Getting a new fish tank is exciting for aquarium enthusiasts! Whether it be large or small, you are bound to want to show off your aquarium to visitors, and enjoy the view yourself.
A fish tank should be placed in a common room where it can be easily viewed. The fish tank should be near an electrical socket and close to a water source. It should also be out of direct sunlight to prevent algae growth. Avoid rooms with a heat source or cold draft to prevent fluctuating temperatures.
Before completely setting up your aquarium, you will want to check for a few things to ensure you pick the perfect spot to enjoy your tank. Read on to learn what to look for to have a perfect space for a fish tank!
Size of Tank
Before purchasing any fish tank, you will want to first pick out where you want this tank, or where a tank can comfortably fit. After picking a location for your tank, you can then determine the size of the tank that you would like to purchase.
However, after deciding on the size and location you are going to want to make sure you have enough room to move around the tank itself.
Even though you feed your fish from the top of the tank, you need to ensure you have room around the tank to perform maintenance.
This maintenance includes not only equipment fixes or upkeep, but also your regular water changes as well.
You need room to complete water changes for your equipment and buckets required, as well as being able to reach and unplug air pumps and filters for maintenance during these water changes.
Be Mindful of Electrical Sockets
You will want to ensure that your tank’s location is near an electrical socket. This is highly important as you will need electricity to use your tank.
Equipment such as filter systems, lights, heat, and even bubblers require electricity to operate. Without any of the equipment, your tank ecosystem will not work.
Now typically water and electricity are a dangerous combination, however, in this case, it is necessary. Therefore you will need to ensure the safety of this combination to prevent any electrical issues.
If you have a standard outlet, you will need to have it replaced with a GFCI outlet. This is the kind of receptacle that is required anywhere near a water source.
This is because they can detect a fault of a surge. If water comes in contact with this socket it will then cut off the power to prevent injuries and fires.
Proximity of a Water Source
Setting up your tank near a water source is not a necessity, but it makes any maintenance on the tank easier.
You will need nearby access to a water source for water changes as you will be dumping out old water and adding new.
Hauling buckets of water to and from a location on the other side of the house is inconvenient and will most likely lead to a mess, which is more work.
A nearby water source also comes in handy when removing equipment or having decorations that need to be cleaned.
Avoid Rooms with a Heating Source or Draft
An important thing to keep in mind when owning a fish tank is to maintain the temperature that your fish require.
When the temperature fluctuates it can cause stress among your fish. In turn, this can lead to diseases and death in your tank.
The temperature of your tank water can change very easily and outside factors can make this even worse. This is because outside factors can cause rapid and dramatic temperature changes inside your tank.
It is always best to avoid rooms that always get too hot or even have a cold draft. This is why the location of your tank is very important.
There are different things you can look for and avoid that are cold and heat sources.
To avoid your tank from getting too hot look for heating sources such as close heating vents, fireplaces, and space heaters.
All of these heat sources can dramatically raise the temperature inside your tank.
On the contrary, sources that could cause a rapid drop in the temperature of your tank are things like air conditioners and vents, or even nearby fans.
Heat pumps can also warm or cool a room and are often forgotten about if they are always running. Never have your fish tank on the same wall as an air pump.
Another factor that can cause a drop in temperature, or even a rise, can be a draft from your windows.
Placing a tank near a window can result in fluctuating temperatures due to outside weather and temps, and changes in season.
Avoid Direct Sunlight
As previously mentioned, windows can cause some temperature fluctuations inside your tank.
Even if there is not a cold or warm draft, the rays of the sun will still naturally increase the temperature of the tank.
When there is direct sunlight hitting your tank, you will most likely find an increase in algae growth.
Sunlight promotes this algae growth and can cause fluctuations in your other water parameters as well.
Even though some fish are algae eaters and can help with algae, too much can cause multiple issues in our tank.
Even if there is only a small amount of direct sunlight each day for one window, it can still cause a problem.
Keep in mind that too many algae will keep the tank completely green. Therefore, you will not be able to see the beautiful colors of your fish or see if there are any issues with them.
It is best to avoid this situation altogether.
Minimize Loud Noises
When choosing a location for your tank, you must choose a calmer, quieter place. This is because when owning fish you will want to avoid adding stressors in their lives, as stress can lead to disease and death.
Loud sounds can easily stress your fish out and cause them to hide and scatter every time a loud sound happens.
For example, if you place your tank near a speaker system or television, the vibrations from them can travel, rippling through your tank and causing stress.
Also if you put a fish tank where young children play and the child bangs or taps on the glass, the small tapping can sound much louder from inside the tank.
Any loud noise or even high traffic causes vibrations that go through the waters in your tank. These can all send your fish into shock and lead to an early death.
Appearance and Visibility
An important factor in choosing where a fish tank should go is by figuring out how well you are going to be able to see it.
A lot of work goes into keeping up with a fish tank, as well as all of the thought put into the decorations, species of fish you would like to see, and more.
Therefore, you will want the tank to be in a highly visible place.
If you are in that household where everyone goes to meet up, you will more than likely see your guests admiring your aquarium as well. On top of this, you will also want to enjoy the view.