Planning an aquarium is the most important phase on the way to a functioning tank. Because before you want to run your own aquarium, you should first ask yourself whether you have a suitable place for it at all. First of all, you have to consider that a fully equipped aquarium with more than a hundred liters of content can quickly become very heavy. Therefore, it should be noted that the aquarium should not be placed on unstable shelves or floors, but only on surfaces that are suitable for it. With smaller aquariums, so-called nano aquariums, you do not have to pay so much attention. They can be placed on a desk or a simple bookshelf.

However, the substrate is not the only factor that should be considered before buying. For example, one should also prevent direct sunlight. The UV rays can lead to very strong algae growth even in small quantities. Among other things, these can completely cover the aquarium glass, so that you can no longer see anything without cleaning, or grow on plants, stones or roots and thus steal important nutrients from the aquarium plants.

Furthermore, you should consider the space that the top as well as most of the side windows are freely accessible, so that in the future you can work on the aquarium or feed the fish without major obstacles.

To reduce the cost of operation, it is recommended to place the aquarium in a well-tempered room and not something in an unheated basement. This saves on the one hand electricity costs during operation, as well as more security in case there is a power outage. Thus, the tank does not cool down so quickly and the chance that the fish survive the incident without damage increases.

Criteria for the place of the aquarium:

• Stable and straight base
• Avoid direct sunlight
• Make all pages freely accessible as far as possible
• Well tempered room

Now that you have found one or more suitable places for the aquarium, you should think about what size you want to buy the aquarium. To do this, you should think in advance roughly what fish you would like to have or how much time you want to put into the aquarium. Depending on the species, one fish needs more space and another less. It must also be remembered that not every fish can be kept individually.

If you already know the exact number of fish, you can calculate the number of liters in the aquarium using an online calculator. However, these do not have to be correct. For example, it makes a big difference whether you make a species tank, that is, there is only one species of fish in the whole tank, or you plan a community tank. In a species tank, you can also keep larger fish in slightly smaller aquariums. However, these should then be designed exactly for this fish.

Another aspect for the tank size is the available time or the time you want to invest. Smaller aquariums basically do less work. This begins with the water change and ends with cutting plants.

In addition, the budget also plays a big role. Often people think that the aquarium consumes most of the money, but you must remember that you also need a filter, substrate, plants and various other furnishings. Also fish food and the fish themselves come to it. In detail, many of these things are not expensive, but you need depending on the beckengrößte more and then the sum quickly exceeds several hundred euros.

Criteria Basin Size:

• Liter requirement of the fish
• How much time do you have?
• Budget

Before you put the plan into action, you should think about exactly which fish you want to keep. This is important because even if the tank is not a species tank, it must be adapted to the inhabitants. Often people who are new to aquaristics buy fish like neon tetras. For this species, for example, a tank is suitable that is densely planted in places, but also offers space to swim. Furthermore, this fish prefers a dark substrate. However, usually nothing remains only with one kind of fish. Therefore, before you add other fish, you must always find out whether the conditions are suitable for both species.

A very important thing in the selection of the fish are the water values. These can usually be viewed on the website of the water company and thus find out in advance which fish are best suited.

Criteria stocking selection:

• Similar furnishing requirements
• Similar water value claims