| Fish tank aquariums can be a soothing and calming | | | | direct sunlight so keeping the tank away from |
| new element for your home or office. Several things | | | | windows will reduce your maintenance. |
| should be taken into account in order to make an | | | | When picking the right place to put your tank be |
| intelligent choice of tanks. Planning your purchase | | | | sure to consider the weight of the setup. The |
| properly can help you avoid a costly error and insure | | | | approximate weight can be calculated by multiplying |
| a successful project. | | | | the number of gallons held by 10. So a 30-gallon tank |
| Choosing the right place in your home to put the | | | | would weigh 300 pounds. If you divide the number of |
| tank should be your first consideration. You will want | | | | square feet in the base of the tank into the weight |
| the tank to be easy to view and located in a room | | | | of the tank you will know how many pounds per |
| that you frequently occupy. Determining the most | | | | square foot of force the floor will experience. If you |
| ideal location will also lead to a decision on the size of | | | | are placing a heavy tank on a wooden floor that is |
| the tank. Do not forget the fact that if the tank is | | | | over a basement or crawl space you probably should |
| ever relocated you will have to disassemble it | | | | get a professional opinion on how much weight your |
| completely to do so. This is not only a great | | | | floor can handle. |
| inconvenience for you but is difficult for the fish. | | | | The two most common construction materials for |
| The tank will require electrical power for the heater, | | | | fish tank aquariums are glass and Plexiglas. The |
| filter pump, and lighting so be sure an electrical outlet | | | | biggest advantage of glass is that it is difficult to |
| is nearby. Having easy access to water will also make | | | | scratch. The biggest advantage of Plexiglas is that it |
| it more convenient to add water. The tank should be | | | | will not break the way glass would. If your area |
| positioned so that you can reach all four sides for | | | | experiences any earthquakes Plexiglas should be your |
| cleaning and maintenance. The walls of the tank and | | | | choice. |
| filter will need to be cleaned from time to time so | | | | There some interesting shapes for your fish tank |
| you will need room to move around the tank. | | | | aquarium such as tall circular or hexagon types. These |
| Good air circulation around fish tank aquariums will | | | | taller more slender tanks are often chosen when |
| reduce the growth of mold and mildew. The tank | | | | there is little space available. A standard tank with the |
| should not be near HVAC registers or doorways | | | | familiar cubicle shape will allow more swimming room |
| leading outside. These sources of air drafts can | | | | for the fish and give you more room to add |
| interfere with the water temperature regulation | | | | decorations such as coral. If space were not a |
| required for keeping your fish healthy. An excess of | | | | problem this would be your best choice. |
| algae growth can result from placing the tank in | | | | |