Deciding what to keep in an aquarium is one of the hardest decisions you’ll have to make as a new aquatic pet owner (aquarist).  It’s also the most fun.  There are many different fish, invertebrates, plants, and more to choose from.

Since you’re just starting, you can decide which fish to use without having to consider existing fish in your aquarium.

There are many considerations that you must address before you make the purchase of a tank and start acquiring the stuff of aquatic pet ownership.

If you are just starting out it will seem as though there is an overwhelming amount information you need to master.  Unfortunately, there really is an overwhelming amount of information on just about everything to do with aquariums.  Yet, you don’t need to know all of it before you start.

To make the whole process more enjoyable you should be able to answer the questions below.  These questions are here as an aid to you.  Thinking through these areas will help you to avoid unnecessary purchases, and the purchases you do make will compliment each other.

Having a clear understanding of your aquarium(s) and their respective roles will enable you to make smart decisions on their upkeep and how they should be used.  Depending on your experience level some of these questions may have already been answered.  However, waltzing through them once again could be a good refresher.

Let’s go through these six areas together and see what develops.

1. Who will be the responsible one to care for the aquarium
2. What kinds of aquatic creatures are you planning on keeping
3. Where are you planning to setup your aquarium
4. Why do you want to setup an aquarium
5. When do you expect to have the aquarium setup and running

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A new aquarium is loads of fun and loads of work.  Because the new aquarium is a biome unto itself there are quite a few decisions that will need to be made to get it started.  Many of these decisions can require long periods of time between actions.  Having one person or two people that know what is happening with the aquarium is very important.

Once an aquarium is up and running there needs to be a person or a couple of people who are willing to be responsible for the aquarium’s upkeep.  In the wild, fish or other aquatic creatures are in a stream or other body of water.  This water has a huge biome within which the stream is only a part.  The rest of the biome has an affect on the water quality of the stream.

There are vast surface areas for algae and flowing water for moving sediment and introducing dissolved oxygen and other gases.  Bacteria, fungi, virus’, and plants all play a role in treating the water and keeping it healthy.  Fresh water is added regularly and air along with ground surfaces help maintain temperature.

When water is introduced to an aquarium the biome of the outdoors shrinks fast and is constrained to the physical size of your aquarium.  A large biome has great buffering capabilities to manage fluctuations in water quality.  An aquarium has very little buffering capability and relies upon an individual or a group of individuals to keep constant watch over its’ health.

Based on observations and perhaps some testing, the person(s) responsible for the aquarium may need to start a treatment plan and perform followup testing to keep water quality good.  If there is an ill occupant the responsible person(s) may need to quarantine the occupant and provide specialized treatment to return it to health.

Then there is the matter of periodic cleaning, water refreshing, and vacuuming the stone on the bottom of the aquarium.  The responsible person(s) will need to perform these responsibilities to keep the aquarium biome healthy for its’ occupants.

Just as with a four-legged pet, the aquarium occupants will need to be cared for and given attention if needed.

There are quite a few aquatic creatures to choose from.  Making a selection before you purchase any aquatic equipment will save lots of frustration and money.

There are many who think aquariums are only for brightly colored fish.  This is not necessarily the case.  Streams, lakes, and the ocean are teaming with aquatic creatures.  Making a selection of your primary aquarium occupant will be more difficult than it sounds.

A good place to start is to go to the local aquarium and just enjoy the variety of wildlife on display.  A trip to the zoo in their aquatic areas might also be fun.  Don’t forget to pop into a few pet stores and see what they have to offer in their tanks.  Once you’ve visited all the above think about what your local streams have to offer.

A trip to the library or a few hours spent performing searches on local aquatic life might introduce a few new ideas.  Be sure to keep notes on what you have seen and any conversations you have with others.

Start to narrow down which creatures you found interesting.  Were they freshwater or saltwater creatures.  This is a critical decision.  It is not possible to have both fresh water and saltwater creatures in the same aquarium.  With very few exceptions, the two biomes are mutually exclusive.  Creatures that inhabit saltwater biomes cannot exist in freshwater biomes.

As a side note, generally speaking saltwater aquariums require more effort to maintain water quality than do freshwater aquariums.  However, saltwater creatures are quite varied in color and appearance and make for a very interesting aquarium.  Usually saltwater aquariums are much larger than freshwater aquariums.

If you choose to have an aquarium for freshwater crustaceans, then be prepared for more frequent water exchanges and vacuuming.  Crustaceans, like turtles, produce a fair amount of feces that alters the aquarium biome quickly and must be managed often.

