fish tank

[Boston]

I want to set up a fish tank in my narrowboat, however I do not want to have to keep the invertor on for the led lamp and air pump, is it possible to wire both these things straight into the wiring for the lights and run them off the 12v system

[Arthur Brown]

There are lots of LED lights off 12v but I don't know of a 12v air pump. And I want one!

[Gibbo]

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=1306&pf_id=5847&co=fr&gclid=CPiK0baBv7ICFQMNfAodDWUAzQ

[Ex- Member]

I want to set up a fish tank in my narrowboat, however I do not want to have to keep the invertor on for the led lamp and air pump, is it possible to wire both these things straight into the wiring for the lights and run them off the 12v system

 

I would have thought a fish tank on a n/b is asking for trouble. Depending on size possibly but any sudden stop or shunt in a boat and the force of water in tthe tank would surely make it unstable, even if fitted in. Still your boat

 

Most aquarium air pumps are 12v anyway but run from a 240v adaptor. I would just remove the jack plug and fit a DC plug on the end. I do this with most 12 volt equipent than run through a 240v plug. Many insist on an In line fuse although I've never bothered.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BIORB-BIUBE-AIR-PUMP12V-LOW-VOLTAGE-NEW-STYLE-FREE-POST-/271027545291?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3f1a8024cb#ht_1463wt_1255

 

 

 

 

[Starcoaster]

I used to keep marine fish but I'd not take the risk in a boat for so many reasons... Although in a recent thread on 'what pets do you have' someone else mentioned keeping marine fish on board successfully and addressed a few of the questions I had about that so it might be worth searching for that thread?

[ditchcrawler]

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=1306&pf_id=5847&co=fr&gclid=CPiK0baBv7ICFQMNfAodDWUAzQ

Are you sure it's not AC? It says needs a transformer, not DC power supply

 

I would have thought a fish tank on a n/b is asking for trouble. Depending on size possibly but any sudden stop or shunt in a boat and the force of water in tthe tank would surely make it unstable, even if fitted in. Still your boat

 

Most aquarium air pumps are 12v anyway but run from a 240v adaptor. I would just remove the jack plug and fit a DC plug on the end. I do this with most 12 volt equipent than run through a 240v plug. Many insist on an In line fuse although I've never bothered.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BIORB-BIUBE-AIR-PUMP12V-LOW-VOLTAGE-NEW-STYLE-FREE-POST-/271027545291?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3f1a8024cb#ht_1463wt_1255

I think it very unlikely that you will easily find an air pump to run straight from your batteries.

[carlt]

I think it very unlikely that you will easily find an air pump to run straight from your batteries.

Clicky

[Ex- Member]

Are you sure it's not AC? It says needs a transformer, not DC power supply

 

 

I think it very unlikely that you will easily find an air pump to run straight from your batteries.

 

If the pump is 12v and runs using a 240v plug/adaptor then it would run directly from a 12 volt supply, the adaptor is simply reducing from 240 v to 12 v the unit I posted has a small 12v pin plug that you can plug into an adaptor supplying 12v or 12v from where ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

Clicky

Well done Carlt a DC one

[ditchcrawler]

If the pump is 12v and runs using a 240v plug/adaptor then it would run directly from a 12 volt supply, the adaptor is simply reducing from 240 v to 12 v the unit I posted has a small 12v pin plug that you can plug into an adaptor supplying 12v or 12v from where ever.

And the output of the power supply is 12 volts 50 hertz 2.7 watts not DC

[Ex- Member]

And the output of the power supply is 12 volts 50 hertz 2.7 watts not DC

 

Right I see, I thought as it unplugged it was DC.

 

And DC units are tricky to fing as you suggested. Carlt came up with one though, so should keep OP happy

 

 

 

[Paul C]

I'd have thought a filter would be higher up on your list than an air pump, and with the requirement to keep it running 24 hours a day, combined with the lack of likelihood of obtaining a 12V DC one (the ones I know tend to have a sealed cable and are submersible, not much prospect of modifying it) might rule it out or if not, commit you into having to run a high power requirement electrical item for a long time. Its not like a fridge, where you could switch it off for some time if needs be, etc.

 

If you do find a 12V filter....can you find a regular supply of replacement elements??? And at a reasonable price?

 

If you are thinking of running an undergravel filter running on an air feed - they're rubbish!

 

Another consideration is ballast - the tank will weigh quite a lot.

[DustyDave]

Are there not enough fish in the canal? Hmm, maybe not based on the grumpy looks I get from fishermen!

 

Dave

Edited September 18, 2012 by DustyDave

[larkshall]

What about heating?, I used to use a 12v heater and thermostat, (75 watts). Lighting?, can you get LEDS at the right colour temperature?

