by Michael Hyman

Created on: July 31, 2006   Last Updated: February 15, 2007

STARTING OUT

If you've never kept fish before I suggest that you start out first keeping freshwater ones. The reason for this is simple…money. Fishkeeping can be quite expensive and it would be best to start off on a small scale so that you can determine if this is a hobby you truly want to pursue. Freshwater fish usually are much cheaper than saltwater ones and take less equipment to maintain. I've seen people rush out and buy saltwater fish and get so disgusted in their ability to keep them that they give up in a few months after spending a lot of money. It's best to start simple and then move up the chain, so to speak, as you learn more and become more comfortable with your abilities.

I believe that an aquarium of about twenty gallons is perfect for a beginner. It is not too small for many fish and certainly affordable. Personally, I like 55 gallon tanks or larger when keeping fish but I do not think that anyone should spend that kind of money until they have decided that they really want to spend the time and money that it takes to maintain an aquarium. O.K. let's say you've bought a 20 gallon tank, what next? Well, the tank (and stand) is just the beginning. Now you need lights, filters, gravel, decorations, a heater and maybe even a chiller. Notice that I haven't mentioned fish? Before buying fish you have lots of other choices and decisions to make. Some of these decisions will be based on the type of fish you wish to keep and how you want to keep them. If you decide that you like a certain type of fish from a certain part of the world then you should set up a tank that duplicates that environment. If that's the case, everything you buy would be based on that environment. If you decide on having fish from several parts of the world you have to set up your tank so that all of your fish can survive that environment. I'm getting ahead of myself here, talking about fish, so let's revisit this later and talk more about supplies now.

LIGHTING

Let's discuss lights first. There are basically five types of lighting available; incandescent, fluorescent, compact fluorescent, metal halide and lunar light.

INCANDESCENT lighting is basically what is used in your home and can be used in small aquariums. They are quite hot, however, and I feel are not suitable for aquariums.

FLUORESCENT lighting is what is most widely used in aquariums. The bulbs are cool operating, energy efficient and come in a variety of lengths and wattages to fit most aquariums. Fluorescent systems

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