Is Fishkeeping Really An Accessible Hobby?

[00:00:00] Welcome to this episode of The Aquarists Edge, a podcast for home aquarists just like you. Learn more about how to keep a thriving aquarium and discover ideas and tips to give your aquarium the edge. And now, over to our host, Arthur Preston. Hi everybody, welcome back to The Aquarists Edge. Today I'm going to ask a question that might seem simple at first.

[00:00:26] Is fishkeeping genuinely an accessible hobby? We often hear that fish are ideal pets for people who have limited space, limited time, or a smaller budget. And really there is some truth in that. You don't need a garden, you don't need to take a fish for a walk, an aquarium can fit into a relatively small home. And compared with other animal hobbies, you can stop fishkeeping without spending an enormous amount of money. But there is another side to this.

[00:00:52] Fishkeeping may be easy to start, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's easy to do well. And so today I want to look at what accessibility really means. We're going to investigate cost, space, time, physical effort, knowledge, and perhaps most importantly, how to keep the hobby simple without compromising the welfare of the fish. And as you listen to this, I'd love you to think about your own experience. What has made fishkeeping easier for you? And what has made it more difficult than you expected?

[00:01:21] Let me know in the comments. When we say that a hobby is accessible, we usually mean that most people can take part without facing major barriers. But those barriers are different for everyone. For one person, money may be the main issue. For another, it might be space. Someone else may have limited mobility and find carrying buckets of water difficult. Another person might work long hours and need an aquarium that can cope with a simple maintenance routine. And beginners often face a different kind of barrier entirely. That is information overload.

[00:01:51] You start by wanting a few nice fish for your aquarium. Then suddenly people are talking about ammonia and nitrite and nitrate, pH, hardness, beneficial bacteria, filtration, lighting, plant nutrients, and 20 different opinions about how you should change water. It really can feel as though you need to become a marine or a freshwater biologist before you're allowed to order guppy. But thankfully, you don't. But you do need to understand a few basic principles, and that brings us to an important distinction.

[00:02:21] There's a big difference between making fishkeeping accessible and making it cheap at any cost. We can simplify equipment. We can simplify maintenance. We can choose easier fish. But we cannot simplify away the basic needs of the animals. Fish are still going to need appropriate space and suitable water and filtration where appropriate. They're still going to need the correct temperature, the right food, and the social environment. And so the goal isn't how little can I get away with.

[00:02:47] The better question is rather, what is the simplest way I can meet the fish's needs properly? And that to me is where accessible fishkeeping begins. Let's start with money. One of the biggest misconceptions in fishkeeping is that the fish themselves represent the main cost. And quite often they don't. You can buy relatively inexpensive fish, but that fish needs an entire environment built around it.

[00:03:11] You might need the aquarium, a suitable stand, filtration, possibly a heater, lighting, water conditioner, food, test equipment, and basic maintenance tools. And then there are the ongoing costs of electricity, food, replacement equipment, water treatment, and, of course, the occasional visit to the aquarium shop where you intend to buy one packet of food and somehow come home with three plants, a piece of wood, and an extra fish. It happens. But fishkeeping doesn't have to become an expensive hobby.

[00:03:39] One of the most useful rules for beginners is to spend money on stability before appearance. A reliable filter is more important than an expensive ornament. An appropriately sized aquarium is more important than decorative accessories. A dependable heater, if your fish require one, is more valuable than the latest gadget. Your fish really don't care whether your aquarium looks like a competition aquascape. They care about whether the conditions are suitable for them. And there are plenty of ways to keep costs under control.

[00:04:06] Secondhand aquariums and equipment can be good value if they are inspected carefully. Simple sponge filters can work extremely well in many freshwater setups. Easy growing plants can reduce the need for expensive lighting or carbon dioxide systems. Aquarium clubs and hobby groups are often excellent places to find plants, equipment, and advice. And the important thing here is not to confuse inexpensive with inadequate. Sometimes the cheaper setup becomes the most expensive because everything has to be replaced later.

[00:04:34] That tiny tank can turn out to be unsuitable. The filter may be too small. The heaters are reliable. The fish can outgrow the aquarium. And then you end up buying everything twice. So a slightly more considered setup at the beginning can actually save money in the long run. We must remember that small aquariums aren't always easier. People often assume that would be the case. It makes sense at first there's less glass, less water, less equipment, and maybe less work. But not necessarily. The smaller the volume of water, the less room you have for mistakes.

[00:05:03] If you overfeed a little in a large aquarium, the effect is spread through a greater amount of water. But if you overfeed the same amount in a very small aquarium, that pollution is going to be a lot more concentrated. Temperature can also change more quickly. Water chemistry can shift faster. Evaporation has a bigger proportional effect. But that doesn't mean small aquariums are bad. They can be wonderful. But we must remember that small doesn't automatically mean easy. Sometimes a moderately sized aquarium is actually more forgiving for a beginner.

