From traditional glass jars and the outdoor ponds of antiquity, modern aquaria have since evolved into a wide range of specialised systems, ranging from a small glass bowl large enough for a single small fish, to the huge public aquaria that can simulate entire marine ecosystems.
Any aquarium is a wide collection of elements, consisting of fish, plants, rocks, soil, water, which are all compatible with each other.
Some aquarists concentrate on a single group of fish (for example, livebearers, Cichlids, or marine fish), whilst others aim to reconstruct the biotope of a specific geographical region (for example, the Amazon, Asia or Africa).
Classification by Temperature One of the easiest ways to classify aquaria is by temperature range; many aquarists maintain a tropical aquarium as these fish tend to be more colourful, although temperate aquariums (5-25 0C), which may include fish such as goldfish, are also popular.
Classification by Salinity Another classification is by salinity: freshwater aquaria are the most popular kind of aquarium due to their ease of maintenance and lower cost.
Marine aquaria generally require more complex equipment to set up and maintain than freshwater aquaria.
Brackish water aquaria (which houses fish from habitats with varying salinity, such as mangroves and estuaries) combine elements of both marine and freshwater fishkeeping.
Certain subtypes of aquaria also exist within these types, such as the reef aquarium, a type of marine aquarium that also houses coral.
More information on temperate aquariums, tropical aquariums and reef aquariums is available at InterAquariums.
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