Here are five important points to keep in mind when you are choosing your fish:

1. Check out the health conditions of the fish carefully. If you are observant enough, you can check out both visible and intrinsic health conditions of the fish. First, you must observe the body of the fish. Pay attention to the scales and the fins. The scales should be shiny and smooth, while the fins should not have any cuts or nicks. If there is some fuzzy growth on the body of the fish, it is better left alone. Also check the areas under the eyes for any telltale health signs. Some fish would not ‘look’ ill, but they might have internal conditions. You can tell that if a fish is either too sluggish and spends most time at the bottom of the tank, or if it is hyperactive and keeps darting everywhere in the tank in a sort of frenzy.

2. You must next check the nature of the fish and its compatibility with the other fish in the tank. Do not select fish that fight a lot with other fish in the tank. They will be a pain to maintain as they will injure themselves often, and you will not be able to place other fish in the tank with them. Also, check out if the fish becomes more docile with another fish of its own species in the tank, preferably of the other gender.

3. Ask the stocker about the size the fish can grow to. You must consider the size of your aquarium here. The equation to maintain is one inch of fish size per gallon of aquarium space. You must not only consider the present size of the fish, but you must see what size it will attain when it becomes an adult.

4. Fish are temperamental little creatures, and most of their temperament depends on the temperature of water they are kept in. You must ask the stocker about the natural living conditions of the fish, as to whether it is tropical water or temperate water fish. That will give you an idea what kind of temperature you will have to maintain in your tank.

5. Finally, you must choose fish according to the food they eat. Different fish have different food habits and some of them are very finicky when it comes to eating. You must make sure that the food your fish wants is readily available, and that it is not going to be very expensive. You will also need to keep food for your fish always stocked.

These are the five factors on which you can base your shopping for fish. By adopting these factors, there are very less chances that you can go wrong in your selection of fish.

Aquarium plants are as important to aquariums as water is to fish. Aquarium plants add more life to aquarium and make it to look beautiful while completing the aquarium community structure.

The most important thing to bear in mind with plants is to form an attractive background, leaving ample space so the fish can swim undisturbed and be seen. The tall, grassy type is best planted at intervals in rows, while the feathery ones look better when they are bunched into small clumps, which makes them to appear like branching bushes.

When planting rooted plants, hold the tips of the bunch of roots between the thumb and second finger and rest them on the sand. Now with the first finger push the upper part of the roots (where they join the stem) about 2cm into the sand. Without moving this finger scrape with the thumb and second finger some sand over any uncovered portion of the root.

When putting in rootless plants in bunches, the method explained above is repeated, but this time the lower ends of the stems are placed together and treated exactly as if they were roots.

It is important that the water surface should be right up to the lower edge of the top angle iron of the tank, so that looking from the front the water surface can not be seen and the viewer gets the impression that there is no water in the aquarium. If the level is allowed to fall below the top angle iron the tank looks like a container holding water.

Aquarium Lighting is also important for aquarium plants

This depends greatly on whether you intend to successfully grow plants or not. Lack of light causes colorful fish to fade and blanch-reds to pink, green to white. The two main methods of lighting aquarium are by the INCADESCENT and FLOURESCENT.

The total amount of light required is a matter of trial and error. Too much light will turn the water green; too little will stunt plant growth.

The lighting can be natural or artificial or a combination of both. The best position is near a north facing window. This should provide the ideal amount of indirect lights which can be supplemented by artificial light.

The lighting should be housed in wood constructed stylishly with the furniture and placed above the tank. If there is no natural day light, the lights should be left on for approximately eight hours per day.

If the water turns green, you cut down on the light.

The best light for showing off an aquarium comes from behind.

Light and heat are very important factors in an aquarium. Since it is an artificial environment, it is best to simulate natural conditions as much as possible to avoid having its inhabitants sicken and even die. For most people, having an aquarium means putting in the right water, providing the right food, and setting up a filtration and pump system that keeps the water that the fish breathe clean and fresh. While these are important factors themselves, the failure of most aquarium owners is to overlook the fact that lighting and heat are just as important to fish as the other things mentioned.

Lighting is extremely important because most fish except for deep water ones are used to seeing the sun, and it’s a fact that, like any other animal, part of the nutritional needs of fish are physiologically triggered and released by exposure to sunlight. While admittedly not as high as the needs of non-aquatic animals, it is still there.

Light sources come in a variety of types. One of the most common and popular types are fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent lamps are cool, inexpensive, easy to maintain and replace, and consume low power. For most aquariums, this need is enough.

There are also classic incandescent lights, which consume a bit more power but provide brighter, if harsher, lighting. These also run hotter than fluorescent lights, and are better suited for raising tropical fish, which naturally would be more comfortable in brighter and more temperate surroundings.

Compact lights on the other hand, consume the least power and generate the least heat, but also produce the least illumination. They are best suited for people who want to raise deep water fish or other breeds which prefer darker and cooler waters. However, if your aquarium has a high number of aquatic plants as well as fish, then you’ll probably need a metal halide light.

