How Many Singaporeans Keep Fish? Latest Aquarium Ownership Insights

FishyHub Editorial Team

Author

7 October 2026

5 min read

How Many Singaporeans Keep Fish? Latest Aquarium Ownership Insights

FishyHub cannot give a count of how many Singaporeans keep fish, because it is a marketplace rather than a household survey. What its 2026 data does show is where active fish keepers are and what they keep: Central Singapore has the most livestock buyers, the North-East and West are also busy, and keepers buy heavily into koi, goldfish, guppies, plants and shrimp, with a smaller circle collecting arowana.

Key Findings

FishyHub data shows Central Singapore has the most livestock buyers and the most sellers on the marketplace.
FishyHub data shows the North-East and West both have many livestock buyers and sellers in Singapore.
FishyHub data shows the East has fewer buyers and the fewest sellers, and the North has the fewest buyers and fewer sellers.
FishyHub data shows koi in Singapore have very high purchases, demand ahead of supply and prices trending up.
FishyHub data shows goldfish in Singapore have high purchases and high buyer interest, with demand ahead of supply.
FishyHub data shows black, crossback and super red arowana sit in the collector tier in Singapore with limited supply.
FishyHub listings in Singapore lean towards freshwater: freshwater livestock holds the larger share and marine livestock the smaller one.

Why This Page Has No Head Count

A count of fish keepers needs a household survey that reaches people who rarely buy fish. FishyHub sees active hobbyists who list, buy and save livestock. This page describes them by where they are, the homes they keep fish in, and what they choose.

Where Singapore's Fish Keepers Are

FishyHub's buyer and seller data for livestock gives a regional picture:

Region	Buyers on FishyHub	Sellers on FishyHub
Central	Most buyers	Most sellers
East	Fewer buyers	Fewest sellers
North	Fewest buyers	Fewer sellers
North-East	Many buyers	Many sellers
West	Many buyers	Many sellers

Central Singapore's lead on both sides likely reflects its dense mix of homes and long-established aquarium shops. The North-East and West, with their large HDB towns and young families, are close behind. Sellers in the East are thinner on the ground, so East buyers draw more on merchants elsewhere, which islandwide delivery makes easy.

The Homes Behind Singapore's Tanks

HDB flats

Most Singaporeans live in HDB flats, and fish are one of the easiest pets to keep there. Tanks on a cabinet or shelf, often planted, are the typical setup. This helps explain FishyHub's very high purchases of aquatic plants, rasboras, tetras, Neocaridina shrimp and snails, all of which suit modest tank sizes.

Condos

Condo keepers often have room for larger display tanks, and some run marine setups. Marine livestock is the smaller share of FishyHub listings in Singapore, since reef tanks here usually need chillers to stay cool.

Landed homes

Landed homes are where ponds appear. Koi have very high purchases on FishyHub in Singapore, and demand runs ahead of supply. Koi as a broad group sit in the mid-range tier, while named koi sit in the upper mid-range with a very wide price spread, as pattern and lineage matter a great deal.

Traditions That Shape What Singaporeans Keep

Arowana and good fortune

The arowana is widely associated with prosperity in Chinese culture, and many Singapore households keep one as a statement fish. On FishyHub, black, crossback and super red arowana sit in the collector tier with limited supply. Silver arowana are more accessible, in the upper mid-range tier with rising activity and easing prices.

Goldfish

Goldfish are a long-standing household fish in Singapore, linked to luck and abundance. They have high purchases on FishyHub, with demand ahead of supply. Ranchu, the show-grade "king of goldfish", sit in the collector tier with prices trending up, while ryukin prices are easing.

Guppies and fighting fish

Guppies and bettas have long been bred in Singapore, from backyard tanks to commercial farms. Guppies have very high purchases on FishyHub today. Bettas are plentiful, with supply running ahead of demand for most varieties.

How Keepers' Choices Are Shifting

FishyHub's activity data shows which kinds of keeping are gaining ground in Singapore. New listings and orders are rising for bettas, guppies, goldfish as a group, angelfish, discus and silver arowana. They are cooling for oranda, ryukin and ranchu goldfish, even though ranchu prices are trending up, which suggests fewer show-grade fish coming to market rather than weaker interest. Koi activity is steady, with buyers still outpacing what sellers list.

What It Costs to Keep Fish in Singapore

Singapore's climate removes one cost common elsewhere: most tropical fish need no heater. Running costs instead come from filtration, lighting and, for some setups, cooling fans or chillers. The fish themselves span every tier on FishyHub: shrimp, snails, tetras and rasboras at entry level; goldfish and angelfish mid-range; discus and koi upper mid-range; and arowana, ranchu and channa at the collector end.

Methodology

This page draws on FishyHub marketplace activity in Singapore over the period from October 2024 to October 2026: buyer and seller regions for livestock, listings, listed prices and price moves, orders, wishlists, likes and "my tank" saves, and new listings and orders over time. Findings are reported as tiers and directions rather than figures.

FishyHub does not measure how many Singaporeans keep fish, household ownership rates, or purchases made outside its marketplace. Regional data covers livestock buyers and sellers in general, not individual species. Notes on housing and cultural traditions draw on general hobby knowledge.

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