| There are so many reasons why people decide to | | | | shape. And aquariums aren't just made out of glass |
| take up the hobby of keeping a freshwater aquarium. | | | | anymore. The current trend is toward acrylic tanks. |
| In our extremely busy lives, aquariums bring peace | | | | They're lightweight, and they don't break! |
| and tranquility. Fish tanks have been proven to lower | | | | And the art of freshwater aquarium keeping doesn't |
| blood pressure and calm us, especially after a busy | | | | just involve buying the aquarium, filling it with water |
| day at work, dealing with the pressures of stress in | | | | and throwing in some shells. |
| our lives. | | | | It really is an art form that requires some research |
| Let's break down the word 'aquarium'. It's based on | | | | to keep your water ecosystem healthy and happy. |
| the Latin words of 'aqua' and 'rium'. 'Aqua' means | | | | You'll need to know about: |
| water (of course!), and 'rium' means a building. So an | | | | How to choose fish that live well together |
| aquarium is a "water building". What better name for | | | | Fish diseases |
| a fish tank. | | | | Aquarium lighting |
| Aquariums are everywhere. They're at the dentist | | | | What water filters to use |
| office, at friends' houses, at restaurants, at | | | | Whether to use live plants or not |
| businesses. In Japan, Germany, the U.S., everywhere! | | | | Substrate - what materials to use on the bottom |
| And aquariums have been around forever, too. In | | | | What type of tank to purchase |
| Japan and China, especially, you'll find koi ponds in the | | | | This is a few of the things that you'll need to learn |
| gardens where people go to relax and meditate. | | | | about and consider. But it's fun to learn new things |
| In fact, keeping fish as a hobby can be found as long | | | | and an accomplishment when your fish tell you that |
| ago as 2,000 years ago in China, where they kept | | | | they're happy in their new environment. |
| goldfish and koi in ceramic bowls. But fish were kept | | | | Once you've mastered the basics of freshwater |
| in ponds way before that, close to homes, where | | | | aquarium keeping, you might want to specialize in |
| they were kept for dinner! | | | | other areas, too. Consider whether you want to |
| The types of freshwater aquariums available are | | | | breed your fish. Or maybe you want to keep more |
| endless. The choices can go from round bowls for | | | | exotic varieties, such as the betta. |
| your goldfish, to square and rectangular tanks. There | | | | And one little piece of trivia in case you wanted to |
| are bubble tanks that mount on the wall, and | | | | know. The biggest aquarium in the world is in Osaka, |
| wall-mounted aquariums that look like a picture with a | | | | Japan. It has 5,400 cubic meters of water in it, and |
| frame that hangs right on your wall. | | | | over 580 different types of fish! |
| It's possible to have a custom aquarium made in any | | | | |