Aquarium price in Nepal: tanks, filters and the full setup

The tank is the cheap part. People budget for the glass box, then find out at the shop that the filter, heater, light, gravel and water conditioner together cost as much again. This page prices all of it, so the number you carry to the shop is the number you spend.

Prices were read off Nepali shop pages on 5 October 2026. Gharpaluwa does not sell fish or any other live animal; this guide covers the tank and everything that goes in it except the fish.

The short answer

• Desktop tank, 8 to 9 litres: Rs 3,200 to 4,000, light and lid included.
• Ready-made tank, 20 to 50 litres: Rs 5,400 to 6,500.
• Ready-made tank, about 100 litres: about Rs 11,600.
• Bare 3 foot glass tank: from about Rs 2,800, with no lid, light or stand.
• Everything else for a small tank: about Rs 1,400, plus an air pump and water conditioner.

Tank prices by size

Two things explain the spread. A ready-made tank is a finished product: moulded lid, built-in light, sometimes a filter. A bare glass tank is five sheets of glass and silicone, made to order by a local shop, and it is much cheaper per litre. You then buy the lid, light and stand yourself.

Glass thickness matters more as tanks get taller. 5 mm is common on budget 3 foot tanks; many builders use 8 mm at that size and up. Ask what thickness you are getting before you compare two quotes.

Buying by the foot

Shops in Nepal quote tanks by length in feet. Roughly:

Volume depends on height and depth as well as length, so two “2 foot” tanks can differ by 20 litres. We found published prices for 3 foot tanks but not for 2 foot and 4 foot bare tanks, so those sizes are not priced here. A 2 foot quote should land between the 1 foot and 3 foot figures.

Second-hand tanks are worth a look. In Kathmandu Facebook groups, 3 foot tanks with accessories were advertised at Rs 6,000 to 8,000 and a 3.5 foot tank with stand, cover, filter and light at Rs 12,000. Fill a used tank outdoors and leave it a day to check for leaks before you carry it upstairs.

Filter, heater, light and the rest

Filters are from Daraz, the heater and soil from Fish Pasal, and media and food from Nepal Aqua Studio. We did not find a published price for a plain LED tank light, so lights are not priced here.

Do you need a heater in Kathmandu? For tropical fish, yes. Winter nights in the Valley take an unheated tank well below the 24 to 27 °C most tropical species want. Goldfish cope without one. A heater draws power only while it is heating, and at Rs 280 it is the cheapest insurance in the tank.

Load-shedding and power cuts. A sponge filter on a small battery air pump keeps a tank alive through a cut. It is worth owning one even if your main filter is electric.

Three complete budgets

The starter budget also needs an air pump to drive the sponge filter, and the 3 foot budget needs a lid and something strong to stand on: 125 litres of water weighs 125 kg before the glass. We did not find published prices for air pumps, lids, stands or water conditioner, so add those at the shop. Totals are our arithmetic from the prices above.

Before the fish go in

A new tank is not ready the day you fill it. The filter needs two to four weeks to grow the bacteria that turn fish waste into something harmless; this is called cycling. Fish put into an uncycled tank often die in the first fortnight, and the shop gets blamed for “weak fish”.

Set the tank up, run the filter and heater, add a pinch of food every day or two, and wait. Treat tap water with a dechlorinator every time you add it. Then add a few fish, not all of them.

Before you buy

• Decide the fish first, then the tank. A goldfish needs far more water than a betta.
• Check where it will stand. Level, out of direct sun, near a socket, on something that takes the weight.
• Ask about glass thickness and warranty on any made-to-order tank.
• Buy the tank in person or with cash on delivery. Glass travels badly; inspect it before you pay.