Your 2025 resolutions... and they might surprise you!

A big thank you first of all to the 400 of you who kindly agreed to respond to a questionnaire we sent them.

"Not everyone received it because I would have been quite unable to handle more, but this randomly selected sample was kind enough to respond almost entirely (354 responses). I see the quality of our connection and our community of enthusiasts in this, and it warmed my heart."

Many open questions (to avoid locking into ready-made answers), this means a huge processing job, as it is not enough to just check the answers in an Excel spreadsheet!

"It seems normal to me now to share with you all the teachings of this work, of which no other example existed to my knowledge until today."

We had titled the study: "natural aquarium 2025", with the aim of being able to give you the results before the end of the year.

The questions focused on the "good aquarium resolutions for 2025" of the respondents.

Here is your aquaristics 2025, as you express the desire for it at the end of this year.

The first lesson, the clearest and most significant, concerns animal welfare applied to fish.

Overall, fewer fish, or even none at all. And even more and more fish that have "a name", which was exceptional just 20 years ago.

"A good half of the respondents prefer few fish, of few different species (often just one), in an aquarium made specifically for them. Is this the decline of the community aquarium of my youth, which sometimes resembled a Christmas tree of colors, where fish were chosen for their decorative appearance?"

A small quarter of you (23%) have even embraced the idea, whether it is realized or planned for 2025, of the fishless aquarium. Totally.

"Whether it's shrimp + critters or just critters, the idea is gaining strong traction."

It seems that what is appealing is the idea that a tiny invertebrate and less mobile feels (probably) less of a sense of captivity.

A dozen of aselles in 60 liters live in a world that is much more complete, rich, and vast for them than a guppy in 120 liters, which traverses its length in less than a minute, hundreds of times a day.

On the other hand, almost no one (barely 8%) considers an aquarium without a profusion of plants. It’s the idea of the aquatic garden, each month a little different, a joyful jungle in which fish or invertebrates can hide, live their lives without us, and thus increase the pleasure of observing them. The term "wild life" often comes up in your responses, and I find it interesting.

"The filter stop is a point that remains very much debated. The number of you who have taken the plunge, realizing that no catastrophe occurs, is increasing (you are around 30%). But this point remains much more difficult than the others, as it must be acknowledged that it is the opposite of everything we have been taught. And also, of course, the opposite of the discourse of aquarium trade."

Among the perceived benefits of natural aquaristics, for those who have truly committed to it, the following perceived advantages can be found (in order of the number of citations):

- We spend less time "maintaining" or "repairing", and more time contemplating.

- It's much more educational for the children.

- The aquarium is silent

- Size is no longer a problem

- The cost is lower, especially if we include the countless remedies and others.

- I no longer feel guilty for the fish, imported and living "in cages"

- The fish seem calmer to me, more "busy".

- The fry always find food on their own.

- We start reasoning in biological cycles rather than in technology, filter power, etc.

- There are regularly surprises: unexpected critters, snail laying, woodlice mating, etc.

Almost all those who have switched to natural aquaristics have abandoned heating, which is energy-consuming and not very useful in homes at 20°C.

Finally, the followers of the "poubellarium" seem stable (less than 20% of responses). It is true that one needs to have a garden, and not everyone can therefore indulge in it.

About twenty people (23) wanted to talk to us about the installation of a fishless aquarium at their homes, intended to serve as a support for regular meditation.

'One last question I wanted to include in the questionnaire was "have you placed a magnifying glass near your aquarium?"

The answer surprised me, since it's a "yes" at 12%! Which is not nothing, after all.

"So I am not the only crazy one who observes his aquariums like this, in search of the micro-fauna, so fascinating..."

And you, what are your resolutions and your fishkeeping projects for 2025?