Shape
The shape of the aquarium determines primarily its appearance and suitability for installation in one place or another. Accordingly, when choosing according to this indicator, it is quite possible to focus on your own aesthetic preferences, the design of the room in which the aquarium will be located, as well as the features of the installation site. At the same time, for some types of aquarium "animals" there are specific recommendations on the optimal shape: for example, spherical containers are poorly suited for bottom and bottom dwellers due to the small bottom area. Therefore, before choosing the form, it's ok to also decide on the “population” and clarify the conditions that are optimal for the selected species of animals and plants.
— Parallelepiped. The classic shape, also colloquially called
"rectangular" : all the edges of such an aquarium are flat and really are rectangles. Such tanks are easy to manufacture and inexpensive, while being quite versatile, suitable for almost all types of flora and fauna, and many professional aquarists prefer rectangles.
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Cube. In fact, these aquariums are a kind of parallelepipeds described above, with the difference that the height, width and depth of the tank are the same in this case. Cubes are a rather specific variety, they are rare and usually have a small volume (up to jig for one fish).
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Sphere.... Round aquariums, usually all-glass (see "Construction"). For installation, both a special stand and a small plane at the base of the “can”, which also plays the role of the bottom, can be used. The size of this plane is small, which, on the one hand, allows you to put the aquarium on small areas (much smaller than the diameter), on the other hand, it makes it difficult to keep fish that need a large area at the bottom. In addition, the volume of round models usually does not exceed a couple of tens of liters, which makes it difficult to maintain the necessary microclimate; and curved glass creates distortion when viewed.
— Oval. Oval aquariums are similar in shape to parallelepipeds (see above), except that the front wall is made convex. This improves visibility and visually increases the size of the aquarium, and in terms of overall design, such models are sometimes more preferable than "rectangles" (although they are somewhat more expensive).
— Hexagonal. Another modification of parallelepiped aquariums (see above): usually a hexagonal tank looks like two front corners were cut off from a rectangular aquarium, adding two additional edges. Like the oval ones described above, such “banks” provide a better overview and have an original appearance; however, this appearance is much rougher and does not fit into every interior, so hexagonal aquariums are less common.
— Half circle. Aquarium in the form of a half cylinder — the back wall has a flat shape, and the other wall is made in the form of a solid semicircular surface. This not only gives the container an original appearance, but also provides an equally convenient view from almost any direction within 180 °. On the other hand, semi-circular aquariums are not cheap, and the real need for such a shape is relatively rare.
— Pentagonal. Pentagonal aquariums are usually intended for installation in a corner: the two back walls converge at a right angle and, when installed, are closely adjacent to the walls of the room, and three more edges are located between them. This provides a better view than corner tanks (see below) with a flat front; and the advantage over corner models with a curved front wall is a slightly lower cost.
— Corner. This category includes all aquariums designed for installation in a corner and not related to pentagons (see above). A common feature of all corner models are two flat rear walls installed at an angle of 90 ° to each other; the front part can be flat, concave, multifaceted, etc.Volume
The nominal volume of the aquarium is one of the key indicators when choosing it.
The larger the "bank" — the more fish and other living creatures can be settled in it, the better it is suitable for large inhabitants. At the same time, professional aquarists proceed from the fact that “there is never a lot of volume” — after all, even the largest of home aquariums are much smaller than natural reservoirs. Therefore, when choosing by volume, usually, we are talking about the minimum required capacity. It can be found out by determining the planned composition and number of the "population" and specifying the conditions for their maintenance — data on this can be found in special sources.
In addition, the value of the volume lies in the fact that the larger the aquarium, the easier it is to maintain a constant microclimate in it, the less it is subject to temperature fluctuations due to changes in environmental conditions. Therefore, beginner aquarists are not recommended to purchase small containers — they require special care in maintaining the temperature.
Also note that the volume can be specified in different ways. So, some manufacturers consider the capacity in terms of dimensions and give the full volume, others — the working volume (that is, the maximum amount of water that makes sense to pour in fact), others — the required amount of water, taking into account the soil and decorations supplied in the kit, etc. P. However, more often than n...ot, the differences between models with the same claimed volume are very small.
Glass thickness
The thickness of the glass used in the aquarium. Strength and reliability directly depend on this indicator, therefore, in general, the thicker the glass, the better. On the other hand, manufacturers typically select thicknesses that are guaranteed to withstand the stresses of normal use. Therefore, you should pay attention to this parameter only if the glass seems too thin — for verification, it is best to compare the aquarium with models similar in volume and glass composition.
