If you love to while away time watching fish swim gently about, a tropical aquarium may be just the thing for you.  However, it’s only natural to wonder exactly what a tropical aquarium is and why it’s different from other types of aquariums so we’ve outlined everything you need to know.  Read on to find out!

About Tropical Aquariums

In its simplest terms, a tropical aquarium is an aquarium that is designed to house tropical fish. It differs from other types of aquariums in that it needs a heater to keep the water at the desired temperature for the fish. Tropical fish can be either marine (saltwater) or freshwater but they cannot live in cold water.  Tropical aquariums can be either acrylic or glass and they come in a huge range of sizes and shapes.  You can buy them “off the shelf” or have them completely custom made to your needs.

Keeping a Tropical Aquarium

Many people believe that keeping a tropical aquarium is very complicated and while this is true for some species of tropical fish, it is definitely not always the case.  Keeping a tropical aquarium can actually be quite easy if you have the right fish species.  The biggest thing with keeping a tropical aquarium is to make sure that the water temperature is right for the particular specie/s of tropical fish that you are keeping.  A heater is sufficient to do this and they are equipped with thermostats so you can monitor the exact temperature of the water.  If you’re not sure what temperature your particular fish require, your aquarium specialist will tell you this, or you can research the fish you want to keep before you buy them.

You may find that you need to keep checking the water to make sure that it is just right for your fish to thrive but if you have good equipment (filters, heaters, skimmers etc) this process will be a lot easier.  You can also buy water testing kits that take all of the guesswork out of the equation!

Choosing Fish for Tropical Aquariums

There is a huge range of fish to choose from when it comes to stocking your tropical aquarium and the beauty is that they come in a range of colours, patterns, shapes, and sizes.  You can choose some truly beautiful fish to look at!  Some species of tropical fish that you can choose from include cichlids, tetras, loaches, barbs, and angelfish.  Of course there are many, many more and your local aquarium shop or specialist will stock a large range.  Always make sure that you choose healthy fish stock and never be tempted to buy too many.  It is better to start with fewer fish and build up rather than the other way around, as fish do not like to be crowded. Never fill your tank with more than the recommended number of fish.