There’s only so many ways to set up an aquarium. Some ways are very hard, if not life threatening, for the fish and other ways are much more gentle with greater chances of success.

One of the first things that must be decided is how big of fish tank someone is going to have. Many people want to start with a small tank and see if they can learn how to do it right before purchasing a large tank.

Though this sounds reasonable, it is actually a bad idea. A smaller tank has less water volume than a larger tank does and though that may seem obvious, a person often is not thinking about how a large volume of water is a good thing.

If a person set up a glass of water and a bucket of water and added three drops of food coloring to each, the water in the cup will change colors, but you won’t notice any difference in the bucket of water. It’s the same way for the fish tanks. Any kind of change will be very noticeable in a small tank but may not show up at all in a large tank.

A change in temperature affects a small tank very quickly whereas a larger tank will barely notice. Adding the necessary chemicals to adjust the pH of the water in a small tank can be disastrous if a mistake is made, but a larger tank will lessen the damage.

A person needs to get the largest aquarium they can comfortably fit. Another thing that needs to be considered as part of that fit is making sure you have enough room on the sides and back of the tank for the cords and accessories. There needs to be enough room to get in and clean it as well.

The choice of stands is not quite as critical and the style is more open to a person’s taste and budget. The stand needs to be made for that sized aquarium, but whether it comes as a cabinet with doors to hide the supplies and equipment, or is in the classic frame style is up to the purchaser.