Freshwater Aquarium: This is a great choice for beginner or busy hobbyists as they require minimal maintenance. With freshwater aquarium, anything goes -- it can be as simple as a fish bowl or as ornate as live planted tanks. Goldfish aquarium and cichlid aquarium are the two most popular types of freshwater aquarium.

Saltwater Aquarium: Also known as reef marine aquarium, saltwater aquarium is the ideal home for multi-colored fish species from ocean reefs. This is the ideal setup for hobbyists who love to have the wider diversity of marine life and for those who want to integrate live corals into their aquarium. Saltwater aquariums, however, are costlier and more difficult to set up. For saltwater aquarium, about 20% of water has to be changed each month.

Brackish Aquarium: Brackish fish tanks are a rare kind of aquarium. They are one-part freshwater and one-part saline water, an environment quite similar to marsh and swamps as well as estuaries where the river and ocean meet. A brackish aquarium is more requiring than a freshwater aquarium but a little less difficult to keep up than a saltwater aquarium. There's a limited array of brackish fish available, but they are hardy and readily adaptable to any water condition.

Planted Aquarium: This type of setup puts more emphasis on plants than on fish. The hobbyist should then select fish that will do no damage to the plants. Keeping the number of fish limited is also essential. Plants are arranged in such as way to create beautiful underwater scenery. Some of the most popular plants for this type of aquarium are white clouds and small tetras.