From our article, you will learn which aquarium for freshwater fish is most suitable.

A beginner's aquarium

Beginners' aquariums often come equipped with everything you need from the outset. These starter aquarium kits save you a lot of guesswork when you take your first steps into aquarism by providing you with everything you need.

Starter kits usually include:

• A glass or acrylic aquarium
• Water filter and aerator
• Heater and thermometer
• Lighting
• Substrate
• Plastic plants

Some kits also contain pH value test strips, water conditioners, decoration and fish food.

Most manufacturers also equip such aquarium kits with a complete set of instructions that will answer almost any question you may have about the installation of the aquarium, as well as the populating of its underwater inhabitants. All components in the starter kit are designed to work together, so you will have no problem selecting the individual lighting units, filters, etc. In most cases, you will be able to swap out certain kit components as needed in the future when you have more experience.

Complete aquarium kits for beginners are quite expensive, but they are often the most economical and fastest option to start your hobby.

What types of aquariums for beginners exist?

There are many options to choose from in the trade nowadays. You can choose the size, shape and design of the aquarium that suits your personal taste. There is also a wide price range, so you can choose a starter kit that fits your budget perfectly.

Before you go shopping for a new aquarium, you need to decide what kind of fish you want to keep. For example, if you want to get a couple of unusual goldfish as pets for your children, you won't need a kit with a heater. Tropical fish, on the other hand, need a heater in the aquarium.

Before you buy a starter aquarium, be sure to research the needs of the fish species you intend to keep. Some fish need a long, shallow aquarium with plenty of open space for swimming, while others will be happy with a taller, densely planted aquarium.

What is the best aquarium size for beginners?

When you are taking your first tentative steps in your hobby, it can be tempting to buy the smallest aquarium you see on the counter. Many aquarist beginners consider a small aquarium much easier to maintain than a large one. However, this is not the case.

An aquarium, regardless of its size, is a closed ecosystem and its inhabitants need stable conditions in order to remain healthy and thriving.

In fact, a large aquarium is much less prone to unstable water parameters than a smaller one. Thus, it will be much easier for you to maintain the biological equilibrium in a large aquarium than in a small one. This also means less maintenance work for such an aquarium.

Which shape of aquarium is preferable?

Fish need oxygen to survive. If the water in the aquarium does not contain enough oxygen, the fish will suffocate and may die. Aerators are used to avoid this. Living plants also produce oxygen during photosynthesis. However, the shape of the aquarium plays an important role when it comes to determining how much renewable oxygen is available in the water. Essentially, the larger the available water surface area, the more oxygen there will be for your fish.

Many newcomers mistakenly assume that a 100 litre hexagonal aquarium will have more oxygen than a smaller 50 litre rectangular aquarium. But this is not the case. A 100-litre aquarium contains more water than a 50-litre aquarium, but has a smaller surface area. A rectangular aquarium has a much larger surface area, so the water it contains is better oxygenated.

How to choose an aquarium

Starter aquarium kits can be quite expensive, so you should approach their selection consciously. With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the things you need to consider before heading to the aquarium shop.

What is your budget?

Firstly, how much should you spend on your new aquarium?

You will obviously have a figure in mind for the kit itself, but there are several other factors you need to consider as well. First of all, you need to know that the bigger the aquarium, the more expensive it will be to maintain in the long run. This cost depends directly on the volume of water in the aquarium and the number of fish you will be keeping in it.

In fact, the bigger the water in the aquarium, the more powerful heater, filter unit and lighting you will need. As a rule of thumb, the larger the size of the filter cartridges or other filter media in the water filter, the more expensive they are. And if there will be many fish in the aquarium, you will need to buy more food for them. Running costs should also be taken into account. The larger the aquarium, the more electricity you will need for the operation of the equipment.

Size and species of fish you wish to keep

Before you do anything else, you should investigate the fish species you want to keep. Some fish species require much more space than their size would suggest, and many species subsequently grow to two to three times their original size when you first purchased them.

Tetras, for example, do not grow very quickly, and a small group will be comfortable in a small aquarium. Goldfish, on the other hand, grow quickly and will quickly outgrow a small aquarium.

But a larger aquarium does not mean that you can have more fish. Some species are extremely active and need plenty of free space to swim in. Others are territorial and require an aquarium with sufficient space for their territories. In this regard, overpopulation should be avoided at all costs. Overpopulation with fish leads to stress and disease outbreaks and increases the biological load on your filter system.

Glass or acrylic aquarium, which is better?

Aquariums are usually made of glass or acrylic. Each of these two materials has its own advantages and disadvantages, so the choice depends on your personal preferences.

Glass

Glass aquariums are very durable, scratch-resistant and cheaper. Glass also tends to retain its transparency, so a glass aquarium is a good long-term purchase.

The main disadvantage of a glass aquarium is that it can crack if dropped or bumped.

Acrylic

Acrylic aquariums are often more expensive than glass aquariums. However, acrylic is lighter and less likely to break or crack on impact.

The main disadvantage of acrylic is that it scratches very easily, which can make it difficult to clean the surfaces effectively. If you are not careful when scraping algae from the inner surface of the glass, it will eventually become covered in fine scratches.

We hope that you enjoyed our guide to the best aquariums for beginners and that you found the information useful.