Aquariums near you

Water is heavy, and an aquarium concentrates that weight on the small footprint of its stand, often for years. A small tank on sturdy furniture is rarely a concern, but a large display tank, a tank with a sump underneath or several tanks in one room is a very different load from the sofa and bookcases a floor was designed around. Wood framing can sag slowly under a heavy load, and even slight movement stresses the tank's seams.

Before a large tank goes in, especially on an upper floor, have a structural engineer, or a contractor working with one, look at the joists: which way they run, their span and condition, what supports them below and whether reinforcement is needed. A basement slab usually handles a big tank more easily, though it still has to be flat.

Every aquarium puts heaters, pumps and lights within reach of water that someone puts their hands into every week. The Electrical Safety Authority recommends ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), which cut the power when current leaks to ground, for outdoor circuits around water and in kitchens and bathrooms, and an aquarium brings the same risk into the living room. ESA also calls extension cords a temporary solution and advises having a Licensed Electrical Contractor install permanent wiring and outlets. In Ontario that contractor notifies ESA of the work; in Quebec, electrical contractors hold a licence through the CMEQ.

A new tank isn't ready for fish the day it's filled. Fish give off ammonia, which is toxic to them, and it takes time for beneficial bacteria to colonize the filter and convert it to nitrite, then to less harmful nitrate. Managing this cycling period, and adding fish a few at a time once tests show the bacteria can keep up, is a large part of what you pay a specialist to get right.

In an established tank, nitrate and dissolved waste build up slowly, and partial water changes remove them. How much water to change and how often depends on the tank's size, how many fish it holds, how much they're fed and whether it is fresh or salt water, so the schedule should follow water tests rather than a fixed rule.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada warns that aquarium pets and water garden plants can become aquatic invasive species once they reach local waters, and that even small pieces and seeds of some plants can take hold and spread. Under the federal Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations, it is illegal to introduce an aquatic species into a body of water where it isn't native unless federal, provincial or territorial law authorizes it. Emptying a tank into a pond, a stream or a storm drain is never the answer.

A tank should never be moved with water in it, since the weight and the sloshing can crack the glass or open the seams. Moving one means catching the fish, keeping them and the filter bacteria alive in tank water while the system is drained, moved and set up again, then watching the water closely until it settles. For a long move, or delicate fish and corals, rehoming them and restarting in the new home can be the kinder option.