[00:05:32] And of course larger tanks introduce another accessibility issue. And that is weight. Water weighs roughly 1 kilogram per litre. So 100 litres of water is roughly 100 kilograms before you add the aquarium substrate, the rocks, the wood, the equipment, and the glass itself. Even a 60 litre aquarium already contains approximately 60 kilograms of water. And that means aquarium placement matters. You're going to need a suitable stand and safe access. You need enough space around the tank to maintain it.

[00:06:00] An aquarium might technically fit into a gap in your home. But if you have to move a cupboard every time you clean the filter, it's really not practical. Good aquarium design should make maintenance easier. You should be able to reach the filter and be able to open the lid properly. You should be able to reach the electrical equipment's safety. And ideally, you shouldn't need the flexibility of an Olympic gymnast every time you unplug the heater. And that brings me to talk about the physical side of fish keeping. It's an area we don't talk about enough.

[00:06:28] Fish keeping can be quite physically demanding. A 20 litre bucket of water weighs 20 kilograms. Some people can carry that very easily and others can't. And there's absolutely no reason aquarium maintenance has to involve lifting heavy buckets. If 20 litres is too much, use 5 litre containers. If carrying water is difficult, use a hose. If lifting or replacing water is difficult, use a small pump. If bending is painful, arrange equipment at a height that is easier to access where practical and safe.

[00:06:56] The goal should be to design the maintenance routine around the person doing the maintenance. This applies especially to older aquarists and people with disabilities or limited mobility. There's no award for making aquarium care physically difficult. In fact, the easier you make maintenance, the more likely you are to perform it consistently. If changing water means dragging out several buckets, kneeling on the floor, moving furniture, carrying heavy containers, eventually you guys look at the aquarium and think, I'll do it next weekend.

[00:07:23] But if the hose is already there, the equipment is easy to reach and the process is simple, maintenance becomes much more manageable. And that is what good accessibility looks like. And many adaptations that help somebody with a disability also make life easier for everyone else. You can use timers for lights, clearly label your food containers, have a simple maintenance schedule, use easy to reach plugs, long handled tools, smaller water containers. These aren't specialist ideas. They're simply good aquarium design.

[00:07:52] Another reason people are attracted to fish keeping is that fish don't require constant attention. And that is true. You don't have to walk them twice a day. You don't need to spend hours interacting with them. For a stable, well-designed aquarium, your daily routine need only take a few minutes. Feed the fish. Check that everybody looks normal. Make sure the filter's running. Check the temperature. Look for anything unusual. Then, periodically, you will need to do tasks such as water changes, filter maintenance, cleaning of the glass, and trimming of your plants.

[00:08:21] The key is to choose an aquarium that fits the amount of time you realistically have. If your life is extremely busy, perhaps you don't want a tank packed with fast-growing plants that need constant trimming. You would rather choose slower-growing plants. You might have a lighter fish population. You could automate the aquarium lights or the timer. You could choose fish that suit your local tap water, rather than trying to constantly adjust the water chemistry. The more complicated your aquarium becomes, the more maintenance you usually create for yourself,

[00:08:48] and this is where simplicity can be extremely powerful. You don't need to run your aquarium at maximum capacity. You don't need maximum fish, or plant growth, or technology, or maximum everything. Sometimes the best aquarium is the one that just quietly works. Actually, I think one of the biggest barriers to fish keeping is in manual space. It's information. Fish keeping looks simple from the outside. Put water in a tank, add fish, feed them, done. But an aquarium is really a small ecosystem.

[00:09:18] And the most important thing for a beginner to understand is the nitrogen cycle. We've mentioned this many times in this podcast, and you'll see it on almost every aquarium YouTube channel, podcast. It's very simple. Fish produce waste. Add eaten food, other than we're getting material breakdown. Produce ammonia, which is dangerous to fish. In a mature aquarium, helpful microorganisms in the filter process ammonia into nitrite. But nitrite is also dangerous.

[00:09:44] Another group of microorganisms then converts nitrite into nitrate. And nitrate is generally less dangerous than the concentrations we normally manage in freshwater aquariums. And can be controlled through water changes, plant growth, and sensible stocking. And that is the basic idea. Your filter is therefore not something that just removes visible dirt. It's a home for microorganisms that help process waste. And those microorganisms take time to establish. And that is why we talk about cycling an aquarium before adding livestock.

[00:10:11] And once you understand that basic process, many aquarium rules suddenly make much more sense. Why shouldn't we add too many fish at once? Because we can overwhelm the biological system. Why shouldn't we completely sterilize our filter media? Because we may damage the microsystems or microorganisms we are relying on. Why do we test the water? Because clear water isn't necessarily safe water. The important thing is that beginners shouldn't have to learn every possible aquarium parameter before getting started. They need to focus on the basics first.

[00:10:41] Before buying a fish, learn about how long it's going to grow. If it needs to live in a group, what's the ideal temperature? What food will it require? Is it a peaceful animal or a territorial animal? Does it suit the aquarium you already own? And a final question that's really important. Does the fish suit the aquarium you already own? Not the aquarium you can just buy later. Not the aquarium you're thinking about upgrading to. The one you already have. Research first. Purchase second. And that one habit makes fish keeping dramatically easier.

