When it comes to aquariums, most people think in terms of two basic types, the salt water and the fresh water aquarium. In our series on types of aquariums we have actually included four different "styles", but keep in mind that one (the terrarium) is not really an aquarium at all, while the other (the small bowl) is a type of fresh water aquarium. In this article, we will be taking a look at the fresh water aquarium on a broader scale.
When we are talking fresh water aquarium in this article, we are specifically referring to large aquariums, eight gallons or more. That's why we included a separate article on small bowls, or starter aquariums.
Fresh water tanks are usually the next step up from small bowls as far as aquarium hobbyist "training" goes. While these larger tanks do need more maintenance and equipment than small bowls, they are always less expensive and easier to maintain than salt water aquariums. The fish housed in fresh water aquariums tend to be hardier as well. This is more of an aesthetic thing for most fish owners. It's like getting colour business card printing opposed to black and white. While the fish not actually be any better, the addition of more colour and the exotic factor in your tank can make it seem like you have a more high quality system.
There are actually two different sub categories of fresh water aquariums; warm water and cold water. Cold water aquariums tend to be more popular because, once again, they do not require as much expense or maintenance as warm water aquariums. The warm water types are usually used to house tropical fresh water species. Now with the availability of supplies on the internet, you could use your web collaboration tool to find interesting species for a warm fresh water aquarium.
Most of the time, aquarists have two purposes for keeping an aquarium. They love fish, and they like the way an aquarium adds some decorative touches to their homes. The decorative touch is always enhanced by the theme used in the aquarium. Decorations are an important part of the theme process, and generally owners will select a certain theme to run on when it comes to their freshwater tank. If you leave your aquarium without decorations it might look more like part of an SR ED experiment than a home for your pet.
Generally speaking, freshwater aquariums will not be as diverse as marine tanks. Many kinds of freshwater species (such as goldfish) like to dig up the gravel used at the bottom of the tank, and that means it is not possible to keep live plants in the system. In addition, there is not as much diversity among freshwater species as there is among salt water, something we shall consider in our next article. But, if you've got a busy schedule, rushing to work and then to take your kids to hockey school, a fresh water aquarium requires the least amount of time to maintain while still having more to look at than one fish in a bowl.
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