Do It Youeself - Aquarium Installation


Aquarium is something that you would want to keep if you love having live aquatic creatures at home. Before having this kind of vivarium firmly planted on your living room, or recreation room perhaps, it is important to know how you would want to set up this little habitat for fishes and other underwater creatures.

Aquarium installation can be a fairly manageable task when you do this on your own or with the help of other persons other than hiring a professional aquarium installer. A do-it-yourself planning and implementation can help you minimize the cost of acquiring aquarium including the installation. You may have to consider a lot of things related to aquarium and aquarium installation in order to have the desired results more possible. Research and planning would possibly go with this kind of project.

The first thing you may have to accomplish is to acquire the necessary components of an aquarium. The components you may have to acquire can have relativity to the type of aquarium you would want to keep at home. Freshwater aquarium and marine aquarium are different types of aquarium. There can be differences on the contents of each type of aquarium but the equipment needed for aquarium installation may be similar.

You may also have to consider several options in material composition for aquarium installation. You could decide between glass aquarium and acrylic aquarium. You may have to think of the kind of bulb for your aquarium lighting that is suitable for the type of aquarium you decide to install. You may have to plan out the shapes, sizes, and dimensions of an aquarium. It would be better to acquire the materials that are readily available for assembly to lessen the time in doing the aquarium installation.

Moreover, it is important to think over where you want to place the aquarium and the aquarium stand. You could place it anywhere more conspicuous in your house or room other than placing it near sunlight and air-conditioning vents. Sunlight can promote algae growth in your aquarium while putting it near air conditioning vents can have a temperature swing which could be bad for the aquarium microfauna and plants.

It is relevant to know more about aquarium if you like to be an aquarist. This can have relevance to the success of your aquarium installation project and for the longevity of aquarium and its inhabitants. You could check the Internet for tips and other important matters in relation to fish-keeping using aquaria. Consulting an expert aquarist can also help a lot.

The research and planning that you may be doing for installing an aquarium can have a big impact on your hobby and the investment you would be making for having the manmade habitat at home.

Different Types of Aquarium Fluorescent Lighting

Aquarium lightings are the sources of light and heat for aquatic creatures, flora and fauna of various aquarium designs. They can come in various forms and features. They are scrutinized for the intensity of their output. A brighter illumination is deemed to be preferred for the survival of aquarium inhabitants particularly those that are placed in deep reef tanks.

Aquarium fluorescent lighting is one of the forms of lighting system for fish tanks. They range in spectrums, sizes and designs. High Output and Very High Output fluorescent tubes and bulbs are among the popular varieties of aquarium lighting. They have much intense lighting capacity than normal output lights. They can deliver radiant light to reef tanks of up to 20 inches deep. They are also suitable in freshwater aquariums.

A rival to HO and VHO fluorescent lights is the power compact fluorescent light. This type can deliver intense brightness and can last longer than VHO fluorescent lights. VHO fluorescent lights can produce varying spectrums but need to be replaced annually to supplant the built-up spectrum in the fish tanks.

The various types of fluorescent lights can be found in daylight design and actinic. Daylight aquarium fluorescent lights can provide day-time radiance in aquariums. White lights are needed by fishes and other marine animals for brilliant condition in aquariums. Actinic fluorescent lights emit blue spectrum and low-light appearance of the aquarium. They can recreate moonlight ambience in aquariums. The kind of aquarium lighting is regarded for promoting the welfare of invertebrates and growth of corals.

Various aquarium fluorescent lighting systems have been created for different aquarium environment. Fluorescent lights are normally placed in lighting fixtures. One or more fluorescent tubes can be integrated in aquarium lighting fixtures. Actinic and daylight fluorescent tubes can be placed simultaneously in light fixtures where they function alternately.

Aquarium fluorescent lights locked in lighting fixtures can be integrated with other advantageous devices and accessories. Fluorescent lighting controller is one of the devices that can be used in conjunction with the aquarium lighting system. It is a tube holder with waterproofed quality. You can find this product with Arcadia brand.

Arcadia is one of the frontrunners in aquarium lighting technology. Different aquarium lighting products and accessories can be found in its product line. There are aquarium fluorescent lights, metal halide lamps, tube holders, and light controllers included in its product listing.

Aquarium fluorescent lights can also come in various brands. You can check more brands and other features of this type of aquarium lighting on the Internet.

Aquarium fluorescent lights contribute to the radiant appearance of the manmade habitat of fishes and other marine animals and plants.

Aquarium Design and Settings


Aquarium is a piece of enclosure material that can house a little habitat. It is a vivarium filled with water with a collection of aquatic animals of one or several species. Corals and aquatic floras can also be added into the aquarium.

Fish keeping is one of the purposes of the existence of aquarium although keeping of crustaceans, amphibians and marine mammals in aquaria can also be made. Aside from keeping of marine creatures, aquariums are constructed for research and breeding. Different aquariums of varying sizes can be found in marine research institutes. Some of institutes exhibit the aquariums filled with different marine species from small to large ones to the public.

Aquarium is one of the materials that can be kept in homes. It is a manmade habitat for fishes and other marine animals inside a living space. The size of the aquariums can vary in a wide range. Shapes may also differ. The aquarium design can vary according to the preference of aquarium hobbyist or fish-keeper.