[00:11:10] Of course today we have access to more aquarium information than ever before. And that sounds wonderful. And mostly it is. But it creates a new problem. You can ask one aquarium question online and receive 15 to 20 different answers. Somebody says change 20% of the water. Another person says 50. Here's another will say, don't ever change your water. Somebody tells you to add salt. Somebody says, never add salt. Another person says, use a different percentage of salt. Somebody tells you your fish needs friends. Another person tells you that those same fish are going to fight all day.

[00:11:41] And the beginner just sits there wondering whether anybody in the hobby has ever agreed on anything. So try to focus on the advice that explains why. Good information should make sense. If someone tells you to do something, ask what problem it solves. Does it apply to your particular species of fish? Does it apply to your aquarium? Does it apply to your water? Not all advice is universal. And experienced fish keepers still research. That is something I think beginners should find reassuring. You aren't supposed to know everything.

[00:12:09] The goal is not to memorize the entire hobby. The goal is to become comfortable finding reliable information when you need it. And that brings us back to the most important part of this discussion. We want fish keeping to be welcoming. We want it to be affordable. We want it to work for people with limited space, limited mobility, limited time or limited experience. But accessibility can't come at the expense of the fish.

[00:12:35] We should never make an aquarium easier for ourselves by simply reducing the animal's quality of life. A fish still needs appropriate swimming space. Social species still need appropriate companions. Territorial fish still need appropriate space and structure. Water quality still matters. Temperature still matters. Diet still matters. And so accessible fish keeping is really about finding the easiest way to meet those needs. Is that perhaps keeping for your fish? Choosing a simpler species?

[00:13:03] Choosing to keep one aquarium rather than multiple? Does it mean using hoses instead of buckets? Does it mean choosing hardy, cheaper plants perhaps instead of the more expensive, demanding ones? Perhaps it means asking your local shop to help choose fish that naturally suit your water. There really is no shame in choosing the easier option. In fact, I think the hobby would benefit if we celebrate simple aquariums far more often. A stable, healthy, lightly stocked aquarium that someone can comfortably maintain is a success. It doesn't need 20 species.

[00:13:32] It doesn't need expensive equipment. It doesn't need to look like an international aquascaping competition entry. It needs healthy animals and an aquaist who can enjoy caring for them. And so, let's go back to the premise of this episode. Is fish keeping really accessible? And I really think the answer is yes. But that comes with conditions. Fish keeping has some wonderful accessibility advantages. It can work in smaller homes. Daily care can be relatively quick. And the hobby can be adapted to a wide range of budgets.

[00:14:00] Maintenance can be modified for people with physical limitations. And there's an enormous amount of information available to anybody who wants to learn. But the hobby also has very real barriers. The initial cost can be higher than people expect. Aquariums are heavy. Maintenance can be physically demanding if the system is badly designed. Small aquariums can be less forgiving than beginners realize. And the amount of conflicting information available online can make the learning process surprisingly difficult. And so perhaps the better question is not, is fish keeping accessible?

[00:14:29] Perhaps it should rather be, how can we make responsible fish keeping more accessible? And I think the answer is through better education, simpler systems, honest discussions about cost, thoughtful aquarium design, and recognizing that every activist has different limitations. And more importantly, we need to stop presenting complexity as expertise. A complicated aquarium is not automatically a better aquarium. Sometimes real experience teaches you what you can safely remove.

[00:14:55] Less equipment, fewer additives, fewer fish, fewer unnecessary maintenance jobs, more stability, more observation, more understanding, and hopefully more enjoyment. So if you're thinking about entering the aquarium hobby and wondering whether it is right for you, don't ask whether you can build the aquarium you see somebody else keeping. Ask whether you can build an aquarium that fits your life, your budget, your home, your available time, your physical abilities, and your willingness to learn.

[00:15:22] And if you can meet the needs of the fish while keeping the system manageable for yourself, then yes, fish keeping can be an incredibly accessible and rewarding hobby. And if you're already an activist, I'd love to hear from you. What changes made fish keeping easier for you? Maybe you switched from buckets to a hose. Maybe you reduced the number of tanks you maintain. Maybe you discovered a simple piece of equipment that transformed your maintenance routine. Or perhaps you learned the hard way that the smallest aquarium isn't necessarily the easiest.

[00:15:50] Please share your experience in the comments because somebody else might find your solution incredibly useful. If you enjoyed today's episode, please follow or subscribe to the AcuraSedge. Leave a review on the podcast apps. Please leave a comment if you're watching this on YouTube. And share the episode with another freshwater fish keeper. Thank you for spending some time on this episode. As always, I'm going to ask that if you have found value in this, please consider buying me a coffee. The details are in the show notes and on the screen if you're watching on YouTube.

[00:16:19] And so, until we meet again for the next episode of the AcuraSedge, keep learning, keep discovering, and keep enjoying this amazing hobby. Bye for now. That's it for this episode of the AcuraSedge. Please consider subscribing to this podcast so that you don't miss further episodes. We would love it if you would also rate and review the podcast as this helps make it visible to others. Until next time, keep learning and discovering, and keep finding your AcuraSedge in this captivating and fascinating hobby.