General Aquarium Information

Information in this section applies to all types of aquaria: marine, freshwater and turtle

Beginners guide

Everything you need to know to get started. This FAQ focuses primarily on freshwater aquaria since this is where most new fishkeepers start, however, many of the principles of aquarium care and maintenance covered here are also applicable to salt water. Even if you intend to go straight into keeping marines, we recommend starting here to gaim an appreciation of basic aquarium keeping, then read our Marine FAQs. Experienced aquarium keepers may still benefit from the information contained in the care and maintenance section.

Our Beginners Guide includes:

Filtration FAQ

This section of our information pages is design to provide both beginner and more advanced hobbyists with a greater understanding of filtration in general, and of the different filtration systems that are commonly available for aquariums.

Our Filtration FAQ includes:

Fish Diseases

Even with the best of care, it is not always possible to prevent disease, but most fish diseases are treatable! Even if your fish are currently healthy, we recommend you read through and learn about common fish diseases so that you are better prepared should you ever have a problem. This guide does not cover every potential fish disease, but we have included all the problems that are commonly encountered, plus tips of keeping your fish healthy. Please note, turtle diseases are not covered here, but you can find information on turtle problems in our freshwater turtle FAQ.

Our Diseases FAQ includes:

    Disease prevention: Maintain fish health and minimise the risk of disease
    Disease diagnosis and treatment: A guide to diagnosing common prolems and how to treat them.

Aquarium volume calculators

Knowing the volume of your aquarium is important for a myriad of reasons! While calculating the volume of a rectangular tank is relatively straightforward, the calculation of surface area and volume for other aquarium shapes is more complex. This section provides the forumlae for determining volume for a range of tank shapes plus javascript calculators for those who do not wish to do the maths themselves.

Volume and Surface area Calculators


For further information on specific aquaria types, browse our FAQS below:

Freshwater Aquarium

Freshwater fish

Planted Aquaria

Marine Aquarium

Introduction to Saltwater Aquaria

Reef Aquariums

Marine fish

Corals and Invertebrates

Australian Turtles

Care and Maintenance

Diseases and other problems