Smart Fish Feeding in IoT-based Aquarium: A Comprehensive Approach Integrating Computer Vision, Machine Learning and Sensor Technology

With the increasingly busy lifestyles of people, advanced maintenance systems such as automated feeding has become of utmost importance to aquarium owners. Despite existing technologies, there remains a gap in smart feeding solutions tailored to the specific dietary requirements of different fish species and population sizes. This paper investigates smart fish feeding through automated detection, counting, classification and feeding of fishes within aquariums. As part of this paper, a smart population-driven aquarium maintenance system, named AquaTrack, is proposed that integrates Internet of Things (IoT), computer vision, machine learning, and sensor technologies. The system detects, classifies, and counts fish, adjusting feeding amounts based on species and population to mitigate the risks of overfeeding and underfeeding, which can significantly affect water quality. The system was evaluated through four research questions, where a general accuracy of 76.9% in fish species identification and 77.1% in fish counting were found. While promising outcomes were observed under specific conditions, variability and limitations in performance across different scenarios were also noted. Environmental factors such as lighting, reflections, shadows, and particulate matter affected the accuracies, particularly in scenarios involving smaller fish quantities. Based on these findings, the study recommends further refinement of the system to enhance its capabilities.