If selecting a saltwater biome for non-migratory sea creatures like sea cucumber or other anemone, then your water exchanges will be less frequent.

Make a decision as to the salinity of the water and then go from there to choose your creatures.

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After the arduous process of selecting your primary aquarium occupant, the selection of an aquarium and its location is relatively straightforward.  For most aquatic creatures, they will limit their growth size to the size of your aquarium.

This is where your research will pay off.  Research your primary aquarium occupant thoroughly.  Understand the limits of the animal.  What is the temperature range in which your animal will thrive.  Does your occupant need time out of water like a turtle.

Does your aquarium occupant hunt in the water, but likes to sun themselves out of water.  Does your occupant like it cool with only slight water variations in temperature.

Your research will tell you what the preferred living environment is for your primary aquarium occupant.  Be sure to research behavior and swimming characteristics.  Some animals like to hide while others like to explore.  Some are aggressive and others passive.

Determining these characteristics will aid you in selecting companion aquarium occupants that will share the aquarium biome.  They will also assist you in determining what additional items will be needed in the aquarium.  If you are choosing non-mobile saltwater creatures, then you will need structures onto which they can attach in the aquarium.

The physical location of your aquarium will need to accommodate the size of the aquarium.  Sounds like a foolish statement to make, but it is surprising how many new aquarium owners overlook this simple step.  If you have chosen to have a saltwater biome then you will need a larger aquarium with a larger footprint.

The larger the aquarium the heavier the aquarium.  Many saltwater aquariums are 40-50 gallons for small tanks and can easily push 100 gallons.  At 10 lbs/gallon in weight that would equate to around 500 lbs to 1000 lbs.  These heavy aquariums should not be placed on counter tops constructed from fiberboard.  The weight over time will deform the counter top causing undue stress on the aquarium’s structure and possibly causing a catastrophic failure.

The physical dimensions of the aquarium footprint should be thought out carefully.  If the aquarium will be in or near a traffic area in the home consider moving it to a lower traffic area.

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An often overlooked aspect of new aquarium placement is the physical plant – the building construction.  The location where you are planning to locate the aquarium has physical limits on weight.

Most buildings are constructed with sufficient strength to support a live load of 40 PSF (pounds Per Square Foot) and a dead load of 20 PSF.  The live load takes into consideration variable load weight based on movement of the load (a person or cart) onto and off any given location on the floor.   The supporting floor can handle up to 40 PSF before support members deflect beyond their capacity to recover and failure occurs.

Dead load refers to the ability of the floor support member to maintain its’ structural shape without unrecoverable deflection and subsequent failure.   Typically dead weight is much less than live weight due to the live weight passing by and dead weight remaining as a constant downward pressure.

A medium sized saltwater aquarium with an associated biological filter can weigh in excess of 1,200 lbs.  If your aquarium frame has a floor dimension of  2′ x 5′ that equates to 10 square feet.  Divide the number of square feet into the estimated weight of 1,200 lbs and you arrive at 120 lbs PSF.

Typical house construction with 2″ x 12″ joists mounted 16″ on center will support a dead load of 400 lbs under the 2′ x 5′ aquarium frame.  This means that a typical house floor supported by joists following national building standards would be under-rated by 800 lbs or 80 lbs PSF.  That equates to a dead load that is 200% greater than the floor can support.

While the floor may not fail immediately, it will fail over time.

In the example above the floor would require reinforcement to accommodate a 120 PSF dead load.  Most architects would agree that the floor would need to be reinforced to 150 PSF to accommodate any future growth in number of tanks or support equipment.

The Frame

The support system for an aquarium is surprisingly important.  With a saltwater aquarium care should be taken to select a stainless steel support system that is welded at the joints.  A steel only support will rust and create an eyesore detracting from the aquarium occupants.  A non-welded design has weak-points at each joint.  Nobody wants an aquarium frame to fail.

Take the time to order the correct frame for your aquarium.  A frame should be in direct contact with all load bearing points of the aquarium.  This is typically the entire outer edge of the aquarium bottom.  The frame should also have station-keeping flanges to prevent the aquarium from creeping off the frame assembly.

The frame should also not have any feet.  Rather, the frame should have a solid box mimicking the support area for the aquarium.  The intent of the frame is to distribute the weight (load) of the aquarium across as much floor as possible.

Power

A saltwater aquarium will often have a substantial filtration and circulating system located below the aquarium.  Saltwater aquariums also have a significant light requirement and a heating requirement.  This will require power to operate.

It may be necessary to install a separate outlet near or behind the location of your aquarium.  A separate circuit is the better choice.  Be certain to protect the circuit with a Ground Fault Interrupter breaker (GFI) located in the breaker distribution panel of the house.

