Selecting a Stand and Canopy

Fish shouldn't live on the floor in open-topped aquariums. This will become very obvious to you if you happen to own a cat, or just find a carpet-bound guppy slowly dying like an escaped convict in a French noir film. From a functional perspective, an aquarium stand helps make fish a decorative part of your home, and an aquarium canopy or hood serves the dual purpose of housing a lighting system and keeping your fish inside.

Fish Furniture Aquarium stands are typically available in wood or metal (often wrought iron). Which type of aquarium stand you purchase should be dictated by your aquarium material and home decor. Metal aquarium stands are inexpensive and suitable for small glass aquariums. A wrought iron stand looks simple and elegant, but keep in mind that an open center makes it unsuitable for acrylic aquariums, which unlike glass aquariums need support across their entire bottom rather than just their corners.

The advantage of wood aquarium stands is that they are more furniture-like and usually feature drawers and cabinets for storing aquarium accessories. Full aquariums also get quite heavy, and a wood aquarium stand will provide greater stability. Avoid cheap woods that will be weakened by moisture.

Canopies, Please
If you purchase a wood aquarium stand, there's a good chance that a matching aquarium canopy can be sold with it. Wood aquarium canopies are costlier than the glass or plastic alternatives, but a matching wood aquarium stand and canopy will look great. A disadvantage of wood canopies is that they're basically frames, and would require a glass canopy insert to cut down evaporation.

Plastic aquarium hoods are the least expensive and not a bad option for a beginner. Plastic canopies come with built-in lights, so if you decided to bring in special needs aquatic life (such as saltwater invertebrates that need augmented spectrum lighting), you'll have to buy a new aquarium canopy.

Finally, glass aquarium hoods (used separately or in tandem with a wood aquarium hood) are the best choice for saltwater aquariums. Reducing evaporation is especially important when keeping saltwater fish because aquarium salinity levels need to be stable. Glass canopies are 'the tops' for minimizing evaporation, pun intended.