Owning your own aquarium is great fun, and I was keeping my own love for many years! There are more than 60 million of us "aquarium" in the world, and if it is a hobby that you are interested, it's worth a little time to learn what it is before you start.
So what is a fish tank? In simple terms, it is a transparent container where you can keep, feed, watch and enjoy fish live. Jar with a single fish in that account, but most people mean when they talk aquarium is a tank of large fish (usually rectangular) with several different types of fish and aquatic plants that live in balance with each other.
There are two basic types of environmental aquarium - freshwater and salt water. Fresh water is definitely easier for people who are new to the hobby, such as water salt (or "marine") tanks take a lot of attention and skill to keep the fish alive.
So your next step is likely to know what kind of fish you want. If you're lucky, you have friends that fish you can ask questions, but even a trip to your pet or in a store specialty fish you get lots of good advice from sales clerks. Tell them you are a beginner and you want watch freshwater fish, and they will give you many choices! Find a fish that requires you to tell you what temperature your tank should be, and starting with a species is probably the easiest.
Then I get a good book on basic aquarium care, and read it before you start!
Then, start collecting your tank and equipment. You'll want to look for an aquarium is fairly robust great to give you room to add fish that your experience grows. Aquariums home practices vary from about 11 liters (3 U.S. gallons) up about one cubic meter (300 U.S. gallons) in size.
You need gravel or other substrate for the bottom of the tank. You will need a system filtration, to eliminate waste and phosphates from water and a radiator or cooling mechanism to maintain the proper water temperature. You may need an air pump to oxygenate the water, depending on the configuration of your tank. Also ask about a package of small chemicals to measure and correct the pH balance in water.
You want to study plants, rocks and other "aquarium furniture" that will in the tank. Choose carefully because the wrong materials can be harmful or toxic to your fish!
Get your tank set up and make sure the water temperature and pH balance is correct before returning to the store to get your fish! If you did everything correctly, Your fish will be healthy and happy, and you have a new hobby fascinating to learn and love!
About the Author:
Together with Iszuddin Ismail, Mic Hudson is sharing his wealth of knowledge on fish tanks and aquariums
. You can start with a free ebook on decorating your fish tanks. Download Fish Tank Aquascape at http://www.PetFishGuide.info
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