Metal halide lighting mimics sunlight at a low intensity level, roughly that which would breach the surface of water in natural environments to reach the bottom where the fronds and other aquatic plants are located. Metal halide lighting comes in a variety of intensities, and you should select one with a light and heat output that most closely approaches the natural environment of your aquarium’s inhabitants, both the plants and the fish. You should be careful with metal halide lamps, and avoid choosing one with a higher output than your aquarium’s needs; overexposure to sunlight on fish and plants which aren’t physiologically capable of handling them can be as unhealthy as no exposure to it at all.

Aside from the lighting system, water heater coils and even filters with built in heaters are recommended equipment for any aquarium. For those who are serious about raising their fish, there are even heaters with a temperature setting and thermometer. Avid fish raisers will have done their research, and will know the exact range of temperature their fish will be most comfortable at. For casual fish raisers, however, a general rule of thumb is to have a low power heater that keeps the water lukewarm even in relatively cold weather.

To go into further detail in heating; use two heaters for larger aquariums, one at either end to ensure even distribution of water temperature. This is very important, as if only one side of a tank is hot, then the other remains cold, it can cause some thermal shock when your fish swim from one side of the tank to another. To put it in human terms, imagine spending an entire summer day inside an air conditioned room, one cold enough to require wearing a jacket to keep the chill out. Then, after a while, leave the room once you’re become acclimated to the cold, and step outdoors into the blazing sun. THEN, once you’ve gotten used to the heat, jump back into the cold room. Obviously, this will eventually make most people sick. The same thing applies for fish.

Lastly, consult with your pet shop about the heater’s output. The larger the fish tank, the larger the heaters you’ll need to install. Heaters are measured not by their temperature output, but by their power consumption, which directly relates to their heating performance.

As we all know rivers and lakes are the natural habits for fish and other marine life. Rivers and lakes have large surface area which makes maximum provision of oxygen for fish survival possible. On the other hand an aquarium is not like a river or lake, it has a smaller surface area and there is limited movement of habitats.

This makes the provision of alternative means of oxygen for fish to breathe important. This artificial process of providing oxygen is called aeration. It’s a simple process of re-oxygenating the water in aquarium tank.

The Aquarium Aerating System:

An aquarium aerating system made up of a series of materials that increases the supply of air (thereby increasing oxygen concentration) they are:

- the air pump
- t-pieces
- rubber tubing
- clamp or regulator
- diffusers or airstone

Air pumps come in different shapes and sizes but the most popular ones are tecax air pump from Taiwan together with ‘dyna free, and the dragon. Another popular one is super 555 from India though cheaper, but not as rugged. Occasionally available are the more expensive whisper and rens air pumps from UK and France respectively. Always place air pumps above the water level hooked to a non-vibrating material.

You can accomplish aeration in your aquarium tank by using the above listed aeration materials.

For small tanks all you need is to attach a simple aquarium air pump to airstone by means of a rubber air tube. The system will be blowing air into the water which causes motion in aquarium tank and thus provide the necessary oxygen your fish needs to breathe in the aquarium.

Sometimes people complain that the airpumps are too loud. A trick to keep the air pump quiet is to insulate its vibrations by placing the air pump on a large sponge.

I have even heard of some people who have buried the pump in cat litter with an air tube running to the surface from the air inlet… but you don’t have to go to that extent. A large sponge should do the trick.

Any new aquarium tank should first be given a thorough test to ensure that it is watertight. If after 12 hours there are no leaks, it may be emptied and placed in its final position.

Now all is ready to set up the aquarium, for this work we shall require various items such as sand, rocks etc. For making a bottom soil, you need, first of all some sand, the most suitable is called 1/16th grade and it is about the size of the average pin-head:

The gravel to be used must also be graded; that is, the gram must be of uniform size. Sand and gravel’s sold in aquarium supply stores are always graded, but if you buy elsewhere they may not be. Gravel grains 2-5mm work best.

If you use nothing, but sand, it must be well washed-in buckets, under running water until no more dirt or foam comes to the surface – and spread out on the bottom of the tank in a layer running from 3- 6cm thick sloping upwards from front to back. If you decide to mix the sand with gravel make at least a layer 6cm deep on top of the subgravel filter since less than this amount reduces the filtering capacity of the tank.

Your tank is the basic element, and is of the most importance in building an aquarium. The size of the tank depends on the number and size of fish you plan to have in it. That is why proper planning is quite essential when you want to set up an aquarium.

But then it is important to make it as big as you can afford. By all means avoid a globe tank as much as possible. Rectangle shape is always good because of ease of maintenance.

Option 1: You can buy ready made glass tanks already sealed professionally and set up for you at any aquarium store.

