Build around the animals and their water needs
Build your Planet Zoo 2 aquarium as a custom aquatic habitat, then provide an aquarium staff gate, suitable feeders and filtration appropriate to its residents. Manage it by keeping feeding and cleaning supported, meeting each species’ welfare needs and checking compatibility before mixing animals.
Choose residents before designing the tank
Aquatic residents include marine, freshwater and brackish species, and not all aquatic animals can live together. Start by checking the water environment required by your intended residents rather than choosing a mixture purely for its appearance. Treat matching water needs as a starting point for your compatibility checks, rather than permission to combine every animal that shares them.
The aquatic roster includes Blacktip Reef Shark, Hawksbill Turtle, Red Lionfish, Ocean Sunfish and Javanese Cownose Ray. Use your preferred animal to guide the initial design, then check any proposed companions individually. A visually appealing collection is worth pursuing only when you can meet the needs of every resident.
Set up the aquarium and its care infrastructure
- Choose the species you want to house. Check their water environment, space, feeding and social needs so the aquarium plan starts with animal care. Keep the proposed resident list manageable while you work through those requirements; this gives you a clear brief before committing to a decorative layout.
- Construct the aquatic habitat using a blueprint or your own design. Aquarium construction follows a similar process to terrestrial habitats, and blueprints offer a quicker starting point. Choose the approach that helps you organise the habitat around its residents, then leave room in your design for their care infrastructure.
- Add an aquarium staff gate. Staff need this access to perform their aquarium tasks, including vets checking animals and keepers topping up food. Make the gate part of the initial care plan so you can consider staff access alongside the habitat and its viewing areas.
- Set up filtration appropriate to the animals’ water environment. Marine, freshwater and brackish residents need suitable filtration, and the system also helps keep the aquarium clean alongside keepers. Plan pumps and filters with the habitat so its supporting utilities are part of the build from the outset.
- Select feeders for the animals you intend to house. Different feeder types serve different residents, so choose according to who needs feeding. This turns your species plan into a practical feeding setup and gives you a reason to review feeders whenever you reconsider the aquarium’s occupants.
- Design guest viewing around the habitat. Glass tunnels can create views that feel like being inside the aquarium, while the wider habitat design must balance visibility with places where animals can retreat from guests. Consider where visitors will watch before finishing the scenery, keeping animal privacy part of the layout.
- Arrange delivery after the animals’ home is ready. Adopted animals wait in animal storage until their habitat is prepared, and the introductory setup guidance applies to aquariums as well as other habitats. Use that preparation time to review access, feeding, filtration and resident compatibility together.
Keep welfare and staff care working together
Animal welfare includes access to food and water, sufficient space, suitable terrain and plants, and an appropriate social and enrichment environment. Review those needs for each resident rather than treating an attractive tank as a finished habitat. Keep species requirements at the centre of decisions about decoration and future additions.
Keepers feed and care for animals, mechanics maintain habitats and facilities, and vets treat sick animals and conduct research. Staff can also be assigned to Work Zones. Consider including the aquarium in a manageable care area so its upkeep remains part of your wider staffing plan.
Review the setup before adding more animals
- For cleaning concerns, review suitable filtration and keeper care together. Both contribute to aquarium cleanliness, so include both in your maintenance checks.
- For feeding concerns, review the feeder choice and aquarium staff gate. Feeders depend on the residents, and keepers use staff access to top up food.
- Before adding a companion species, revisit compatibility and water requirements. Not all aquatic animals can be mixed; avoid treating a shared aquarium theme as a care requirement.
Plan for growing freshwater shoals
Shoal populations can increase as aquatic life grows. If a freshwater aquarium becomes too full, some shoals can be released into lakes in Wildlife Reserves. Revisit the resident population as part of ongoing management, and consider that freshwater release option when planning how your aquarium will develop.