Aquarium and fishkeeping retail is a technically demanding category with a passionate, highly knowledgeable customer base. Product decisions involve compatibility with tank size, water parameters, and existing livestock. Live animal and plant shipping adds logistics complexity not seen in most ecommerce categories. Migrating to Shopify requires bringing across detailed technical specifications and setting up appropriate shipping and legal notices.

Aquarium product categories

Live fish: Tropical freshwater, cold water, marine. Temperature range, pH preference, minimum tank size, compatibility notes.
Live invertebrates: Shrimp, snails, crabs, corals. Water parameter requirements, compatibility with fish.
Live plants: Aquatic plants for planted tanks. Light requirement (low/medium/high), CO2 requirement, growth rate.
Tanks and aquariums: Volume (litres/gallons), dimensions, type (all-glass, rimless, bow-front).
Filtration: Internal, external (canister), sump, HOB (hang-on-back). Flow rate (l/h) and suitable tank volume.
Lighting: LED units, fluorescent tubes, metal halide. Spectrum, PAR/PPFD values, and colour temperature.
Heaters and cooling: Wattage and suitable tank volume. Temperature range.
Water chemistry: pH adjusters, hardness additives, dechlorinators, bacteria starters, test kits.
Food: Dry flake, pellet, frozen, live. Suitable fish types and size, nutritional data.
Aquascaping: Substrates, rocks, driftwood, decorations.

Live animal shipping — legal and logistics requirements

Shipping live fish, invertebrates, and plants has specific legal and practical requirements in the UK:

Animal welfare: Live animals must be shipped via a specialist live fish courier or overnight service. Standard 2–5 day courier services are not appropriate and may be illegal under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Packaging requirements: Double-bag in oxygen-enriched bags, insulated box, heat packs in cold weather. Packaging method and transit time directly affect survival rates.
Live arrival guarantee: Most reputable aquatic retailers offer a live arrival guarantee with photographic evidence requirement. State policy clearly on product pages.
Non-native invasive species: Some species (e.g. certain crayfish species) cannot legally be sold or released in the UK under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Ensure your catalogue does not include prohibited species.
Weather restrictions: Many retailers suspend live shipments during extreme cold or heat. Configure date-based shipping rules or add a warning notification during at-risk periods.

In Shopify, create a separate shipping profile for live animals with only the appropriate overnight/express shipping methods and restrict to areas you can reliably serve.

Product compatibility metafields

product.metafields.aquarium.min_tank_litres = "200"
product.metafields.aquarium.max_tank_mates = "Peaceful community fish only"
product.metafields.aquarium.water_type = "Freshwater / Brackish / Marine"
product.metafields.aquarium.temp_min_c = "24"
product.metafields.aquarium.temp_max_c = "28"
product.metafields.aquarium.ph_min = "6.5"
product.metafields.aquarium.ph_max = "7.5"
product.metafields.aquarium.gh_min_dgh = "4"
product.metafields.aquarium.gh_max_dgh = "15"
product.metafields.aquarium.difficulty = "Beginner / Intermediate / Expert"
product.metafields.aquarium.adult_size_cm = "5"
product.metafields.aquarium.is_live = "true"               // live animal or plant

Lighting specifications

Aquarium lighting is chosen based on the plants and corals being kept. Lighting specs matter to buyers:

product.metafields.aquarium.light_spectrum_k = "6500"      // colour temperature in Kelvin
product.metafields.aquarium.par_value = "150"              // PAR/PPFD at 30cm depth
product.metafields.aquarium.light_type = "LED / Fluorescent T5 / Metal Halide"
product.metafields.aquarium.suitable_plants = "Low light / Medium / High demand"
product.metafields.aquarium.suitable_reef = "Soft corals only / SPS corals"
product.metafields.aquarium.wattage_w = "30"
product.metafields.aquarium.coverage_litres = "100-150"

Filtration specifications

product.metafields.aquarium.filter_type = "Internal / External canister / HOB / Sump"
product.metafields.aquarium.flow_rate_lph = "1200"         // litres per hour
product.metafields.aquarium.suitable_tank_litres = "200-400"
product.metafields.aquarium.media_included = "Mechanical / Biological / Chemical"
product.metafields.aquarium.max_head_height_m = "1.2"      // for external filters

Plant care data

product.metafields.aquarium.co2_required = "Optional / Recommended / Essential"
product.metafields.aquarium.light_requirement = "Low / Medium / High"
product.metafields.aquarium.growth_rate = "Slow / Medium / Fast"
product.metafields.aquarium.placement = "Foreground / Midground / Background / Floating"
product.metafields.aquarium.fertiliser_required = "true"

Post-migration checklist for aquarium and fishkeeping stores

Live animals and plants: dedicated overnight shipping profile with appropriate methods only
Live arrival guarantee policy: displayed on all live product pages
Invasive species: review catalogue against Schedule 9 prohibited species list
Fish: minimum tank size, water parameters (pH, temperature, hardness), and compatibility notes as metafields
Lighting: PAR value, colour temperature, and suitable plant/coral type as metafields
Filtration: flow rate and suitable tank volume as metafields
Tank volume in litres prominently displayed (many WooCommerce stores had this in attributes — map to metafield)
Weather suspension: process documented for pausing live shipments during extreme weather
Water chemistry products: usage instructions and dosing information in product descriptions

Migrating an aquarium and fishkeeping store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)