquarium Fish and Other Aquatic Life

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SELECTING FISH
Choosing fish for your aquarium involves many decisions.

What type of aquarium do you have?
Cool water
Warm water

Size of the aquarium

Speed of growth of the fish

Aggression of the fish
Some fish will literally eat other species and cannot be kept together in an aquarium.

Appearance of fish
You may like certain fish because of their color or shape. In this case, learn about that particular type of fish, the size of aquarium it needs, what it needs, and the other types of fish it can live with.

Health
Some fish types are hardier than others.

Your best bet is to do some research on the various types of fish available. Check with a knowledgeable fish store or get a book on selecting fish.

Be careful that you don't select a species that will grow too large for your tank.

Also, don't overcrowd your aquarium with too many fish. Better to have a few happy fish than a crowded tank.

CARING FOR FISH
Your aquarium residents need proper care, just as any pet does. This includes adequate food and changing of the aquarium water.

Fish will exhibit many obvious signs of ill health, including...
Loss of appetite
Holding fins close to their bodies
Swimming fast but staying in the same spot
White spots
Sores
Gasping for oxygen near the surface of the water
Staying at the bottom of the tank

You may eventually decide to breed your fish.

PLANTS
Plants not enhance the beauty of your acrylic aquarium and create a more natural environment, they provide an important biological function.

The bacteria in your aquarium turn the fish waste into nitrites and other chemicals, and are then turned into nitrates. Plants keep the levels of nitrates low which decreases algae growth and cuts down on cleaning time. Plants thrive on the carbon dioxide that the fish produce, and the fish benefit from the oxygen produced by plants. All in all, fish and plants have a symbiotic relationship.

Acrylic Aquarium Chemistry

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Your acrylic aquarium is truly a living chemistry lab.

Like all life forms, fish produce nitrogenous waste products that break down into ammonia (NH3). This noxious byproduct must be removed because any trace of it is deadly to the fish.

In a huge sea or ocean, fish waste is negligible to the huge amount of water. But in the small, closed environment, eliminating ammonia is a major consideration to the aquarium owner.

Before adding your fish to the aquarium, the aquarium must be "cycled." That is, ammonia must be converted into nitrogen.

Start the process by introducing one or two inexpensive fish, such as goldfish, to the tank. The ammonia build-up starts soon after and bacteria will form to neutralize it into nitrogen.

Once this process has cycled, the tank is ready for your more exotic inhabitants. The cycling process can take a month or more, so don't rush it.

Test kits are available to check the water.

Ways of preventing ammonia build-up include...

It is difficult to achieve stable water chemistry in a tank smaller than 55 gallons.

Aquarium Guide

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Do you love tropical fish?

It's one of the greatest hobbies around!

Soothing, relaxing. An easy way to have pets!