Summer is right around the corner, and we are all ready to turn on that air conditioner and set the temperature as low as we can. But have you considered what might happen to that aquarium many of us have at our place?
Can I keep an aquarium in an air-conditioned room? Yes, no doubt the aquarium and fish in it will be fine in the room with AC. The optimum temperature for fish tanks in the room is between 77°F – 80.6°F (25 – 27 degrees Celsius). Some fish species can perfectly stand lower temperatures, Avoid placing your tank directly below an AC and do not allow the cold air from the AC to directly hit the aquarium.
Air conditioning is of no bother to the residents inside an aquarium. However, with that being said, one has to remember that fluctuation of the temperature inside an aquarium can result in severe issues for the fish. Hence, there must be some regulations in place.
Although it is a straightforward question with a straightforward answer, we need to analyze the idea in a comprehensive manner and account for multiple scenarios that can come into play as well.
Can I keep an aquarium in an air-conditioned room?
A straightforward answer to this question will be yes. You can keep an aquarium inside an air-conditioned room. But as mentioned before, there are a few ground rules that are to be followed at all times under such a condition.
Here are a few things you need to know before you station your fish tank inside an air-conditioned room.
- Although air conditioners can run at temperatures as low as 60.8°F (16 degrees Celsius), you have to remember that the optimum temperature for fish tanks is between 77°F to 80.6°F (25 – 27 degrees Celsius)
- Hence, no matter how hot it gets inside your house, you cannot operate the AC below 77°F (25 degrees Celsius) (in some cases, you can go as low as 71.6°F (22 degrees Celsius) depending on the weather and type of fish you have in your aquarium).
- You will often find water droplets fall from the AC vents or a leak in the air conditioning system’s pipe. Although they are just small drops of water, you cannot allow them to fall on top or inside the fish tank. Avoid placing your tank directly below an AC.
- Do not allow the cold air from the AC to directly hit the aquarium.
- The aquarium should not be positioned at such an elevation where it is very close to the AC.
While we are answering questions regarding aquariums and where not to put them, here are a few more questions (and answers) that might help you in deciding where you can keep your fish tank.
Can I keep aquariums inside the garage?
Yes. You can definitely keep a fish tank inside your garage as long as you take proper care of it and its residents.
Garage conditions vary from place to place, owner to owner, and purpose to purpose.
Some garages exhibit extreme temperatures depending on the weather. When it is cold, the garage gets unbearably cold also. When it is hot, it feels like the entire garage is boiling. There is also the case of damp weather where the moisture inside the garage is just overwhelming.
Avoiding such extreme conditions inside the garage is a must if you are going to put an aquarium inside it.
A fish tank heater during winter, and a small fan or air cooler during the summer should do fine for tackling these odds. Instead of a cooler, you can also have an air conditioner placed inside the garage, but you need to make sure it maintains a steady temperature throughout.
Another thing to keep in mind is the cleanliness of the garage. Your garage does not need to be posh or have its floor carpeted. But it does need to be clean and tidy.
The accumulation of dust is not a good thing for the fish tank. It can block important airways and hinder ventilation. The garage should also have sufficient lighting for the fish. In case it lacks the required amount of natural light, measures should be taken to install artificial ones.
One more important thing you need to take note of before placing your fish tank inside the garage is the type of materials or equipment you have stored there. Avoid placing a fish tank in a garage that may have paint or any other exposed chemical containers.
It Is Not Okay To Keep Fish Tanks Close To …
Near the television
Imagine yourself sitting in front of the television all day long, 24×7. The continuous waves of sound and light you will have to endure for such prolonged periods of time will surely affect your mental well being.
There is a tolerance limit to everything. Being exposed to the continuous flashing of lights and the loud sounds from your television can damage your mental health. Now replace yourself and imagine fish inside the aquarium being subjected to the same visual and audio waves.
Like any other living animal, fishes are prone to mental health damage as well. The signals coming from your television (visual, audio, and TV signals in general) are very likely to stress them out. This could lead to changes in the fish’s behavioral patterns, for instance, the loss of appetite, sudden and unnecessary jumping and movement, sitting idle in one spot for a prolonged period of time, and so on.
If you have an open tank, the jumping of your fishes might lead to the water splashing out of the tank and on your television set.
