When I talk about type of aquarium, I am meaning the type of fish you would get e.g. saltwater or freshwater. There is not just two choices though. You need to decide whether you want coldwater or tropical and then from which part of the world.

There are some great ways to help you decide and here are a few tips to get you started.

Select the top ten species of fish you would like to keep without taking into account whether they are suited to live together. Then sort them out into there groups and research which group that fish would go in.

After you have you groups you may then see that 4 out of the ten are in the tropical saltwater group and are all peaceful fish that can be kept together. The other 6 may be split into ones or twos. This would then mean that the group of four could suit you best.

Another way to help select is look at the level of how difficult each group of fish are. If you are decided on spending a couple of hours per week on your new hobby then you can try something a little harder but if you don't have much spare time you may be better trying to keep an easier type of aquarium.

You could look at the size of tank you can afford and fit in your home. This will help because unless you can accommodate a large aquarium some types of fish will be suitable because they grow large. If you can only accommodate a small aquarium it may suit you more to go for small tropical freshwater fish like neon's and other tetras.

Please think about the advice I've told you. You could also research some aquarium bio-types you like by looking at books and asking aquatic staff on your next visit.