How green is your fishkeeping?

[Silurus]

Perry, WB, 2023. The environmental impact of keeping a tropical aquarium in Northern Europe. Journal of Fish Biology doi:10.1111/jfb.15478.

Abstract

Tropical fish keeping is a popular practice in societies across the globe and involves recreating and sustaining an entire ecosystem in an aquarium within a domestic setting. The process invariably has environmental impact, yet an assessment of this impact has previously been limited to the ecological consequences of harvesting fish from the wild, or release of non-native fish species. Provided here are the first estimates of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) emissions produced from running a tropical aquarium across multiple countries in Northern Europe (France, Poland and the United Kingdom), along with water consumption. Estimates were produced in silico and are discussed in the context of freshwater and marine aquariums, and are calculated using example aquarium sizes of 50L, 200L and 400L. Using estimates from the United Kingdom, depending on size and running conditions, a tropical aquarium produces an estimated 85.3-635.2 kg CO2e per year, equating to 1.6-12.4% of the UK annual average household CO2 emissions, and uses 156-31200 L per year, equating to 0.2-30.1% of the UK annual average household water usage. Despite this, when compared to the CO2eq an average size dog (127-1592 kg CO2eq per year) or cat (121-251 kg CO2eq per year), estimated from meat consumption alone, it demonstrates that ornamental fishkeeping can be a more environmentally conscious pet choice. In addition, the majority of CO2eq produced from tropical fishkeeping is generated from the energy consumption of aquarium equipment, and as more national electricity grids begin to decarbonise, this estimate should decrease.

[Jools]

I'd appreciate a copy of this if anyone can assist?

Cheers,

Jools

[dw1305]

Hi all,

......... Provided here are the first estimates of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) emissions produced from running a tropical aquarium across multiple countries in Northern Europe (France, Poland and the United Kingdom), along with water consumption. Estimates were produced in silico and are discussed in the context of freshwater and marine aquariums, and are calculated using example aquarium sizes of 50L, 200L and 400L. Using estimates from the United Kingdom, depending on size and running conditions, a tropical aquarium produces an estimated 85.3-635.2 kg CO2e per year, equating to 1.6-12.4% of the UK annual average household CO2 emissions, and uses 156-31200 L per year, equating to 0.2-30.1% of the UK annual average household water usage. Despite this, when compared to the CO2eq an average size dog (127-1592 kg CO2eq per year) or cat (121-251 kg CO2eq per year), estimated from meat consumption alone, it demonstrates that ornamental fishkeeping can be a more environmentally conscious pet choice. In addition, the majority of CO2eq produced from tropical fishkeeping is generated from the energy consumption of aquarium equipment, and as more national electricity grids begin to decarbonise, this estimate should decrease.

I think if you feed mainly home produced food (live food, vegetables) and use rain water in the tanks you've already drastically reduced your environmental foot-print.

cheers Darrel

[characinkid]

I may be wrong, but would expect the biggest environmental impact would be the collecting and flying/shipping of the fish, especially for wild fish. Once in the owners tanks there would be little apart from some water and electricity as is stated above.
Makes me feel good about adding another tank!!

[Jools]

It's complex, I think you'd need to see hard numbers to compare source to point of sale CO2 footprint. For example, do captive bred fishes from Singapore use more CO2 to breed, pack and travel than wild caught fishes from Colombia (if coming to the UK). I'd guess it is a real boon for the captive bred fish market in the US as "locally" produced fishes.


Jools

[Kirin]

In my opinion there are a lot of variables when it comes to aquariums so it's difficult to make an estimate and apply.
Quite a few things aren't accounted for and the values for water changes I personally think are a real underestimate to what the hobby actually does. The fish food estimates I'm not sure reflects the hobby either. The temperature estimates not sure about. The filter setups not sure about.
Aerator?? Air pump but how many fishkeepers have them?
The setups listed are described as "typical" and I'm personally not sure about that being a fishkeeper and having worked in the trade. I think quite a bit is based on company websites but how much of that is what store staff recommend? Given that most fishkeepers are heavily influenced by that. Would a survey to estimate a 'typical' setup represent our hobby better?
Just too many variables for any of us to take much from it?

I've always asked about the environmental impact of the hardscape, can't think of many without some impact and some worse then others. Unless it's casually collecting leaf litter or botanicals.

[TwoTankAmin]

I have only 20 tanks holding just over 800 gals. But we have both out own well and a septic system. The latter returns water to the environment and it can work its way down being filtered and returned to the aquifer. The waste water from my tanks is either pumped out the windows, flushed down the toilet or poured on the lawn of plants.

We have the most expensive electricity from any major supplier in the the USA. So I try to reduce my use. The pleco space runs on all air from a single pump save for two AC 200 hang-ons. Summer tanks are the sames- all air power and usually a single pump. Pleco tanks only get lighted when I work in them. I have a lot of heavily planted tanks as well and most of the CO2 in tanks gets used by them, the algae and the bacteria.

We use to have the option to get our electricity generated from environmentally freendly sources. It often cost less of not much more than the normal sources. But that changed recently and it became much more costly. So we switched back to the utility sourced power.

I would think I am pretty green overall aside from the electricity. I need mostly warm tanks, so heaters are my biggest electrical demand. But my tanks also replaced out whole house humidifier and in the winter the heat from the tanks lowers out heating costs some. Because we keep the house warmer in the summer than the winter, we save on some electricity that way as well.

I am certainly not dark green, but I think I am light green?

[Bas Pels]

I'l be getting solar cells Monday 26 June. That will help reduce my fishkeeping footprint - I use more electricity for my tanks than thw average sized fiamilies would do.

So that will help a lot. Still, my brother races with a car, and compared to them, we're quite green

[aquaholic]

I'm bright glowing red. I shudder to think how much energy is used producing glass, welding steel racks, maintaining tropical temperatures, pouring concrete for a fish room, buying boxes and boxes of filters, pumps, sponges, heaters, tubing, valves, themometers, lights, nets, ripping gravel out of rivers to make artificial bottoms appear natural, buying slick marketed, plastic packaged fish food made from unsustainable fishing then shipped accross the globe, etc just to keep some captive fish imprisoned until they die. Of course we do manage to justify this to ourselves somehow as we still keep on keeping fish.

I'm probably the worst as I have several hundred tanks (multiple fish rooms) and some obscenely large tanks. My average electricity use is 45kW per day. My water usage is astronomical.