Can You Put Your Fish Tank Near or Under A TV
By Jecinta Mwihaki @aquariawise
Part of the reason that so many people have aquariums at home is for their aesthetic value. And there is no better place to have them than in your living room, where you spend most of your free time and entertain your guests.
Even so, there is also a host of other items that go into your ideal living space, including electronics and furniture. As such, it is not unusual to be limited by space and want to make the best of the little area you have.
Placing your fish tank next to your entertainment station or under your TV is one such solution, and many fish keepers have been able to work it, albeit being pretty unsafe and not recommended for newbies.
Part of the grief you will have to deal with includes spilling water on your electronics during cleaning and water changes, plus light and noise coming from your entertainment system stressing your fishes.
Placing an aquarium on a TV stand is also not advisable, and there are not so many fish tanks stands that include a place for an entertainment system.
For that reason, you would need to build a custom stand for your fish tank, especially if you have a unit that is 20-gallons or more.
Please read on for more insight.
What A Consider Before Putting A Fish Tank Near Your TV
It’s always wise when faced with such a decision to consider what could possibly go wrong to help you cover all the details and make sure no accidents occur.
From personal experience, there are three things you need to consider, which are:
- Weight and design of your stand
- Spilling water on your electronic and floor
- Noise and light from electronics stressing your fish
Weight and Design of Your Stand
As I mentioned, there are not many fish tank stands with a built-in space for a TV, so to have both items sitting on the same base, you will need to make a custom station or improvise the mounting.
Fortunately, custom stands are not beyond the realms of possibility. You only need to make sure the base can take both the weight of your fish tank and TV.
Better still, leave a safety weight buffer above the recommended numbers to steer clear of the consequences of the stand falling through, destroying your TV, and killing your fish.
That said, using your aquarium as a TV stand would is not advisable.
The structural integrity of the tank is designed for holding in the pressure of water within, but maintaining that same integrity with the weight of a television atop it is another thing entirely.
Lastly, you do not want to put any fish tank bigger than a 10-gallon on a TV stand, it just can’t hold that much weight.
Spilling Water on Your Electronics and Floors
Anytimes you have an aquarium, it is almost impossible to not have water spilling every now and then, more so when doing your changes or cleaning your fish tank.
On the other hand, electronics, most floors, and electricity are highly water phobic. As such, keeping your fish tank well cared for and your entertainment system dry can be daunting when the two are close to each other.
Therefore, if you must have your fish tank next or below your TV, place them in such a way that water does not spill into any area it should not be.
Use towels and other dry material to cover your electronics and floors when you do water changes and try as much as possible to avoid any contact with electricity rest you get electrocuted.
For items like fish tank heaters, aquarium lights, the TV, and sound system, unplug them and switch off the wall sockets, but leave your filter on.
Noise and Light From Electronics Stressing Your Fish
Same way noise and too much flashing lights affect you, fish in an aquarium placed next to a TV or sound system will be stressed more than they would in a different setting.
Fishes are, in fact, more finicky than humans since they are used to living in water, which is a pretty quiet environment, and the light cycle mimics the natural daylight range .
As such, if you have to place your fish tank next to your entertainment station, try to limit the amount of noise and also protect your aquarium from excess light coming from the TV; more so at night.
Ideally, your fish should get at least 8 hours of darkness to sleep and recover from a whole day of swimming looking for food.
Better still, if your a night owl and enjoy your movies or gaming at night, locate your fish tank away from the TV to give your fish some quiet and help them thrive.
One other thing to note is that some fishes are more sensitive than others, meaning while some will be visibly stressed, others will not show any sign of distress, but that does not mean they are ok.
So take precaution at all times even when you can’t spot signs of distress in your aquatic friends.
My Two Cents
While it is not entirely prohibitive to put a fish tank under or next to a TV, it does come with some precautionary clauses, which if not followed, may lead to an unsafe environment both for you and your fish.
My advice is to only put a small fish tank next or near your fish tank, and because of the noise and flashing lights, a plant only aquarium.
If you must have fish in there, go for species that are not too fussy and do not mind a little noise or light. Keep schooling fishes like tetras or betta, which are curious and like to investigate.
Avoid shy bottom-dwelling fish like bristlenose plecos that generally hide even without unwarranted distractions.
Reagarding the hazards possed from having the water too close to your electronics and electric ports, I recommend setting everything well in place to avoid things that would cause you to trip when doing your water changes and cleaning.
Make sure all power cords and pipework is behind your fish tank or on the side where there is least foot traffic.
With that said, if you already have your fish tank next to your TV (entertainment station), you do not need to tear it down, only follow the few precautionary measures we’ve mentioned, and you should be fine.
See you on the next one.
Happy fish🐠🦐 keeping.
