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Having an aquarium in the house is soothing; it looks pleasant, and it always feels comforting to see some life in the form of colourful fish hustling around relentlessly. Keeping an Aquarium is a great hobby, but it comes with the burden of very tight management. From the very start, it requires good planning and efficient management throughout.

First thing you need to recognize is the need to select the type of the aquarium you require. Aquariums come in many different shapes, sizes and colours. For a small living room, or personal room or a cubicle in the office where space is limited, a medium size fish-bowl could serve the purpose very well.

A fishbowl could be a nice home for a small bunch of gold fish or platies. And they are relatively easier to manage. If you are planning to have an aquarium in your living space, or somewhere important, where people will come and go, then you have a choice to make between freshwater and tropical fish aquariums.

Regardless of the type of fish you choose, there are some generic guidelines to follow. Picking the right location is important. The aquarium should be placed somewhere cooler, where there is no direct sunlight, and the temperature is more or less neutral. The size of the tank should be convenient; a good capacity tank should hold 18-32 gallons of water. Tanks could be either tall or wide. Tall tanks look cool, but they offer less travelling space for the inhabitants than the wide tanks.

Picking up the right fish for your tank is a job that requires some work. There are charts available for the right number of fish for right amount of water, which it is recommended to have a look at before stocking with fish.

Then there is some essential equipment that you need, like a ph meter to test the quality of the water, aquarium filter, lighting equipment, heater, thermometer, substrates like living plants, sand, or small stones which are a necessity for any aquarium. Then there are fake aquarium plants, aquarium backgrounds, air pump, or cosmetic tunnels which will serve the purpose of decoration.

After setting up the tank with the fish comes the toughest part, maintenance. Choice of appropriate food is important, and water conditioners should be used regularly to fight bacteria. An additional quarantine tank should be in place for isolating sick fish. Overall, good maintenance is a must to keep the fish healthy and make the aquarium look as good as possible.