Best Practices: Setting up an Aquarium.

1. Width:
    Try to keep the width between 12-14 inches. This forces the fishes to swim near the glass. That way you have a closer view of them. If you have a large width, they can remain at the back side of the aquarium and you cannot have a closer look at them unless they come forward.

2. Height:
     If you are planning a low-tech planted aquarium then see to it that the water column is max 12-14 inches. This will reduce your needs for having powerful lights. You will be having 2-3 inches of gravel at the bottom and would leave around 2-3 inches of air column at the top. So the final height comes to 18-20 inches.

3. If you are going to use a tube-light with shades, You cannot place them very close to the water surface because it may not cover the whole bottom. So plan that according to you tank size.

4. If you have larger aquariums (4+ feet) then do buy an automatic feeder. It will help you a lot in the long run. DIY Automatic Feeder are economical and practical for small aquariums only.  

5. Buy a filter which creates a steady stream of water movement.

5. When you are placing the gravel/sand at the bottom, make it sloping from back to the front. So that all the solid waste comes to the front and it makes easier to clean/vacuum.