People love the companionship of pets. Pets tend to have a symbiotic relationship with people and although they tend to be self-sufficient (cats, hamsters, etc...) so long as you provide an environment they can thrive in and provide the essentials of life they can't get on their own. Some pets take more work than others to take care of but one of the nice things about fish and aquariums are that other than having to clean the tank once a month, feeding them daily, and allowing a filtering system to clean the water automatically, they are essentially worry free.
One thing that makes fish a lot of fun is that you can build and maintain, even change their environment whenever you want to change its appeal (to both you and the fish). Human nature states that we're creative beings with the ability to manifest what we want through cause and effect. A fish, however, simply lives in the environment, a non sentient being that requires us to take care of it. This symbiotic relationship mean that we need each other and can provide one another some relaxation and intrigue. A fish can be an intriguing pet, but as a care taker we not only are required to make sure the fish can survive in his new aquarium, but we can also build it for our own pleasure, eye candy and meditative calm.
Although the aquarium is designed to assure the fish survives and is happy, it's built as much for our enjoyment as it is for the fish. This means that building an aquarium can be a great therapeutic tool, a way to teach children responsibility, and to bring a new dimension to a room, bringing life and beauty together. There's just something cool about a fish tank that makes people want to look and observe the simple life of a fish. There are many types of fish to choose from, some are friendly towards other fish, some with only specific non predatory fish, and others must be alone.
When choosing what type of fish you want, you need to consider how much your willing to put into taking care of the fish. There are many species of fish that require nothing more than a cleaning system (filter for the water) and a thorough cleaning monthly (rocks, internal components of the scenery in the tank), maybe even bi-weekly depending on the fish and the amount of fish in the tank. There are also fish that require a specific environment such as water with salt in it (saltwater fish), a specific balance of chemicals in the water, a consistent temperature (cold or warm), and others that require special care that goes far beyond just set it and forget it until the cleaning.
It's best to do your homework on the fish you want BEFORE you start figuring out what kind of tank you want. If you get the wrong tank, it is more difficult to get the water balanced correctly and you could kill the fishes. Fish are fascinating, and you may want to start out with the easy type to take care of and a small tank. You can evolve into the different types of fish, but be sure to get different tanks for different fish that require specific environmental controls as stated above. There is much to learn about fish. They are not just benign creatures, they are full of life and experience emotions just like we do. Learning about fish is a wonderful experience, and the fish depends on you for it's happiness.
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Before you go, I have the detailed specifications on the Red Sea Max 130D aquarium. It's a great one for getting started with reef aquariums.