Where to Place a Fish Tank

Setting up a fish tank isn’t as easy as just buying a new aquarium and then filling it with water. There are all sorts of other factors that need to be considered, and possibly the biggest of these is where to put your fish tank.

While this might sound like a rather obvious question at first glance (you probably already have an idea of where you’d like to put your fish tank), as it turns out there are all sorts of things that can come into play when it comes to choosing where to put your fish tank.

Here are some of the most important factors of all…

Electricity Supply

First and foremost, it’s important to bear in mind that fish tanks require a ready electricity supply in order to power filters, lights, heaters and so on. All too often someone buys a new fish tank, finds the “perfect” place for it and then realizes that the only power point is on the opposite side of the room. In such situations you’ll either need to run unsightly power cables across the room or have an electrician install an additional socket (at great expense).

When deciding where to put your fish tank then, think about where the mains sockets are in your home, and how best to site your aquarium somewhere close to one of them.

Ease of Cleaning

All but the very smallest fish tanks become virtually impossible to move once they’re full of water. Cleaning therefore becomes something that must be done in situ.

In order to clean your aquarium then you’ll need to be able to gain full access – with sponges, hoses and buckets – in order to remove the dirty water and detritus. Let’s also not forget that you’ll need to be able to easily top the tank up with clean water, and that the process of cleaning an aquarium can result in drips.

As a result, try to locate your fish tank not only where you will easily be able to access it, but also where a few drips on the carpet or on nearby furniture won’t damage your home furnishings too severely.

Lack of Direct Sunlight

Direct sunlight has two negative impacts on aquariums.

Firstly, it can quickly increase the water temperature, causing distress (or even death) to your fish. Secondly, and just as importantly, it can lead to algal blooms.

The easiest way to spot an aquarium that is situated too close to direct sunlight is simply a growing green or brown “carpet” growing across the inside of the glass that has to be constantly scraped off.

When choosing a location for your aquarium, therefore, try to position it in such a way that it is away from windows and so will avoid direct sunlight in the summer months.

Loading-Bearing Ability

Fish tanks filled with water are heavy. While this is obvious, you’d be surprised the rickety units on which some people try to sit their aquarium. When choosing a location for your aquarium, consider how much it will weigh when full, and ensure that the site you have chosen for your tank can take the weight.

Away From Busy Areas

Fish can be surprisingly sensitive pets. People constantly trampling past, loud TV sets, doors slamming and so on can all cause stress. This stress, in turn, can lead to death if you’re unlucky.

When it comes to choosing a location for your aquarium, therefore, another factor to consider is quite how “busy” life will be around your tank. In a perfect world, your fish tank will be placed in a quiet corner of the room, away from the main hustle and bustle and in an area where people won’t be constantly dashing past it.