Choosing a Spot for Your Aquarium

Sunday, February 13, 2011
How to choosing a spot for your aquarium? First, you will need to think about how much free space you have for your aquarium, whether that free space is open to sunlight, and which shape that is best suited for that free space. Never place an aquarium in direct sunlight and keep the aquarium away from any heating or cooling surfaces because they will cause sudden and drastic changes in temperature within the aquarium, and sunlight will also promote the algae growth in the aquarium.

Keep your aquarium away from machines that give out a lot of sound or cause vibration, like the washing machine, since this will stress the fish. Water accessibility and easy disposal of dirty water and waste are some other important factors to consider while selecting a good spot for your aquarium as you don’t want to run around with buckets of water in your entire house. You will need where you can work easily and without any interference. In a family with children, special care has to be taken to keep the aquarium away from areas of frequent activity. You do not want your children to push or fall on the aquarium while they play and injure themselves or break the aquarium glass.

Any good home has a certain décor. So, while choosing a spot for your aquarium, you must consider whether the general décor and lighting in the room will make it an attractive place for the new aquarium. Take the type of biotope you plan to have in your aquarium into consideration when you decide if an aquarium will work with the décor of the chosen spot. Different types of biotopes works with different decors. A saltwater reef aquarium will for instance have a very different look than a well planted South American biotope.

You should also consider that an aquarium is very heavy so the chosen spot has to be able to support the weight of the aquarium. Any aquarium over 10 gallons/ 40L will weight at least a hundred and fifty pounds / 70 Kg when filled and decorated. The aquarium weight comes chiefly from the glass and the water, and decoration such as gravel will further add to this weight. Heavy aquariums will need to be kept on a sturdy stand rather than a shelf or a desk.