A Tropical Aquarium basically refers to a biotope or community of small ecosystem that resembles the natural environment and physical condition found in tropical regions located near the earth equator such as the amazon river in South America, some parts of Africa and Asia. The aquarium setup is created as such comprising all the native plants and fish species similar just like in the natural habitat itself. There are different types of tropical aquarium fish popular among fish hobbyist like guppy, platy, swordtail, discus, angelfish, silver dollar, neon fish while aquarium plants are usually centered around java fern, java moss, ludwigia and anubias.
If you intend to create your very own home aquarium setup that based on this biotope, first you must understand some of the major requirements that define a tropical aquarium. One of the characteristics, is that the water temperature usually falls within the 24 to 30 deg Celsius range. Another important consideration is that tropical regions receive natural sunlight all year round and thus be prepared to spend a proper lighting for your aquarium as well on top of the tank heater to maintain the desired water temperature. The tropical aquarium setup can be either freshwater or saltwater depending on which types of fish and live plants that you prefer as long as the two requirements on lighting and temperature are met.
Usually the best aquarium tank size should be at least 50 gallons minimum so that it can accommodate different types of plants including the fish while at the same time maintain good water quality. The base of the aquarium should be made up of fine sands with mix of medium sized gravel as a substrate and it is also desirable to put in some driftwood to accommodate the growth of live plants so that the roots have place to anchor on. This setup works very well for certain tropical fish species especially neon tetra which prefer well-planted tank for a natural hiding place.Maintenance for a tropical aquarium should be fairly straightforward. Basically water quality should be soft water and one thing you should watch out for is algae bloom because the tank receives ample amount of lighting. Since you have live plants in it, the dense vegetation will ensure that the water is rich in oxygen and this also helps to purify and remove waste. Sometimes having a pleco is also beneficial in the sense that you don’t have to spend your time, scrapping off the algae growth as they will help to clean the tank. Finally having a good and powerful aquarium filter will also cut down the amount of time needed for tank maintenance.
Further read up on tropical tank setup by studying fish compatibility.
Interested in marine tropical aquarium? Find out about having saltwater angelfish as a pet.