Fish Tank Adjacent To The Window
Excessive algae growth is an annoying problem that many aquarists have to deal with on a daily basis, and one of the leading causes of this unnatural blooming of algae inside fish tanks is the direct exposure of aquariums to sunlight.
It is no doubt that algae can be beneficial to fishes inside an aquarium. Algae happen to be a good source of food for certain species of fish. It can also protect the ecosystem of the fish tank by creating an extra layer of filtration for nitrates, phosphorus, ammonia and other potentially toxic by-products from the fish and plants.
However, algae will only be beneficial to you and your tank as long as you keep its growth under control. Excessive growth of algae, which is referred to as algal bloom, can cause a lot of problems inside the aquarium.
Algae spores can block the breathing pores in your fish and aquatic plants. Too many algae inside your tank might result in the deterioration of water quality. This, in turn, will pollute your tank and completely destroy its ecosystem. When it starts to go out of control, algal growth can be a threat to life inside the aquarium.
One of the major factors that influence algal bloom is direct exposure to sunlight, which takes place when your tank is too close to a window. Sunlight triggers algal bloom more than anything else. This is one of the main reasons why you should not place fish tanks anywhere near the windows.
Apart from assisting algal bloom, the sunlight can also affect the water temperature.
If you really must place an aquarium near the window, make sure the window glass is tinted. This can prevent the sunlight from interfering with the aquarium to some extent. However, as an aquarist, it is recommended that you avoid such a practice.
Fish Tank Close To A Heat Source
The sunlight coming through our window is not the only thing that can affect the temperatures inside the aquarium. Heaters, fireplaces, stoves, and any other artificial heat source inside our houses can replicate the same effects if they are in close proximity to the fish tank.
Artificial heat sources are in no way less dangerous than the sun rays hitting the aquarium water. If anything, they can have a bigger impact on the aquarium when it comes to affecting the temperature due to the fact that they are much closer to the tank than the sun.
As mentioned before, high temperatures inside the tank can result in serious anomalies in the aquarium’s ecosystem. Sudden changes in the tank’s temperatures, algal bloom, deterioration of water quality, and the slow evaporation of the tank’s surface water, are just some of the many problems that are directly connected to unwanted heat within the tank.
In addition to disrupting life inside the tank, heat from these artificial sources can disrupt the tank’s physical structure as well.
Most aquariums these days are made of glass or acrylic. Although these materials are quite strong and durable, coming in close contact with heat can result in the development of cracks on the aquarium walls. If the heat is too much, there is a possibility that the tank might even break.
Heat sources should be kept as far away as possible from fish tanks. Avoid keeping a tank and a heat source in the same room if the space is very limited. In case you cannot but stuff the two in the same small room, make sure that the heat is not falling on the aquarium directly or in a perpendicular manner.
Sitting Fish Tank In the middle Of Crossing Points In A Room
The best place inside the house to put your fish tank is near a wall or in any corner of the room where the floor is better supported. Aquariums should never be placed in the middle or crossing points of a room where the walls are far away.
Placing a fish tank in the middle of a room can lead to accidents. A slight push is all it will take to know the aquarium out of balance or tip it over. This is exactly the reason why aquarists prefer to place their tanks pushed against a wall or in the corners of a room. The chance of such accidents happening there is almost zero.
It is also recommended to avoid stationing the aquarium on the floor or on a level that is very close to the floor.
Apart from the possibility of being tripped over or tripped on, fish tanks that are placed on the ground are sure to break or develop cracks if something minutely heavy falls on them. If you have pets roaming around the house, they too might take an interest in the tank and fishes.
Another thing you have to keep in mind is that the fish tank should not be kept out of sight. Out of sight means out of mind. If you keep the tank in a place or room where you or anyone else at the house hardly enters, it is highly likely that you will forget about the fish. As absurd as it may sound, stuff like this always happens.
Even if you do not forget about the fish, and visit them on a daily schedule basis, you may miss out on sudden accidents or anomaly within the tank when it is kept out of your sight.
TIP: Keep the aquarium in a place where it is visible to everyone, perhaps in the living room or the lobby. That way, you will be able to take action quickly if you notice something wrong.
What started out as a simple question ended up producing an informative answer and a bunch of other related questions. Irrespective of the question and the situation, one common thing you will notice in all the answers is that if you take proper precautions and prioritize your fish tank and its fishes, you can pretty much keep it anywhere you like.
