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The aquarium is a common sight these days, often appearing in the homes of family and friends, not to mention those great display or show aquariums you might see in the front of shop windows or even local shopping malls. Essentially, aquarium or fish care is one of the oldest hobby practices and over the years, has undeniably come to be the world's most popular.

Essentially, many people keep aquariums and even more, would like to, but are often put off, believing that it is often difficult, overly complicated or will require to much of their time. It is no secret, aquarium care and maintenance will take time, but with an effective set up, such things can even come to be pleasurable or even relaxing.
Having kept tropical fish, ponds and rare and exotic species for much of my life, I am no stranger to the aquarium, the myths which surround it or even the often under-handed tactics which occur throughout the fish keeping industry. Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea for me to share my knowledge with you , in the hopes of inspiring more people to take up this fantastic hobby. This article shall begin by covering the basics of setting up your first aquarium. However, following shall be a range of other essays and articles, documenting a variety of topics, from water chemistry, aquatic gardening, keeping rare and exotics, difficult species, common pit-falls and even how you can turn your small hobby into a successful money making venture. But, all that aside, lets start with the basics shall we?

First of is the most obvious part choosing the tank itself. Although this may sound simple enough, there are a few things the first time hobbyist should consider. A large misconception is that smaller tanks will require less maintenance. The truth is, the smaller the tank, the smaller the body of water, thus the more unstable the water quality becomes. Small tanks are often nothing more than an accident waiting to happen. A general suggestion is that you should start of with the largest tank you can afford.

At this point, it is a good idea to start looking around to see which kinds of fish you would like to keep. This will of course determine the equipment your tank will require. Generally speaking, fish can be divided up into two major categories; this being, your cold water fish, such as Koi, Siamese fighting fish and goldfish and the tropical group being those fish derived from the warmer waters around the world. The most popular choice for keepers today is the tropical

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