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Having an aquarium is a fun hobby for many, and it brings so much color and life into the room that it is placed in. Before you go out and buy one, you need to decide whether this is a casual or serious hobby, and how much time you are willing to put into maintaining the water balance of the tank.

There are two main types of aquariums, the saltwater and the freshwater aquarium. Saltwater fish of course survive in a saltwater environment, while freshwater fish need fresh purified water. Obviously, if you put freshwater fish in a saltwater tank it will not survive, as saltwater fish need the saltwater environment and would "suffocate" in freshwater.

The freshwater aquarium is easier to maintain than the saltwater aquarium, and setting it up is quite simple, with all that is needed are a filter, heater, thermometer and lights. You need to leave the tank cycling for about four weeks to cultivate the bacteria cycle, and also to keep the ammonia level down. The fresh water must not contain any chlorine or ammonia, because ammonia is deadly to the fish as it makes breathing very difficult.

Once your tank is set up you can start out with smaller species of fish, until you become more experienced, after which you can move onto bigger species of fish.

The saltwater aquarium is more complex to maintain and requires a lot more maintenance and hard work. With the saltwater tank the salt in the water needs to be regulated along with its PH level and temperature. You should also place living rocks into the saltwater aquarium for about two months to get the bacteria cycle going, as rocks have the good bacteria present on their surface. Once the bacteria level has built up, then set up the filter. Thereafter the tank is ready for saltwater fish.

For more color and variation in your saltwater tank, you can add corals or anemones. These are living plants that have to be hand fed by placing the food above them and they then curl their tentacles around the food and bring the food into their mouth.

Do not put in the saltwater tank fish that eat the anemones, or bigger fish that may eat the smaller fish. Some saltwater fish are also poisonous, so beware. Saltwater aquariums are only for the serious as it takes a lot of work to get the water conditions just right, namely the saltwater, temperature and the PH must be at a safe level.

Regardless of which type of aquarium you choose, they are bound to brighten up your room and make it much more vibrant.