Tetras, Bettas and Guppies Are Most Popular Fish for Aquascaped Tanks - PetProductNews.com

Tetras, Bettas and Guppies Are Most Popular Fish for Aquascaped Tanks - PetProductNews.com

Tetras, Bettas and Guppies Are Most Popular Fish for Aquascaped Tanks - PetProductNews.com

Posted: 29 Mar 2021 05:30 AM PDT

Aquascaping has been around since the 1930s, but it has become an increasingly popular hobby in the past two decades, according to Aquarium Friend, a website designed for all levels of aquarists to learn about the fish, plants and equipment needed to start, maintain, improve and enjoy an aquarium. To better understand aquascaping and the reasons for its increasing popularity, and help the aquascaping-curious learn about a potential hobby and decide if it's a good fit, officials recently conducted an online study of 1,089 aquascapers worldwide. The findings may give retailers a peek into what these hobbyists are seeking.

The hobby isn't only increasing in popularity, it isn't showing any signs of slowing down either. According to the study, 70.8 percent of aquascapers have never thought about quitting, and out of those who did quit, more than half (52.3 percent) restarted aquascaping again later.

In terms of spending, 47.2 percent of aquascapers spend $100-$500 to start a new aquascaped tank, while 2.6 percent reported spending more than $5,000 to start their tank.

"Despite its glamorous tanks and beautiful designs, aquascaping is a surprisingly financially accessible hobby, especially when compared to the initial start-up costs of a non-aquascaped tank," officials said in the report. "A new freshwater aquarium can cost up to $500 to get started. This similarity is due to the fact that a lot of the costs are similar between an aquascaped and non-aquascaped tank—aquarium, substrate, lighting, decorations, etc. The main difference is the focus on plants, hardscaping elements and design. In non-aquascaped tanks, there are often decorations (bubbling treasure chests, skull caves, etc.) and plants purchased but the end goal is not aquascaping so the decisions differ in design."

Aquarium Friend survey, plants

The most popular aquascaping plants, according to the study, were anubias, java fern, amazon swords, java moss and ludwigia.

"These plants are all relatively easy to care for and can be used for a variety of layout options (foreground, midground, background) for planted tanks," officials said. "Given that design is an important part of aquascaping, we expected to see a distribution of layout options. They are also affordable, with most plants costing $5-$10 per plant. Lastly, they're common freshwater aquarium plant species, which means they're widely available at most aquarium stores, both in-person and online."

Aquarium Friend survey, fish species
Aquarium Friend survey, aquascaping styles

The study also revealed that 96.4 percent of aquascapers include fish in their tanks, the most popular being tetras (neon, ember, cardinal, black skirt and rummynose), bettas, guppies and shrimp.

"Create your own design" was the most popular aquascaping style among 39.4 percent of aquascapers, according to the study. Other popular styles: nature (29.7 percent), jungle (11.7 percent), Walstead (6.1 percent), Iwagumi (5.4 percent), Biotope (4 percent), Dutch (3.3 percent) and Taiwanese (0.4 percent).

In terms of monthly care and upkeep, the study revealed that 68.8 percent of aquascapers spend $0-$50 a month on their tanks, and 38.9 percent of aquascapers spend five-plus hours a month on maintenance.

As to who actually is aquascaping, the study found that 23.9 percent of aquascapers identified as LGBTQIA. This is higher than the general population estimates which range from 3.5 percent to 12 percent, according to officials. Also, the majority of aquascapers are "relatively young," officials said, split almost evenly among millennials (35 percent) and generation Z (32.4 percent). Aquascapers over the age of 50 came in at 9.1 percent.

The study sampled 1,089 aquascapers globally. Respondents were spread throughout the world (71.2 percent based in North America, 11.2 percent in Europe, 4.3 percent in Asia, 8.4 percent in Australian and New Zealand, 3 percent in Africa, 1.6 percent in the Middle East,and 0.4 percent in South America) and gender (42.3 percent women, 54.8 percent men, 2.9 percent non-binary).

The complete study can be found here.

For more of PPN's coverage on aquatic trends, read:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post Posted: 05 Jun 2016 12:00 AM PDT With exacting precision, the surgeon inserted the scalpel above the eyeball and cut out a snotty deposit of fatty tissue. The routine eye-lift was nearly complete when suddenly the patient awoke, suffocating, and began to flop about on the table. The audience gasped. Knowing time was of the essence, the surgeon scooped up the patient in his arms, raced across the stage, and dropped her into a tank of water. She revived. Because she was a fish. Yes, fish eye-lifts exist. As do fin jobs and tail tucks. The operating theater was a mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, where a pet expo was under way. As for the patient, she survived, her formerly droopy eyes now bright and perky. A good thing, too, as this was no ordinary goldfish but rather an Asian arowana, the world's most expensive aquarium denizen, rumored to sell for as mu
Read more

Catching Dory: selling aquarium fish supports coastal livelihoods in Indonesia | npj Ocean Sustainability - Nature.com

Image
Abstract The global marine aquarium trade has created new local markets across the planet, including in Indonesia, now the second-largest exporting country of marine aquarium fish in the world. Participating in the global aquarium trade has been touted as a potentially sustainable addition to fisher livelihoods, but scant data exist showing the numbers of fish coming off the reef and how those fish contribute to income. To determine how participants in the trade incorporate aquarium species in their livelihoods, we examine source-level aquarium fish collecting and trading data in the Banggai Archipelago, a region in Central Sulawesi that has become a significant source for popular aquarium, also known as ornamental, fish species. Using a sustainable livelihoods lens, we examine this data to understand how participants in the aquarium trade both contribute to as well as benefit from the trade and consider how their participation relates to emerging Blue Justice principles. From one year
Read more

NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire

Image
NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire Posted: 11 Mar 2021 02:00 AM PST ALBANY, Ore. , March 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NilocG launches a new website for planted tank enthusiasts to gather and make THRIVE, a plant fertilizer that assures planted tank aquascapes flourish while eliminating the need for multiple products more readily available online. The company also takes it a step further in the industry, making its flagship product easy to dose, super-concentrated, and an all-in-one solution based on an effective EL dosing method with all essential micro and macronutrients. Continue Reading Thrive fertilizer: North America's most trusted aquarium plant fertilizer Colin Grice , CEO, a self-described planted tank lover, re
Read more