naturalpet
Eco-Friendly
Aquariums
Not all aquariums are created equal when it comes to
sustainability. Energy used to run filters and lights is a
major concern. Where the fish originate is another, as
well as where they go at the end of the relationship.
by Nina Shen Rastogi
T
he ideal eco-aquarium, bal- small tank, and up to about 800 for a rights issue, it’s also an ecological con-
anced and self-contained, is a large tank. cern, because the fewer animals that
cherished concept of hobbyists. Since the Berkeley Laboratory survive the process, the more intensive
But research shows that energy usage report came out a dozen years ago, the harvesting becomes.
for a typical home aquarium can vary there have been a few advances in the So when buying wild-caught fish,
widely, depending on the setup. efficiencies of aquarium equipment. look for those that have been captured
According to a 1997 report from Using LED lights can shave off a few with hand nets, rather than chemicals.
the Lawrence Berkeley National Labo- kilowatt-hours and newer, energy- Always avoid threatened and endan-
ratory, a small freshwater aquarium— saving pumps and ballasts have gered species among both freshwater
say, 10 gallons in size—might use as come onto the market. One and saltwater fish.
little as 90 to 120 kilo- equipment salesperson The silvery, black-striped, Banggai
watt-hours a year to run estimated that the cardinalfish, only found in a few pock-
its lights, filters and amount of electricity ets off the coast of Indonesia, for ex-
aerators. That’s about used by aquariums ample, has been labeled an endangered
as much as a typical today could be about species by the International Union for
coffeemaker uses in 25 percent lower than the Conservation of Nature, largely
a year—hardly a major in 1997 with up-to-date due to overzealous harvesting for the
energy suck in the grand equipment. aquarium trade. The United Nations’
scheme of things. Aquariums can also environmental office noted in 2003 that
With increasing size, have hidden environmental less than 10 percent of marine orna-
electricity costs naturally rise. costs upstream. In some parts of mental species were capable of being
A big, 55-gallon freshwater tank might Southeast Asia, where the vast majority farm-cultured.
use between 280 and 400 kilowatt- of the world’s saltwater “ornamental” Fortunately, sustainable collec-
hours annually. Adding plants further organisms come from, fish are caught tion is less of an issue
ups an aquarium’s energy appetite, as using squirt bottles filled with cya- with freshwater
it requires heavier-duty lighting to keep nide, which stuns the animals and aquarium spe-
the plants alive. makes them easier to extract from cies, because 90
Generally speaking, saltwater coral reefs. But the chemical can percent are farm-
tanks use more energy than freshwater also damage the coral, as well as other raised. Captive
ones, due to the increased need for organisms living in the reefs—not to breeding helps reduce
pumps and power heads to create mention weakening the fish so that pressure on wild animal populations;
water currents. Marine aquariums can fewer of them survive transport. Keep- although many conservationists argue
pull 230 kilowatt-hours a year for a ing fish healthy is more than an animal that maintaining a sustainable trade
0 Collier / Lee Counties
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