by Pete Grey

Created on: May 22, 2008   Last Updated: October 03, 2009

Keeping fish is a hobby where age doesn't matter. Some psychiatrists say that it is a good way to reduce stress. I have personally experienced it. I used to keep fish from my child hood and up to now I have kept so many varieties of fish.

However, it is a decent challenge to a beginner to get the ideal kind of aquarium at a low budget. But you can minimize lot of difficulties if you take the right decision when setting up your aquarium. Here are some useful guides for a beginner, where I have focused only on the indoor aquariums.

First thing to choose is the size of the aquarium. You do not need rocket science to figure it out that the bigger the size, the costlier it will be. Glass tank, possibly of rectangular shape is the ideal choice to a beginner who doesn't want to spend much in the beginning. You should not spend more than 40 - 60% of your budget to the tank. This seems a little high, but don't worry as this is your prime investment and you will not loose the value of it.

Next and most important is the water supply. If you have fresh water, you are lucky. If your water is chlorinated then you have to spend more on de-chlorinating, as fish do not do well in chlorinated water. Most fish will simply die.

You need a good water filter to your aquarium. If your aquarium is larger, then you need more powerful filter, or perhaps you may even need two filters. Therefore you must check the volume of tank and buy the most appropriate filter. Think about the electric power it requires also. It is better to go for a moderate size aquarium at the beginning. It will save lot on your budget.

Apart from anti chlorine, you will also need medicines for your fish. Yes, your guess is right; fish also get sick. In fact, they are more prone to get sick due change of their environment, which means there are more chances that your fish will die in the new aquarium. So you need to be ready for that. There are medicines which can be used as a general aid, which means they can be used against lot of diseases. On the other hand, there are specific medicines for certain diseases. Better to have a general aid with you.

Next comes decorating the aquarium. It is your choice to decorate it as you wish. However, you shouldn't be spending much on this. You will need few basic plants, some gravel and some other decorators. Do not over-crowd your tank with decorations. You can easily find some gravel from a river bank.

You should expend only 15 30 % of your budget on chemicals (medicines, anti-chlorine, anti algae, etc), food, decorations and filters and lighting/heating systems. Heating systems are required for countries which are experiencing cold climate seasons.

Finally, I come to the members of the aquarium. Yes, the fish. If you are a beginner, you should start with hardy fish first. Carp, Gold fish, guppy, platy, sword tail, gourami and mollies are good for beginners. Most of these fish can be kept in a single tank. Also they come in great colour varieties and are not that expensive. They are easy to care for.
At the beginning you may only be left with 20 30% of your budget for the fish. But, that is completely ok. Once you get experience you can add more fish and make your aquarium bigger. This is a much wise practice, than to drain your money in the form of dead fish.

I wish you all the best with your aquarium.

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