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Aquarium Site Archive
Aquarium Definitions and Factoids
Aquarium Facts and Definitions
Aquarium size and volume
An aquarium can range from a small glass bowl containing less than a litre (34 fl.oz.) of water to immense public aquaria which can house entire ecosystems such as kelp forests. Larger aquaria are typically recommended to hobbyists due to their resistance to rapid fluctuations of temperature and pH, allowing for greater system stability.
Aquaria kept in homes by hobbyists can be as small as 11 litres (3 gal); this size is widely considered the smallest practical system with filtration and other basic systems. On the other hand, reef aquaria under 100 litres (20 gal) earn a special place in the aquarium hobby; these aquaria, termed nano reefs, are known to be more difficult due to their small water volume. Practical limitations, most notably the weight (One litre of fresh water weighs 1 kilogram (8.3 lb gal-1), and salt water is even denser) and internal water pressure (requiring thick, strong glass siding) of a large aquarium, keep most home aquaria to a maximum of around 1 cubic metre in volume (1000 kg or 2200 lb). Indeed, larger aquariums can even threaten the floor beneath the aquarium. Some dedicated aquarists, however, have been known to construct custom aquaria of up to many thousands of litres, at great effort and expense.
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