Aquarium Tips for Tropical Fish

Acrylic Aquarium Care

Keeping an aquarium can be traced back to the late 1880,s although there where probably earlier models. These aquariums were quite crude in construction usually made from wood or metal on three sides and glass on the other. Usually the only fish available where those native to the owners region, as transporting live fish was not thought of then. Fresh water fish where predominantly used in these aquariums because salt water would corrode the metal parts the aquariums where made from.

This practise continued but took a dramatic turn in the 1960’s with the invention of silicone adhesive. At this stage metal frames became somewhat obsolete and it allowed people the option to keep salt water fish and invertebrates. Now there are less glass tanks because of the use and flexibility of acrylic. Because of this flexibility acrylic aquariums are far safer and stronger than the glass tanks. Acrylic can take a heavy blow without breaking but striking a glass tank will almost certainly have the catastrophic consequence of the glass breaking. With the introduction of acrylic aquarium designers have been able to expand there ideas and you can now see aquariums in different forms from coffee tables to gum ball machines.

One downside to having an acrylic aquarium is that they scratch far more easily than glass. Therefore care has to be taken while cleaning your aquarium. Do not use paper towel and avoid abrasive or harsh materials and chemicals to avoid scratching the surface of your acrylic tank. There are cleaners on the market which are labelled specifically that they can be used on acrylic. Do not use metal scrubbers on the sides of the tank plastic and rubber are preferred. While cleaning the inside of the aquarium make sure you do not pick up any abrasive material like gravel or rock from the bottom of the tank. One point acrylic has over glass if they are scratched is that you can repair the scratches in acrylic but not glass. An acrylic repair kit can be bought in hardware stores and speciality pet shops.

The acrylic repair kit for aquariums comes with many different options which range from cheap to quite expensive. You can try to find them online if your local pet store or hardware retail chain does mot stock them, but they can be usually found at a speciality aquatic pet store.

Whatever your preference you can choose your acrylic aquarium from small cylindrical units that can be uses as a coffee table lamp up to large units that fill the whole wall with your aquarium. Most kits will include some basic parts like filters, lights, substrata (gravel) and coral but the kits will vary greatly because of the costs. Buying you starter kit aquarium should be planned as to what size tank you require and how many and which type of fish you want to keep. It’s no good buying an aquarium to put on your coffee table if you want to keep sand sharks. You have to consider the needs of the fish. It’s important to buy your fish from a reputable dealer, some one who can give you advice. When buying fish do not buy any that are in a tank with other dead fish or that are hovering near the surface. Point at which fish you want and be wary if the dealer tries to give you another fish. Fish diseases are extremely communicable so be wary as the fish you choose are the fish you have to look after.