The glass is the popular materials for making aquariums. Glass panes are bonded together with silicone to form an enclosure. Acrylic is another material that can be found in aquariums. Acrylic aquarium is less fragile than glass and is much lighter. Laminated glass, which is a combination of acrylic and glass, could be used for the construction of aquarium. Fiberglass-reinforced plastics are stronger materials for use in the construction of large aquaria.

The aquarium design can be different depending on the likes of the keeper. The tropical aquarium design can be preferred if the species of fish placed in an aquarium are tropical and colorful ones. Decorating the home aquarium can also be made. Lighting can also enhance the beauty of the aquarium and is one of the considerations in aquarium design.

You can browse the Internet for different aquarium designs that you can find. There are different sites that offer tips and the possible materials for designing an aquarium.

If you choose for simple but beautiful aquariums, it is important to consider the filtration system and plumbing. Filtration system is significant for keeping the algae to exist or multiply in numbers inside the aquarium. The plumbing system is also relevant for providing a steady flow of filtered water inside the aquarium.


If you want beautifully-crafted aquariums for your homes, you could consider hiring an aquarium designer that can supply, construct and decorate a magnificent aquarium that can complement the interior décor of modern or classical homes. You can find the offers of aquarium design contractors at the Internet.

Setting Up Freshwater Aquariums


Having an aquarium in your home is one way relieving stress after a hard day’s work. However, there are some things that you must first consider before you decide to have one on your home.

If you are planning of having a freshwater aquarium on your home the first thing that must consider is the size of the aquarium. For beginners, a small size aquarium (less than ten gallons) is recommended for economical reasons. Large freshwater aquariums require considerable amount of money in maintenance, not to mention the effort in cleaning it. In addition to that, if you have no problems in its maintenance and really enjoy it, you may then upgrade to a much larger aquarium.

Make sure that you place the aquarium on a good place. It is recommended that you place the aquarium on a table that can support the weight of the fish tank. Remember, one gallon of water weighs approximately 8 pounds (also consider the things that you put in the aquarium such as filters, cover, sand, etc.).

Once you have purchased an aquarium the next thing that you must consider is the materials that you will need in the maintenance of the aquarium. One of the most important maintenance tools for freshwater aquariums is the filter. In buying a filter, always consider an “undergravel” type of filter. “Hang on” types of filters are also recommended.

You may also buy accessories for your aquarium to make it more appealing or pleasant to look at. There are lots of aquarium accessories available in the market today. Accessories for freshwater aquariums range from gravel to aquarium plants to decoration. Generally, there are two types of aquarium plants; the real ones and those that are made of plastic materials. Plastic aquarium plants are highly recommended because they do not require tending. On the other hand, if you opt for real plants, it would be best that you familiarize yourself in tending them.


Decorations for freshwater aquariums (such as castles, mushrooms, ships and other plastic toys) can be purchased on a pet shop near you. Bear in mind that it important that you must not put too many decorations on the freshwater aquarium. Doing so would only clutter it up. The above mentioned are the just some of the basics decide to have a freshwater aquarium in your home. If have issues regarding freshwater aquariums, just visit a pet shop near.

Glass and Acrylic Fish Tanks


When fish and other aquatic creatures are collected for display, it is perhaps viable to place them in an enclosure that can be filled with water. A bowl and fish tanks are choices of structure for an aquarium. A glass bowl may have certain limitations depending on the size while fish tanks are popularly preferred for its cube-like form, easy maintenance and convenient integration of aquarium equipment.

Fish tanks are popularly seen in cuboid form. However, the aquarium can be shaped differently and can be cylindrical, hexagonal, octagonal or any shape as the aquarist may desire.

Fish tanks are normally made from transparent materials popularly of glass structure. Glass panes that are bonded together using silicone are popular raw materials in the construction of aquariums particularly fish tanks. In recent years, however, many fish tanks made from acrylic can be found and have been preferably used by some aquarists. Acrylic fish tanks are transparent materials similar to glass but they are deemed to be stronger than glass in composition.

Acrylic fish tank is the closest rival to glass fish tanks in home fish-keeping. The material, aside from its better strength quality than glass, is lighter than the latter. Easy transportability can be experienced when using acrylic fish tanks.

Moreover, acrylic fish tanks are not as fragile as glass fish tanks. Thus, cracks and leaks that could occur in glass fish tanks may not come with acrylic fish tanks. Scratching can happen in acrylic fish tanks which could diminish the appearance of an aquarium, however, there are ways to remedy this problem.

Acrylic fish tanks can be customized. It can be shaped differently according to the preference of an aquarist. It has been deemed to be preferred for beginner aquarists.

There are different companies that manufacture acrylic fish tanks. There are companies that can produce fish tanks made from acrylic of any shapes and sizes for homes, buildings, resorts and any commercial establishments. One of the companies that manufacture acrylic fish tanks and that serve high-end clients is Acrylic Tank Manufacturing.

Based in Las Vegas, Acrylic Tank Manufacturing or ATM has over a hundred years of experience in aquarium industry. Its people are skilled in the manufacturing and installation including design of custom aquarium systems. Its location in the popular entertainment capital of the world is a strategic one. However, it has clients in various parts of the world spanning the America and Asia-Pacific.

ATM is one of the companies with highly-skilled expertise in manufacturing acrylic fish tanks.

The choice for purchasing acrylic fish tanks is not limited to one company. You could find other companies near in your area or on the Internet that can provide this material in fish-keeping.