CICHLIDS

By: Gatekeeper

There are three basic factors to consider before actually purchasing an aquarium. You want to decide where tank should go, what kind of fish you want to keep in it, how much money you feel comfortable spending. You should really make this decisions before bringing home a tank. Aquariums last for many years, and if you make the wrong choice, you may have to live with it for a long time.

The first thing to determine is where the tank will reside. It is important that you be able to view the aquarium easily from a favorite chair. Keeping the tank in an area where you spend a lot of your time will enhance your enjoyment of your fish and your interest in fishkeeping. Sitting comfortably and watching the fish lets you appreciate them, and it also provides an opportunity to note if they are behaving normally. Experienced aquarists can catch problems early by simply noting changes in the behavior of their fish.

The tank also has to be in place that offers ready access. Although an aquarium doesn't require much maintenance, it does need some. If it is difficult to work around the tank because of lack of space, you will be much more likely to put the work off and let the water quality deteriorate, and, as a result, keeping your aquarium healthy will become much more of a choice.

The location of the tank should also be determined by the room's light, temperature, and traffic. One of your goals is to provide the fish with a stable, secure environment. This is much easier to do if you can control these factors. Sun light coming through a window or door can overheat the tank, particularly in summer, raising the water to lethal temperatures. Excess light can also cause significant algae growth in an aquarium. The combination of warm water, sunlight, and nutrients in the water encourages unwanted algae multiply and cover every surface in the aquarium.

Nearby windows and doors can subject the tank to drafts of cold or hot air, making it harder to maintain a consistent water temperature. Rapid changes in temperature create enough stress to cause some fish to become sick. For this reason, the tank should also be kept away from radiators, vents, and other sources of hot or cold air.

Heavy traffic around the aquarium can be very disturbing to many fish. If people are continually walking by the tank or if nearby shelves or furniture receive from frequent use, the unusual activity can stress the fish and make it more difficult for them to thrive.

In addition to picking the location, you must decide how you're going to display the aquarium. The tank must sit on a sturdy support. A nice table or the other piece furniture is seldom suitable except for the smallest tanks. The weight of a typical aquarium is roughly 10 pounds per gallons, so a 10-gallon tank will weigh 100 pounds and a 30-gallon tank will weigh 300 pounds. Most furniture is not designed to support that kind of weight. The furniture would also suffer from the effects of spilled and splashed water, which is virtual certainty no matter how careful you are.

For these reasons, the best way to support an aquarium is with a stand designed specifically for this purpose. These  are usually made from wood or wrought iron, sometimes with a second shelf for another aquarium or for supplies and equipment. Even better are stands with doors to hide air pumps, filters, food, and other items. A good aquarium stand is a unique piece of furniture. If you are willing to spend money, custom-crafted aquarium furniture can make the aquarium fit perfectly into decor of any room.

The floor itself must be level and capable of withstanding the total weight of the aquarium and support. The main reason for needing a level floor is to avoid uneven stresses on the tank that might cause a leak. It also looks better if the water line is even at the top of the tank. With the most tanks, weight will not be a problem. However, for very large aquariums, 100 gallons or more, some floors may have to be reinforced. One problem with most stands is that all of the weight is actually transmitted to the floor at only four points, where the legs are. It may help to distribute the weight more evenly by placing lengths of wood under the legs.

Your next concern is too choose the best size and shape of aquarium. Ideally, you want to purchase the largest tank possible-one that you can afford and that will fit into the chosen space. A larger aquarium will hold more fish, of course, but greater size will also provide more stable aquatic environment. As the volume of water increases, it can be easier to maintain consistent water temperatures and good water quality. This is not to imply, however that a modest-size tank will have problems. With a little care and attention, any tank of 10 gallons or more can be a healthy home for fish.

The cost of an aquarium rises moderately with its size until you pass capacities of about 55 gallons, at which point prices rise much faster. The amount of glass needed for a very large tanks and the increased thickness required as the tanks become deeper contribute to these price increases.

The numbers and sizes of fish that can be kept are affected by both the tank size and the tank dimensions. For this reason, it may help to know what kinds of fish you want to keep when shopping for an aquarium. If you don't want to plan that far in advance, just be aware that you may have to avoid certain types of fish in your aquarium is not suitable for them. Don't worry, though; no matter what kind of tank you buy, you'll be able to choose from a great variety of potential residents.

You will discover that aquariums of similar or identical capacities can have very different dimension. While the amount of water that an aquarium holds is important, many new hobbyists do not realize that the dimensions of a tank can be important too. The length and width of the tank determine the surface area of the water, and the surface area directly affects the number and size of fish that can be kept in the aquarium.

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