What is a nano aquarium?
These are small, transparent bins that rarely exceed 25 cm in length.
They're popular with Japanese anglers, who use them a lot for small salmonids. In fact, we're seeing them more and more on social networks and Instagram in particular.
This makes it possible to take superb shots of these modest fish and make their dress stand out like never before with shots of them in the water.
Scientists also use them to take photos, again often of salmonids, to enrich their data on the different phenotypes (different trout coats).
These nano aquariums, often made of acrylic, have the advantage of being lightweight, fairly sturdy and allowing you to take beautiful photos of small fish comfortably in the water.
How do I get one?
This is the hardest part, but there's a trick to it! Paradoxically, it's very difficult to find nano aquariums with the right dimensions, even on the Internet.
I had searched in vain for a long time, until I met two Italian fishermen, studying science in Turin, who gave me their secret...
In fact, you need to look for acrylic display cases (glass is heavy and brittle) for model making or jewelry! Plastic is very transparent and rather thick. If the display case has small holes, don't panic, just seal them with a little glue or silicone.
The right dimensions are a length of around 25 cm, a width of between 7 and 12 cm and a height of around 15 cm. It all depends on the fish you want to photograph.
You can buy one online for between ?20 and ?30.
How do I use them?
It couldn't be simpler: once you've caught a modest fish, simply fill the tank directly with clear water on site, place it on a roughly level surface and place your catch in it.
Take along a soft, clean towel to remove any water droplets that get on the outside, and to protect your mini aquarium during the session.
While this type of small aquarium is ideal for small stream salmonids, it's also ideal for rockfishing, with its superb little fish that really come into their own. It's up to you to find out how to use them, but the possibilities are numerous and still unexplored in France.
All that's left to do is take photos of your catch like never before, fins unfolded, colors sublimated or simply admire your capture!
