There are all sorts of aquariums.  The two most common types are glass and acrylic.  They each have their own properties and benefits.  Choose whichever you like that suits your needs and wants.  Small acrylic tanks are expensive for their size, large ones return more space than glass for the same, or less, cost.  Small glass tanks are inexpensive, large ones drain your budget.

    I'm sure you have heard this more than once, but I will repeat it yet again.  Get the largest tank you can afford!   However, make sure you have enough money left over for your seed, and/or quarantine tank(s).  If you get a tank over 55 gallons I would strongly recommend that you get one that has at least one built in overflow.   Using a sump on a larger tank will make your setup much easier to deal with.  Hang over the side overflows have issues with regard to loosing siphon, potential floods, and other nasty surprises.  Having an in tank overflow alleviates virtually all of the trouble associated with hang on overflows.

    So which manufacturer has the best tanks?  I don't know, define "best".  For smaller tanks, I use whatever is cheapest.  For large tanks I use Oceanic.  I use them mainly because you can get stock stands that are 32" tall.  This leaves plenty of room under the cabinet to maintain your sump area without bumping your head all the time.

    There is plenty of information about tanks available on the net, so I will not add a bunch of specifications to this section.   Yet there are a couple of other things I wish you to know though.  The first is make certain that your tank will be level when full!  If you do not test this during setup do not blame me when your floor sags leaving your tank out of level.  This may cause a leak over time as the added stress has to be dispersed somewhere.

    If you need to, add a support post(s) under the floor holding the tank.  Fill the tank watching level the whole time, if it sags half way Stop!  Get the support post in place then try again. Proceed to adjust the level over a couple of days, maybe up to a week until it reaches equilibrium.  Rushing this is really not a good thing.

    Depending on your situation and degree of sag you may want to remove the water from the tank then jack up the floor to level, replace the water, let it sit, then readjust the jack.  Take your time doing this, it isn't rocket science, but not taking your time can be disastrous.

    Even on floors that are both level and rather strong I would still recommend that you add a support post under the floor directly underneath it, set to the front 1/3 of the tank.  Presuming that you are placing it close and parrallel to a inside or outside all.  This will minimize the risk of it tipping in the case of disturbance away from the tank.  In the least you can call it a $20 insurance policy.

    Another thing that is critical is to make sure you are near a power outlet that is supplied with a GFI circuit breaker.  Not doing this is just like asking for trouble.

    One other thing.  On the General page under lighting I discuss the use of natural sunlight.  Please note that I do not intend for you to subject your main show tank to this treatment.  So try to place your main tank out of direct sunlight unless your real adventurous like myself.