Best Freshwater & Saltwater Fish Tanks For Your Home

In this review of the best fish tanks to keep freshwater or saltwater fish in we will help you in finding the aquarium that is best for you, along with providing answers to some of the most frequently asked questions relating to fish tanks. This is because there are so many different fish tank for sale on the market that it is sometimes difficult to choose one from all of the options.

In the list of Our Top Picks we have narrowed these down to our favourite six aquariums. Each is different and can maintain both freshwater and saltwater fish. As we look at each product, we will cover their functions and features, detailing the pros and cons of each, before finally attributing it a star score out of a total of 5. Once we have done this, we will then make a recommendation as to which one we think you should purchase based on all of the above. So let us proceed with the product reviews…

In addition, the kit includes LED lights that are highly efficient and changes color, and a small heater to warm the water up should you decide to keep tropical fish. As the name suggests, the Tetra 20 Gallon Complete Aquarium Kit w/ filter heater LED hood & plants, the kit comes with a number of fake plants so that there is no need to go out and purchase something to decorate your aquarium with. All you need to do is add the gravel.

The filter on the Tetra 20 Gallon Complete Aquarium Kit w/ filter heater LED & plants is completely adjustable so that you can manage the flow in and out of the fish tank. However, in general, the filter is not the best quality and produces quite a bit of noise as a result of this. Thanks to the size of the fish tank, you can keep a large amount of different varieties and given the price point, it represents good value for money.

Because of all of the different filters and pumps that comes with the SCA 50 Gallon Starfire Glass Aquariums Complete Package and because the cabinet does not come already assembled, it takes lots of assembly to get this aquarium up and running into a useable state.

However, the light can be too bright for some certain types of fish.

Also, the Marina LED Aquarium Kit includes a conditioning liquid, a pot of fish food, care instructions, a net, and a thermometer. The latter is particularly helpful should you decide to keep tropical fish. However, because a heater is not included in the kit, this would need to be purchased additionally. Thanks to everything that is included in the kit, it is really easy to set up and maintain a healthy environment for your fish to live in.

Therefore, if you are wanting to keep a large number of fish, then this is not the fish tank for you. However, if you have limited space, in which to keep a tank, then the Fluval Spec V Aquarium Kit is a great option. Because of its design, it would look great sat on a desk within the home or in an office. The fish tank has been constructed out of a really string etched glass and has a metallic trim to give it a completely modern design.

The Fluval Spec V Aquarium Kit includes a full stage filtration system, which is more than adequate given the tank size, works to keep your fish feeling good at all times. This is because the water being circulated in the tank goes through a biological filter media via bio rings, a chemical filter media via activated carbon, and finally a mechanical filter via a block of foam. This works to create water that is of the highest quality and so keeps your fish in good health. However, if the filtration system ever needs replacing, this is a difficult thing to do.

The aquarium also features an LED lighting fixture and a lid, made from glass and on a hinge, that allows for easy cleaning and feeding. 

The LED lighting features both white and blue lights that are highly efficient when it comes to energy usage. Thanks to the white lights, the tank is well illuminated during the day, whilst the blue lights provide a more subtle illumination at night. Should you want to keep tropical fish in the MarineLand Contour Glass Aquarium Kit, then a heater would need to be purchased additionally, as one does not come with this kit.

A fluorescent light and a reflector are both included as part of the SeaClear Acrylic Aquarium Combo Set, which allow you to really show of your fish. If you are wanting to keep large numbers of fish or tropical fish, then you will have to purchase a filtration system and heater additionally, as these are not included in the set. However, with large numbers of fish comes lots of dirt and waste. Luckily, however this aquarium is really easy to clean.

Now that we have taken an in depth look at each of the best fish tanks that made it in to the list of Our Top Picks, it is time to answer some of the most frequently asked questions relating to tanks and keeping fish. This should prove extremely helpful to any individual who at this stage is still unsure as to which of the above tanks is the right one for them. So let us begin to answer these questions…

The main thing to consider when picking your first ever tank is the size. They can range in size from anything as small as one gallon through to as big as hundreds of gallons. If you are new to the world of keeping fish, then it would be easy to assume that a smaller tank with a small capacity would be easier to manage than a larger one. However, this much is not true. It is advisable for beginners to go for a tank that has a capacity of 5 gallons as a minimum, with 20 gallons being the ideal tank size.

Some of the fish tank sale on the market which are aimed for beginners include the Aqueon Deluxe LED Bow Front Aquarium Kit, the Fluval Edge 23 Litre Desktop Aquarium (Black), the Aqueon Ascent LED Frameless Aquarium Kit, the Marineland ML90609 Portrait Aquarium Kit, the Tetra Half Moon Aquarium Kit and the Marina 360 Aquarium Starter Kit.

Many people’s first thought when getting into keeping fish is what fish to get, instead of the more important consideration of what tank size they should go for. Once you have purchased your tank, you can then start thinking about what type of fish you want, and can afford, to keep. As stated in the answer to the previous question, for beginners, it is advisable to go with a larger tank rather than a smaller one.

This is because in smaller and more confined spaces, fish soon become stressed out and thus turn aggressive. When they have an abundance of space, this does not happen. Also, as any experienced fish keeper will tell you, big tanks are much easier to manage, as keeping the temperature and chemistry of the water stable in them is easier to do. This is because it takes much longer for ammonia levels to peak, thus giving you more time to counteract this and keep your fish happy and healthy. 

IBoth of these materials are used in the construction of tanks and are similar in terms of how clear they are and in their ability to hold vast amounts of water. However, if you look closer, you will see that there are differences between the two materials. One of these is that acrylic is easier to scratch, so greater care must be taken when cleaning an acrylic aquarium. Secondly, on the whole, glass aquariums are much cheaper than acrylic ones. These are the two main factors that make glass aquariums better suited to beginners than acrylic ones.

Other difference between the two aquarium materials include the fact that glass is much heavier than acrylic, thus making those tanks much more difficult to move and transport. Another is acrylic can be molded into various different shapes, whereas glass tanks tend to only be square or rectangular shaped. If you are wanting a contemporary design with rounded edges, then you will need an acrylic aquarium.

Because you are unable to fit a heater or a light into a bowl, it is advisable to only keep cold water fish in a bowl, as opposed to tropical or marine fish, that require warm water to survive in. Also, because bowls are small, they soon become dirty and so these types of conditions are best suited to those that are robust, such as white cloud minnows, as they are able to quickly and easily adapt to changes in water quality levels.

Other types of cold water fish that can survive the conditions in a bowl include zebra danios, salt and pepper corydoras, blind cave tetras, goldfish, endlers livebearers, paradise fish, and guppies.

So there you have it. We are now at the end of the review having looked at each of the best fish tanks in the list of Our Top Picks and then answering those frequently asked questions. The only thing leftfor use to do therefore, is to make our recommendation as to which fish tank we think is the best of all and the one that you should purchase. It is important to state that this was a difficult decision, as they are all so different, but yet any one would make a more than adequate tank to keep either freshwater or saltwater fish in.

However, in the end we decided that the Tetra 20 Gallon Complete Aquarium Kit w/ filter heater LED & plants is the best of all. This is because it is really easy to set up and once this is done it is also easy to maintain and keep your fish happy and healthy. Also, it includes lots of different accessories that others in the list of Our Top Picks did not include as standard, thus saving the need to buy these at an extra cost. Because of this, the aquarium represents good value for money. The only slight downfall with it, is that the water filter used in the aquarium is not of the best quality and so makes a loud noise when switched on.