Which Aquarium Tank is Best for Your Needs?

Having success with your aquarium tank requires research, learning, and patience. Most people do not take the time to research and discover the options available for today's home aquarium. This lack of research is why so many people do not have success keeping tropical fish in their aquarium tank. Great News! You are not one of them because you are here doing your homework on how to successfully pick the perfect tank for you. We will now cover all the basics and options that you need in order to purchase the correct tropical fish tank.

Four Types of Home Aquarium Systems

Did you know there are 4 types of aquarium systems that can be setup in this wonderful hobby? The 4 types of aquarium systems are tropical freshwater, brackish, marine, and coldwater aquariums. Read more about The Four Types of Aquarium Systems that can be setup in your home.

Have you thought about the type or types of freshwater tropical fish that you would like to keep? It is very important to know what type of tropical fish you would like to keep before you make your tank purchase or setup a home aquarium. Read more about Selecting Tropical Fish Before You Purchase A Tropical Fish Tank here to ensure you purchase the correct tank for the desired tropical fish.

Glass, Acrylic, or Plastic Aquarium?

Now you know what type of system you want, and you know the fish you would like to keep. Great! We can now explore all of the options for the aquarium tank of your dreams!

When you begin your search for a tank, you will notice there are a lot of options in which to choose. The first option we need to look at is the material type in which the home aquarium is made. There are three materials used in manufacturing home aquariums. Hobbyists have the opportunity to choose between glass, acrylic, or plastic aquariums.

Glass Aquariums

Glass Aquariums are the most common in the hobby today. There are numerous advantages to purchasing a glass fish tank.

Read more to see why Glass Aquariums are the choice of many successful fish keepers.

Acrylic Aquariums

Another option for tropical fish keepers today is to purchase an acrylic aquarium. Acrylic offers several great benefits that glass does not offer.

Read more about the benefits of purchasing Acrylic Aquariums.

Plastic Aquariums

The last type of aquarium that is made for fish keepers is a Plastic aquarium. Plastic aquariums are not as popular in the hobby as they once use to be.

Read the details on Plastic Aquariums to see if this is the type for you.

Now that you have read the three articles that discuss the types of materials that tanks are made of, I will give you my opinion.

So, which one do I suggest?

I suggest you get a glass aquarium with at least a tempered glass bottom.

This is an excellent choice for a beginner's aquarium or someone like myself who has been in this hobby for 21 years. I would suggest that if you were purchasing a very large aquarium, that you take into consideration an acrylic tank due solely on the weight that will be placed upon your stand and your floor. The choice is yours, take the strengths and weaknesses of each and factor them into your decision.

Fish Tank Size

Now that you have some idea of what type of aquarium system, type of fish you're interested in, and the type of aquarium tank you would like, we can now look at the fish tank size. So what size tank should you purchase? To help answer this question please read more about Fish Tank Size here.

Fish Tank Shape

Did you know that aquarium tanks come in a variety of different shapes?

Do you know that the shape of your aquarium can determine what type of fish you can keep?

Read more about Fish Tank Shape to see how important it is to select the correct shape of your tropical fish tank.

Fish Tank Tip

Both the glass and acrylic tanks use a silicone sealant (mostly 100% clear) to hold the panels together. When selecting your tank, double check all seals to ensure the silicone is intact and not broken. A poor seal or damage to the silicone can lead to leaks and big headaches.