Types Of Aquariums - What Is Best For You?
- Aug 12, 2021
- Rita
- 1098 0 0
Are you considering setting up an aquarium? There are several types of aquariums to consider. What suits you best, will depend on your expertise in the field as well as what you would like to do with your tank. To make things a bit easier, let’s take a look at the different types of aquariums.
Types Of Aquariums
All types of aquariums aren’t for everyone. Some require more experience while others are fairly simple to maintain. Here’s what you need to know when deciding on the type of tank you want.
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Coldwater Tanks
Coldwater water tanks are the cheapest, most basic and simplest tanks to set up. They are great for novice fish keepers to learn the basics and are often suggested for kids to start with. You don’t require any special equipment to set up this type of tank.
Coldwater tanks also don’t have to be boring. You can decorate your tank with a variety of tank decorations, plant life and different kinds of freshwater fish. When buying your fish, however, make sure they are coldwater fish. Tropical fish will not survive in this environment.
Popular fish species to keep in coldwater tanks are goldfish, Celestial pearl danio, hillstream loach, sunset variatus platy and rainbow shiner.
Tropical Freshwater Tanks
Tropical freshwater tanks are some of the most popular types of tanks out there. These tanks usually require a bit more experience than coldwater setups. It is also more expensive to set up tropical aquariums than it is to do the same with a coldwater aquarium.
Tropical aquariums require some specialised equipment like heaters to keep the water temperature stable at a warmish temperature. This temperature will vary depending on the type of fish you will have in your tank so make sure to get a colony with similar temperature requirements.
If you’re new to fish keeping, you can easily learn to maintain a tropical tank. Just make sure to ask for advice from the pet shop or fish breeder you’re getting your fish from. They should be able to tell you what food your fish require, how to test your water quality and what equipment you’ll need to get to maintain a stable temperature.
The leading cause of death in aquarium fish is due to stress. Experts in the field should be able to tell you what kind of environment your fish require to stay healthy and relieve some anxiety. If your tank is set up correctly, it will be easy to keep your fish healthy and happy.
Another thing you’ll have to consider is water pH. This range will differ depending on your species of fish so make sure to check beforehand. In most cases, the pH range should be between 6.6 and 7.8.
Like with all aquariums, you’ll also still need to do regular maintenance. This involves cleaning algae off the glass and other decorations in your tank, doing regular water changes and fertilizing your plant (if you have any live plants in your tank).
Alternative Coldwater Tanks
These types of coldwater tanks are very expensive to set up. They are also definitely not for beginners.
Alternative coldwater tanks require something called a chiller. Unlike a heater, this device will chill the water making it colder. There are only a few specialized fish species that require this type of tank.
Fish kept in these tanks usually need specialized care. If you’re considering it, you might have a hard time finding the fish since alternative coldwater tanks aren’t very popular.
Blackwater Tanks
Blackwater tanks mean the water is quite heavily stained with tannins. These tanks are usually more acidic due to the staining in the water and thus only suit fish that naturally thrive in blackwater.
If you find a fish that likes blackwater, you can stain your tank by using olive leaves or herbal tea like rooibos teabags. The staining will turn the water tea coloured. Fish that like these conditions will usually become more outgoing and have lower stress levels.
Matching your tank environment to your fish’s preference is the best way to keep your tank healthy and improve longevity after all.
Brackish Water Tanks
Brackish water consists of a mixture of fresh and saltwater. This type of environment is usually found in estuaries so the fish you’ll find for this setup will usually be from estuaries as well. This type of fish tank isn’t that common and require quite a bit of knowledge to set up. Creating the brackish water can be quite tricky since you’ll have to get the ratio of fresh and salt 100% correct every time to keep your fish healthy.
Fish kept in these tanks are usually quite sensitive and require a bit of extra care. Make sure to keep the water quality pristine and at the right temperature for your type of fish.
Marine (Saltwater) Tanks
Marine, also known as saltwater tanks, are fish tanks that are set up to support fish from the ocean. These tanks can be quite expensive to set up since you need some specialised equipment.
If you’re new to fish keeping, a marine tank is not the best place to start. Doing maintenance on this tank is also quite a thing. You’ll need to get the saltwater mix just right to do a water change and keep the temperature very stable. Saltwater fish tend to be a lot more sensitive to changes in their environment compared to freshwater fish. This makes it very easy to accidentally make a mistake that can lead to loss of life.
You will also need to be prepared for a fair amount of work. All the tasks you’ll need to complete can be broken up into daily, weekly, monthly and annual tasks. Daily tasks will involve feeding your fish, checking water temperature, and filtration as well as a few other things. The weekly and other tasks involve maintenance tasks like water changes, checking the water quality and more.
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Betta Tanks
Betta tanks are tanks specifically set up to contain an aggressive, but beautiful betta fish. These tanks are on many occasions quite inhumane since they are much smaller than the fish needs to be healthy.
Bigger is always better, even when it comes to a betta fish so make sure to create a healthy environment for your fish instead of going for one of those teeny, tiny betta tanks.
Bettas like all fish, require a level of care. You cannot just place them in a tank with a few plants and expect your fish to live. Bettas are predators and require specialised feeding. Because of all the misunderstandings happening around betta care, a lot of bettas don’t live longer than two to three years. If you care for your fish properly, however, you’ll be surprised to see your fish swimming around strong and healthy even after 5 years.
Breeding
Breeding tanks are small tanks used to raise fry. These tanks are usually very basic with no substrate or plants. Don’t keep your fish in here for too long since adult fish need a lot more space to swim and a few features to hide in to keep their stress levels down.
Breeding tanks are also quite difficult to keep healthy since water quality can deteriorate fairly quickly in a small tank. Fortunately, the fact that there is nothing except some baby fish in this tank makes it very easy to do water changes and keep it clean.
Planted Tanks
Planted tanks are tanks with the main focus on the plant life and landscape instead of the fish. In these types of tanks, aquarium hobbies spend a lot of money to improve plant growth. You will need things like proper lighting, fertilizer, the correct substrate and in some cases CO2.
Those new to aquariums can also easily attempt this type of tank, but the equipment might be a bit expensive. You can, however, start off with some DIY plans to get up and running. Once you have some experience, you can slowly upgrade to the proper equipment.
Reef Tanks
Reef tanks are similar to planted tanks, but instead of freshwater, you have saltwater in your tank. These tanks also focus on the reef more than the fish in the tank. It can be a very expensive hobby however since you will need to simulate ocean currents, provide food for filter feeders like anemones and have proper lighting from the start.
Reefs don’t survive if you don’t have the proper set up so rather start with freshwater planted tanks if you’re still a beginner.
FAQs
Which type of aquarium is best?
The best aquarium for you will depend on what you’re planning to do with it. If your main focus is a variety of tropical fish, then a large community tank will be necessary. If you just have one aggressive fish, then a small tank is better.
If you’re a beginner, a coldwater tank is the easiest to start with, but a tropical tank is also doable.
What pet fish lives the longest?
Goldfish is by far the pet fish with the longest lifespan.
Is it ok to put cucumber in a fish tank?
Certain raw fruits and vegetables can be fed to fish. Among these options is cucumber. Algae eating fish like otos like cucumber very much.
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