Many people also add an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to protect the Pump motor and aquarium lighting from brownouts.

In the event a new circuit can’t be added, understand what else is on the same circuit as the outlet you plan to use.  Try to find a circuit that has fewer devices connected.  If you are using an existing circuit, it will be necessary to have a GFI outlet installed.  Keep in mind that you will need to test the GFI outlet from time to time.  So, plan accordingly and don’t place anything that will obstruct your access to the outlet.

Heat registers

Many aquarium occupants have a narrow thermal band in which they can thrive.  Try to not have any heating registers or baseboard heating at or near the aquarium.  Forced air systems generally push 80 + degree out of the register and baseboard heating is higher than that.

Try not to have direct sunlight penetrating the tank.  Sunlight is very powerful in terms of heating ability.  A tank in sunlight can easily rise 10 or more degrees while being illuminated by sunlight.

Water and Drain

Maintaining an aquarium requires the periodic vacuuming of the aquarium floor and other areas.  Water exchange is also necessary from time to time to maintain water quality.  Both activities require that wastewater be disposed of.  If you have a sink nearby the problem is a straightforward one.

Having a drain and spigot nearby can be very useful when cleaning and replenishing water.  If this isn’t the case it would be wise to invest in some kind of floor protection mat to catch the inadvertent spill that is bound to happen.

Outside lighting

Try not to have direct sunlight penetrating the aquarium.  Sunlight is very powerful in terms of heating ability.  A tank in sunlight can easily rise 10 or more degrees while being illuminated by sunlight.

Many aquatic pets and flora have a narrow thermal tolerance outside of which they will suffer and potentially die.

The acquisition of the primary aquarium along with its installation is only part of the process to setup a new aquarium.  In addition to the primary aquarium a medical aquarium is often setup alongside.

When introducing new occupants to the larger aquarium it is always advisable to introduce them using a separate aquarium.  This allows for observation of the new occupant over a 10 day period to see if any pathogen presents itself, or any underlying condition presents itself.  It is far better to isolate a new arrival than to introduce the new arrival and infect the balance of occupants in your aquarium.

The isolation or hospital aquarium should not share water with the primary aquarium.  It should have its own filtration and heating equipment.  Be certain to have wide spectum lighting for this tank.  Some pathogens are difficult to see without good lighting.

It’s a bit of a soul-searching question, but a good one to answer.  If you are looking to have aquatic pets for the next 5-15 years then you are in the right ballpark for people who are serious about their aquatic pets.

Most new aquarium owners become bored with the aquarium after only 24 months.  The occupants either suffer and die from poor attention to the aquarium biome, or a friend takes over the tank and relocates it to another location.

Do yourself a favor and self-examine why you want an aquarium.  This is particularly helpful if you are considering a larger aquarium.  These aquariums require a substantial investment and will consume a fair amount of your time to maintain.

Then there are the occupants.  Some occupants are special order and must be caught or harvested and quickly delivered to you.  These occupants are not inexpensive.

Often new aquarium owners are purchasing them for their children.  In this scenario it’s not so important to have pure motives that will last longer than 24 months.  Typically a youngster’s interest in fish lasts only a short while and the pet-store purchased occupants live about the same period of time.

Be careful to quell your interest in aquariums if you are attending college.  Once classes are done there is little incentive to keep an aquarium going.  Save your money and wait until your educational commitment is done.

When setting up a new aquarium the worst thing to do is rush the process.  A well thought out selection of occupants and a matching physical environment will bring many years of enjoyment.

To select the right occupants can take many months of time.  Remember that the planning phase of setup is the most time consuming.  Understanding the biome that is being created can be difficult.  Always have an eye to the future in terms of time commitment.

To make an estimate of time necessary to perform setup is difficult.  A good rule of thumb to follow is that anything over 50 gallons in size should take two to three months of setup time.

Remember the process.  Occupant selection, physical needs assessment, physical aquarium selection, installation and any associated construction, filling and conditioning of the water, introduction of new occupants.

Once the physical aquarium is in place and the water is safe it takes another couple of weeks to introduce new occupants to the aquarium.  Depending on the number of occupants and their size the water will begin to change in nutrient content and ph.  It is likely that there will be algal bloom or two in the first month of operation

Consistent testing and management of the water will soon result in a timetable for filter replacement and water exchange.  This can take several months to establish a schedule for water management.  At the end of this period the tank will have established its’ own buffering capability, and you will know when to change filtration media.  Now the setup is complete.