Option 2: Buy ready-made plastic models through distributors or mould-extrusion manufacturers and put your aquarium tank together yourself. Below are the tools you need and the steps you need to take to set up completely a new aquarium tank:

Tools:

- Sheet of glass (4mm to 12mm)
- Silicone sealant (clear and transparent)
- Silicone gun or (syringe)
- Dulling stove
- Tape rule
- Sheet of paper, ruler, pencil and eraser
- Napkin (x2)
- Newspaper
- Hand glove (rubber type)
- Methylated spirit
- Blade
- Knife
- Toilet soap and soap case
- Masking tape
- Flat bench (made with plywood)
- 1/4 flash
- Water and siphon hose
- Buckets (x2)
- Polythese sheet about the size of the table

Other than that, I’ll give you my 12 essential aquarium tips below to start you on your way to having a beautiful aquarium full of happy and health fish that you can be proud of:

1. Location of the tank in a spot which is draft free and has a moderate amount of light for 8 to 10 hours. This will ensure the safety of the tank and the inhabitants.

2. Location of the aquarium tank where water spillage will do no damage, at a height convenient for working, and in a place where it will not have to be moved.

3. Proper sand gravel (not too large, not too fine).

4. Conditioned water – free of chlorine, dirt, excess hardness, excess acidity, or excess alkalinity. Hard, acidic, dirty water is not suitable for an aquarium. It will make life uncomfortable for fish and leads to constant fish death.

5. Availability of plants properly placed is highly essential.

6. Proper, even temperature for the fish species.

7. Decoration and furnishing if you desire them.

8. Aeration to supply additional oxygen.

9. Filtration to remove excesses waste products.

10. Fish which will live peacefully together.

11. Food to keep them healthy.

12. Kits and utensils to make maintenance easy.

Owning a fish aquarium can be a very relaxing hobby. If you have small children, they will spend many hours mesmerized by brightly colored fish swimming around and frolicking. In fact, aquariums are a great way to bring the family together, especially if you allow each of your children to pick out one special fish (of the breeds you are planning to have in your aquarium) to be his or her very own fish.

Despite the relaxing nature of aquariums they are not a no care item. In fact there are many things that must be considered when choosing the proper aquarium for your specific needs. Aquariums today come in many shapes and sizes, take care when selecting the one that will best suit your needs.

It is always a better idea to know what you are going to be using your aquarium for before purchasing and setting it up. You do not want to have to undo all the work that goes into an aquarium because it won’t sustain the fish and plant life you have planned for it, nor do you want to kill your fish because you have a tank that is improperly set up or proportioned to house them.

Once you’ve decided the basics (saltwater vs. freshwater, reef tank, or live plant tank) then you will want to consider how many fish you want to house in your tank. A good rule of thumb is to plan for one inch of fish per square foot of surface area in freshwater tanks and three inches of fish per square foot in a saltwater tank. Larger tanks require much less maintenance when properly populated than smaller tanks. The trick is to remember it is better to have less than the maximum than to go over.

Having an aquarium can be a great way to relax at the end of a long workday or workweek. These pets do not require daily walking or litter box cleaning but they are an investment and do require some maintenance. Care properly for the animals in your aquarium and it should provide you with a wealth of entertainment over the years.

A fish aquarium is designed to offer domesticated marine life with a contained environment that mimics that of their natural habitat. Having first become popular in the 1950s, fish keeping is now widely enjoyed by many as a fun hobby and as a beautiful addition to the home. When maintained properly, fish aquariums can add a decorative touch to any room.

The most effective fish aquariums are those that feature the tank itself, along with lighting, a filter and heating unit. Commonly available in various sizes to accommodate space and different types of marine life, fish aquariums vary in price according to both the size and features of the unit. Everything from the small square aquarium to a large fish tank is up for grabs if you know where to find them. Typical fish aquariums can be found in most retail stores, but larger fish tanks often require a visit to the local pet store or some bargain shopping on the internet.

Fish aquariums are very important to housing domesticated marine life in the home. Small fish bowls, which are widely available, are inexpensive but do little to recreate the natural habitat that a fish would normally have. In order to live a long and happy life, fish need circulating water and movement as they have in the wild. When in captivity, which is the case when you have a fish as a pet, they need to have filtered and regularly cleaned water. While lighting is perhaps not as important, it does provide a sense of night and day and natural light for your pet.

When using fish aquariums to house your marine life, it is important that you regularly test the water using a test kit. In addition to changing the water regularly, it is best to confirm that the water you are using is safe. Regular tap water, for instance, may feature contamination that could prove harmful to fish. The reason is because of the chemicals and purifiers that are often used to treat the water. Instead, using distilled water may be the better option to ensure that it is free of chemicals or any other harmful agents. When changing the water in fish aquariums, you should remove up to 20% of the current water and replace it with the new.

When shopping for fish aquariums, it’s a good idea to check over the unit before you purchase it for cracks or other defects. If you are shopping online, be sure to ask about shipping insurance in case your aquarium is damaged while in route to your home.