How to build and connect aquarium filtration

A Planet Zoo 2 aquarium needs a closed Aquarium barrier and Aquarium Staff Gate to fill with water. Connect a Water Filter to the gate’s node through Edit Filtration Network, then check that supply exceeds demand and salinity matches the animals. New aquariums default to Freshwater.

1. Close the aquarium and add its gate

Open Habitat Barrier → Aquarium and draw a closed barrier. Add an Aquarium Staff Gate; the enclosure fills with water once the aquarium and gate are complete. Provide staff access and power for the equipment. Before adopting animals, use their Zoopedia entries to establish whether they need Freshwater, Brackish or Saltwater.

An aquarium is a managed water enclosure. The connection checks below use the Aquarium Staff Gate, not a natural-water pump.

2. Connect a Water Filter to the gate node

1. In the Facilities Browser, choose Utilities → Water Filter and place it with the required power and maintenance access.
2. Open Edit Filtration Network.
3. Connect a pipe from the network to the Aquarium Staff Gate node. Placing a filter nearby is not the same as connecting the aquarium.
4. Inspect the network’s supply and demand. Supply must exceed demand; demand depends on water volume and animal count.

For natural water in a habitat, the connection instead uses a Water Pump connected to the filtration network. Do not substitute that connection for the aquarium’s Staff Gate node.

Water FilterPowered supply

Network pipesEdit Filtration Network

Aquarium gate nodeThe aquarium connection endpoint

3. Set salinity without changing the wrong aquarium

New aquarium water defaults to Freshwater. Set the filtration network to the salinity required by the species in the in-game Zoopedia. Changing network salinity affects all connected water bodies. As a practical planning rule, put incompatible salinity needs on separate networks; recheck every connected enclosure before changing an existing network.

4. Check temperature and staff roles

When the gate is powered, configure aquarium temperature through its Environment tab. Use the species’ Zoopedia temperature range; this guide does not prescribe a single temperature for all aquatic animals.

Keepers clean the aquarium; Mechanics maintain the barrier and Water Filter. Check usable staff routes and equipment power before treating dirty water as evidence that a larger filter is required.

5. Edit a populated aquarium safely

Box or remove the animals first. Use Drain Water, make the edits and refill the aquarium, then recheck the gate, filtration connection, salinity and temperature before returning animals. Do not drain an occupied aquarium as a routine troubleshooting shortcut.

Diagnose the connection before adding capacity

Symptom or task	Inspect
Aquarium does not fill	Closed Aquarium barrier and Aquarium Staff Gate
Filter is present but aquarium is unserved	Pipe connection to the Staff Gate node in Edit Filtration Network
Demand has risen	Water volume, animal count and whether supply still exceeds demand
Another enclosure changed salinity	Both water bodies belong to the same network
Temperature controls unavailable	Gate power and Environment tab

Reference: Filtration Network. More tasks: animal release workflow · all guides.