Sustainable Fish Care & Green Tanks

I’m not so pro-pets. To me, pets mean one thing; trouble! I’m more of a sea monkey / pet rock kind of girl. That said, my son Cedar wanted a pet and the easiest thing appeared to be fish. Hahahah. Right. Fish are trouble too – but that’s a longer and much more angst ridden story then I have time for. In any case, lately I’ve been thinking about fish, and whether or not there’s even such a thing as sustainable fish care and greener fish tanks.

I’ve been looking around, and there’s not much out there on sustainable fish practices, other then how you get your fish, but I did come up with some ideas. If you have fish, maybe these tips will help you keep those fish at least a little greener.

• Use glass instead of acrylic aquariums. Glass is heavy yeah, but it’s also totally recyclable, while acrylic is not recyclable in every community. If you can, skip on the plastic bases and toppers too.
• Use up old electronics – make a fish tank out of your old computer monitor.
• If you have old fish tanks sitting around try one of these creative ideas for recycling said fish tank.
• Make sure the fish you buy have been harvested responsibly. This is an in-depth topic that you can read more about at Reef Protection International.
• Use recycled rocks and gravel in your fish tank. Also, if you use marbles or other glass decor, aim for recycled as well.
• Use real plants over plastic when possible. I’m no fish pro, but I know that not all fish can live well with all live water plants – do your research first.
• If your fish don’t require lighting at all times, unplug the cord. Maybe even build your own solar powered fish tank.
• Use aquacultured live coral (which is farm-bred) vs. coral that’s been plucked right from the wild.
• Treat your fish well. Get a book, visit a website, talk to the pros at the fish shops, but learn how to care for your fish. When fish die because you’re a bad owner it not only increases supply and demand for possibly non-sustainably harvest fish, but it also means wasted resources. You’ve got the tank, you bough the gear, so use it.

If you’ve got some sustainable fish care tips, share them in the comments.

[image via stock.xchng]