Choosing the perfect present for your loved ones can be difficult under any circumstances, but if the gift you’re hunting for is going to a fishkeeping enthusiast, we can definitely lend a helping hand.
At Aquacadabra, we have decades of collective experience when it comes to fishkeeping and everything fish-related, so whether you’re an amateur hobbyist or you’re a complete fishkeeping novice, we can point you in the right direction to finding the perfect gift for your loved one.
In order to make searching for the perfect gift as straightforward as possible, we’ve compiled our ultimate guide to buying gifts for fish lovers. Whether your loved ones are brand new to the hobby, have been doing it for a while or are bonafide fishkeeping experts, our guide showcases some of our favourite gift suggestions perfect for all types of enthusiasts.
Gifts for Fishkeeping Beginners
After almost a full year of people learning to adjust to spending the majority of their time indoors, it's unsurprising that the hobby of fishkeeping has been on the rise. An excellent way to bring a little nature into your home, keeping and caring for an aquarium is a great stress-relieving hobby that everyone can enjoy.
For the people in your life that you believe would happily welcome a little nature into their lockdown lives, we suggest diving right in with our collection of small fish tanks for beginners. These aquariums are low-cost, low-maintenance and provide the perfect introduction to the hobby!
Fish R Fun Deco Mini 10L Aquariums, £43.50
Resembling the traditional fish bowl with a contemporary, minimalistic twist, the Fish R Fun Deco Miniature Aquarium is the ideal gift for budding fish lovers. Small and sleek, this tank fits easily onto any surface and, with its advanced HPLED lighting system simulating sun-like ripples throughout the water, this aquarium quickly becomes an eye-catching, interactive decoration for any room.
Keeping fish should be a fun, relaxing experience, especially for beginners, and this tank delivers on those promises. Available to purchase online as a complete system with inbuilt LED lighting, gravel and a stone stacking ornament, this small fish tank is incredibly easy to set up and is ready to be enjoyed almost immediately.
Marina iGlo 360 Aquarium Kit, £59.99
While the Deco aquarium boasts a contemporary, modern aesthetic, the Marina iGlo 360 Aquarium Kit is perfect for those that want to bring a little extra colour and fun to their fishkeeping experience. With vivid plants and galaxy gravel, both of which turn fluorescent underneath the remotely controlled max glow LED lighting, this aquarium benefits from unobstructed 360° viewing so you can enjoy your bright underwater world from every angle. When it comes to maintaining the cleanliness of your aquarium, the Marina iGlo also has a removable cover and an easy access filter with quick-change media cartridges, making cleaning quick and hassle-free.
Gifts for Fishkeeping Hobbyists
At the hobbyist stage your fish-loving friend will be learning all of the basics of keeping their aquarium happy, healthy and enjoying the meditative, calming experience of caring for their fish, plants and coral life. When it comes to finding gifts for experienced fish owners, we recommend presents that will improve their overall experience of fishkeeping and, whether you’d like to add to their underwater ornament collection, contribute to their fish tank accessories or find something entirely unique, we have everything you need to surprise them.
Aqua One Ruined Bronze Helmet (Large), £35.95
Part of the joy of keeping fish, especially for creative types, is the underwater world building aspect. You’ll know if your loved one is interested in this side of aquarium building by the size of their ornament collection, and adding to that collection of exciting underwater decorations is a great way to show them you care.
At Aquacadabra, we have an extensive range of underwater decorations for you to choose from, so if you have a rough idea of the type of decorations your loved one prefers, feel free to browse through our collection unaided.
If you’re still looking for gift inspiration and need a push in the right direction, we love this Ruined Bronze Helmet by Aqua One. This ornament has a rustic, ancient aesthetic, perfect for creating a mysterious, deep sea feeling in any aquarium and, with Aqua One’s guarantee that their products are non-toxic, long-lasting and require minimal maintenance, it is easily enjoyed by both the owner and the tank’s inhabitants.
D-D Deepsee Magnified Aquarium Viewer, £39.99
Fish lovers pour heaps of effort into keeping their fish, plants and corals in the best condition possible and this D-D Deepsee Magnified Aquarium Viewer lets them enjoy the results of their hard work in better detail than ever before.
Ideal for diving into aquarium photography, or for inspecting aquarium life for early signs of illness, this 4” magnifier is easy to install and use. Suitable for glass and acrylic tanks of up to 16mm thickness, this is an exciting gift for any proud fishkeeper.
Gifts for Fish Fanatics
Now that we’ve been over the best gifts for budding and accomplished fish enthusiasts, it’s time to tackle gift inspiration for the fish fanatics in your life. Experts in their field, fish fanatics take meticulous care of their fish and likely already have their aquarium set up exactly how they like it. Because of this, the best kind of gift to buy a fishkeeping expert isn’t one that adds to their aquarium, but one that helps maintain it. Below are two of our top selections for gifts that will help keep any pre-established aquarium safe and happy, as well as helping to check if a new tank is ready for fish (or other inhabitants) to be introduced.
NT Labs Pond Lab 200 Multi Test Kit, £24.79
There are many factors that must be monitored regularly to ensure an aquarium provides the optimum living environment for fish, plants and corals and one of the most vital factors is water quality. If the water in an aquarium is maintained within the correct parameters, it can thrive. However, if not properly treated, water with poor chemistry can often leave fish feeling stressed, which ultimately lowers their immune system and leaves fish vulnerable to infections and other ailments. Similarly, plant life can also be compromised if the water quality favours algae growth.
With the NT Labs Pond Lab 200 Multi Test Kit, you are able to perform almost 200 tests to monitor the 6 key parameters of water quality; Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, GH and KH. With the calibrated dropper bottles and the simple pictorial instructions, these tests are easy to perform and will help fish fanatics keep their tanks in perfect condition. While this test kit is specifically designed for pond water types, NT Labs also have kits for freshwater, marine and marine reef aquariums, so, whatever type of tank your friend has, you’ll be able to tailor this gift specifically to them.
Seneye USB Home V2, £97.99
While the NT Labs test kit is an excellent tool that can improve your loved ones' understanding of their tank and what they need in terms of water quality, it can quickly become very time consuming. For the busy fish fanatics if your life, it's worth splashing out on the Seneye USB Home V2.
Suitable for use with freshwater aquariums, the Seneye home V2 is the perfect tool for monitoring all life-critical factors, including ammonia, pH balance, temperature, light and water level, to ensure the water of your aquarium remains within safe parameters at all times. This tech-savvy piece of equipment is capable of remote monitoring and will alert your loved ones of any immediate breach of water parameters with flashing lights on the monitor, or through a pre-selected email or SMS text message, and will provide clear advice on how best to correct the problem.
For those friends that don’t have a freshwater aquarium but could still benefit from monitoring their tank, we also recommend the Seneye Pond Pack Kit for pond keepers and the Seneye Reef Pack for marine tanks.
Find gifts for your fish loving friends and family at Aquacadabra
Buying gifts for fish lovers may first appear daunting, especially if you have no experience with the hobby yourself, but it doesn’t need to be! By following our advice, we're sure you’ll amaze and surprise the fish lover in your life. If you’re still feeling slightly worried about how your gift will be received, or if you’d simply rather they have the opportunity to choose for themselves, take a look at our Aquacadabra Gift Cards.
If your loved one has fallen hook, line and sinker for their fishkeeping hobby you’ll find the perfect gift for them online at Aquacadabra!