As a full time RVer, I’ve always wondered why more people don’t keep a fish tank in their RV. There must be a good reason because fish seem like a low maintenance companion option when compared to a dog or cat. After a little research, the answer to the question Can you keep a fish tank or aquarium in an RV? became shockingly clear.
Keeping a fish tank or aquarium in an RV is not recommended due to the high likelihood of fish death caused by stress and the potentially expensive damage your RV could suffer.
Stress is the number one killer of pet fish and a moving RV cannot provide the stable, climate controlled environment required for fish to live and thrive. The volume of water in an aquarium is significant (even in a small tank) and all it takes is one accident to do thousands of dollars of damage to the flooring and electrical system of your RV.
Our Assumptions for this Article
Before I get started explaining why a fish tank isn’t a good fit for an RV, let’s outline some assumptions:
- When I refer to a ‘fish tank’, I’m not talking about a large mason jar or small, enclosed globe tank with a single betta fish. This article covers your traditional multi-gallon tank setups complete with flow filters, lighting, temperature, and multiple fish.
- You don’t have a massive Class A Motorhome that is essentially a house on wheels with more space than you know what to do with.
- Your ability to control the internal temperature of the RV and thus the fish tank’s temperature is limited either by power limitations (battery life) or lack of adequate insulation.
- You’re living in the RV for an extended period of time. It’s not just a weekend vacation where the fish tank can stay at home with an automatic feeding system.
The life expectancy of fish being kept in an RV is VERY short. Before deciding to spend the time and money on an aquarium setup for your RV, please consider that a fish tank may not be a good fit for you as the health of the fish and your RV would be in jeopardy.
Stress – the Silent Deadly Killer of Fish
The interior of an RV is a hostile environment for most species of fish because of large temperature fluctuations that are commonly outside of the species tolerances. Fish living in an environment that does not meet their needs causes stress and stress is the number one silent killer of fish. Once a fish is sufficiently stressed, it’s only a matter of time before you wake up in the morning or finish a long drive in your RV only to find your aquatic pet floating upside down.
Here are a couple of ways keeping a fish tank in your RV can stress your fish out.
1. Water Movement in the Tank
Constant or consistent movement of a fish tank causes a shift in the water and can easily stress a fish to the point of death. You may think that fish are used to motion like underwater currents or the flow created in a tank by a filter system, but there is a distinct difference between that type of consistent movement and the sloshing motion caused by physically moving a tank or the jerking start and stop motion of a travelling RV.
Another type of motion that is deadly to fish is road vibration transmitted through the tires and RV body to whatever surface the tank is sitting on. It’s like the scene in Jurassic Park where the T-rex is approaching the vehicles in the rain. Every step the T-rex took shook the surface of the water. A fish tank in an RV experiences that type of vibration but at a greater intensity and duration. If the roads are bad enough or you don’t have a way to absorb road vibrations, you’d essentially be vibrating your fish to death.
If you don’t have good solutions to the following questions, you’re risking the life of your fish:
- Do you try to tie down the tank or anchor it in place on the countertop or in a cabinet?
- Will the tank fit in the sink or do you have to place it on the floor?
- While driving, how do you dampen road vibrations and the impact of inevitable potholes?
- How do you prevent the water from sloshing around the tank when starting and stopping?
- How will you monitor and regulate the tank’s water temperature?
Imagine sitting in a truck bed full of water while the truck is on the road. The driver starts and stops at stoplights and gas stations while you are tossed around in the bed of the truck with every momentum shift. You’re probably a little stressed because you don’t know which direction or how hard you’ll be tossed when the driver makes their next turn or stop. Unlike humans, fish aren’t able to cope with stress. At a certain point, they become little stress time bombs that will go off when you’d least expect it.
2. Climate Control – Water Temperature
The majority of pet fish species are very sensitive to temperature fluctuations. They often require temperatures that are warmer than a typical home or office ambient room temperature. That’s why there are sensors that constantly monitor the temperature of the tank’s water tied to heaters that work to keep the tank’s temp stable.
Unless you plan on keeping a larger tank with a species like Zebra Danios that can thrive in a variety of water temperatures or plan on using a water heater constantly, the temperature in your RV can become a real concern.
The temperature fluctuations caused by an unstable climate can be hard on fish if you’re not able to maintain the tank’s water temperature within a few degrees. Most RVs are not insulated like a house and do not have the heating and cooling capabilities to keep an RV at a constant specified temperature.