[Boston]

it was just going to be a fish tank with goldfish, I was going to situate it next to an area where the wiring for my LED decking lights are, I was going to take the plug off both the fish tank lights and pump and using a connection box wire them straight into the 12v system. Would this be a dangerous thing to do?

[Paul C]

Goldfish need filtration on the tank, and should be in quite a large tank, because they grow quite quickly and to a large-ish size.

[Starcoaster]

All fish tanks need a filtration system, goldfish are no exception.

The days when it was considered passable to win a goldfish on the fair and pay a fiver for a little round bowl and some gravel to take care of their needs are long gone.

[blackrose]

All fish tanks need a filtration system, goldfish are no exception.

The days when it was considered passable to win a goldfish on the fair and pay a fiver for a little round bowl and some gravel to take care of their needs are long gone.

 

Why? How did we used to manage to keep goldfish alive in glass bowls for years on end? I suppose we just changed the water regularly, but surely you could do that with a tank too? Once a week, syphon old water out and pour new water in.

Edited September 19, 2012 by blackrose

[Paul C]

Why? How did we used to manage to keep goldfish alive in glass bowls for years on end? I suppose we just changed the water regularly, but surely you could do that with a tank too? Once a week, syphon old water out and pour new water in.

 

I guess it depends how you evaluate the welfare of an animal. Whether its alive or not, is a fairly coarse measure of its well being. Goldfish are historically very poorly looked after, but are hardy so will often live yet be suffering.

[blackrose]

I guess it depends how you evaluate the welfare of an animal. Whether its alive or not, is a fairly coarse measure of its well being. Goldfish are historically very poorly looked after, but are hardy so will often live yet be suffering.

 

I don't really understand why anyone would worry about a goldfish on a boat in a tank just because it doesn't have a hi-tech filtration system, while outside on the towpath a bloke is yanking wild fish out of the canal with a steel hook through its mouth - and half the time the hook has already passed into its gut.

 

I've no real problem with either, but I guess there are different standards we use to evaluate acceptable welfare of different animals.

Edited September 19, 2012 by blackrose

[Paul C]

It doesn't need to be high-tech, it just needs to be effective filtration. Lets put it in context: a fish produces waste matter, this needs to be dealt with somehow. Filtration is a pragmatic way of achieving this (combined with PARTIAL water changes on a regular basis, eg 30% each week). If you didn't have filtration, then the same cleaniness could be achieved with water changes, but they'd need to be done every hour or so. In other words, wholly impractical.

 

There's lots of (fairly obvious!) welfare issues surrounding the 'hobby' of fishing too! But that's another issue, for another day.

[ruston pride]

Also, goldfish can poo quite a lot, so making the water polluted quickly. They do get big quickly and will be stunted if kept in small tanks (think about the ancient oriental practise of wrapping womens feet to make them stay small)

 

How about something like zebra danios? They stay small so are more suited to tank sizes that might fit on a boat, and can live in cool water

[Lanners]

I would have thought a fish tank on a n/b is asking for trouble. Depending on size possibly but any sudden stop or shunt in a boat and the force of water in tthe tank would surely make it unstable, even if fitted in. Still your boat

 

Most aquarium air pumps are 12v anyway but run from a 240v adaptor. I would just remove the jack plug and fit a DC plug on the end. I do this with most 12 volt equipent than run through a 240v plug. Many insist on an In line fuse although I've never bothered.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BIORB-BIUBE-AIR-PUMP12V-LOW-VOLTAGE-NEW-STYLE-FREE-POST-/271027545291?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3f1a8024cb#ht_1463wt_1255

 

Hi all,

 

Im planning on one of these on our boat:

 

My link

 

It has a narrow top so less slopping about!

Also the filter is outside the tank, so probably easier / safer for converting (though I haven't checked the voltage yet)

 

Toby.

[larkshall]

Fish keeping

 

a Goldfish or common carp or KOI are filthy fish and create a great deal of mess. If you are not using filtration you need to consider the following, not more than one inch length of fish (excluding tail fins) per square foot of surface area, 20% of water must be changed weekly, and be at the same temp as that within the tank.

 

If you are using mechanical filtration via a filter pump such as Fluval in tank filter pumps, you can increase the packing density above. However I dont know of a filter pump system for 12 volts. You could use an undergravel system powered by a 12v air pump, BUT these systems are far from ideal.

 

Tropical fish, filtration rules still apply plus heating, you have a choice of the standard submersible heater with thermostst incorporated. Or under gravel heating (like cable used in soil warming benches). The later will require a tank mounted stat.

 

Marine fish, just don't go there, you need technology to provide ultra clean water (reverse osmosis systems), you need accurate equipment to control salinity, phosphate build up, lighting (levels in degrees kelvin). Its difficult enough ashore (and expensive), but afloat?, Don't .

 

Now a Vivarium might be possible though

[b0atman]

where did you get 12v 75 watt heater thermostat from ?