Ideal water temperature for a betta fish is between 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit
Air conditioning units and heaters are power hungry and unless you’re able to run them 24/7 to keep the temperature constant, the fish tank’s temperature will fluctuate. Regardless of your ability to run the A/C and heat all day and night, if your RV is located in a climate where the temperature swings significantly, there’s a good chance that your heating and AC units aren’t powerful enough to keep up with demand.
We’ve discussed what can happen to your fish when traveling in an RV. Now let’s discuss the potential damage a fish tank in your RV can cause.
Traveling with a Tank – Damage to Your RV
A travelling RV is the antithesis of the perfect environment for fish. Constant movement including stopping a starting will slosh the water in the tank. The sloshing motion caused by a will not only stress out the fish but most aquariums are not built to withstand the strain caused by water moving within the tank. One unfortunate shift or a small structural defect in the glass or plastic of the tank could result in the entire contents of the fish tank on and under the floor of your RV.
Fish require the water they swim in to be oxygenated in order to survive. The water in an aquarium is oxygenated as air passes over the surface of the water. Because the surface of the tank needs access to open/fresh air in order to oxygenate the water, you’re not able to make the tank air tight by sealing it completely. This would allow the water to slosh out of the tank while moving which is exactly what you need to avoid to prevent damage to your RV.
A small tank holds a LOT of water (2.5 – 5 gallons) and RV interiors don’t function well when wet. You risk electrical shorts, water damage to floor and subfloor materials, and a rather unpleasant smell that can be difficult to clean once absorbed into porous materials. The bacteria in a fish tank reeks and once it’s absorbed into your flooring, your RV will smell terrible with little chance of getting rid of the smell completely.
Cleaning a Fish Tank in an RV Would be a Chore
Properly cleaning a small fish tank doesn’t take long (15 minutes) but is typically done in an environment with a large sink and/or bathtub. In most RVs, you’ll have a small sink and possibly a small tub or shower stall. If you plan on using the sink and/or tub to help clean the tank, you’re introducing some inherent risk of a significantly large amount of water spilling in your RV’s interior. Just one mistake could cost you dearly because RV interiors aren’t made to handle large water spills.
Think about all the times you’ve accidentally spilled a glass full of liquid on the dinner table or your desk. Now imagine that glass is a small 2.5 gallon fish tank full of dirty, smelly water and you’ve accidentally knocked it over inside your RV.
Electrical shorts and subfloor rotting/warping are just a couple of nightmare issues caused by larger amounts of water let loose in an RV. The risk of spilling water is compounded when you consider the limited space you probably have in your RV. Now consider the fact that you’ll most likely need to clean the tank at least monthly, if not several times a month, in order to provide a proper environment; keeping the fish happy and healthy. What you may have originally viewed as a low maintenance hobby is now a bothersome chore due the increased difficulty of dealing with the cleaning process in an RV.
Do You Have Enough Space for a Fish Tank?
Where would you most likely keep a fish tank? My guess is on the countertop. But isn’t counter space some of the most precious space in an RV? Space is a precious commodity in an RV and a properly setup aquarium has a bigger footprint than you might think. Depending on the size of your rig, even a small betta fish in a jar can take up vital space that could be better utilized in another capacity.
Depending on the species and number of fish, the needed tank size starts to grow which will reduce available space further and make cleaning and maintaining the tank that much harder. Anything larger than a 2.5 gallon tank and you’re talking about an aquarium that you’ll most likely not be able to move once it’s placed (see tank size and weight chart below).
Water ‘Weighs a Ton’
As an RV owner, you know that the weight of water is significant and the amount of weight you’re able to carry or tow is limited. If you have a 5 gallon fish tank in your RV, it probably weighs around 62-65 pounds depending on the tank’s materials. When space and weight are precious, the question you have to ask yourself is would I rather be able to bring another 60-70 lbs of water you can use in your RV or would you like to have the companionship of a pet fish which has a good chance of kicking the bucket due to a harsh environment?
Small Aquariums
| Tank Size | L x W x H | Empty Weight | Filled Weight |
| 2.5 Gallon | 12 x 6 x 8 | 3 | 27 |
| 5 Gallon | 16 x 8 x 10 | 7 | 62 |
| 10 Gallon | 20 x 10 x 12 | 11 | 111 |
| 15 Gallon | 24 x 12 x 12 | 21 | 170 |
The purpose of this article was not to discourage you from owning fish as pets. I grew up loving fish and could stare for hours at fish swimming around a tank. I’d just like you to consider the well-being of both your pet fish and your RV. Unfortunately, the two just don’t mix so I can’t recommend keeping a fish tank or aquarium in your RV.