A place to politely discuss the tools, technique and culture of photography.
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You can purchase a flange to cover your lens and reduce glare
I wouldn’t put filters because the light is already low in these environments and you need a faster shutter speed
The biggest difficulty will actually be focusing
It’s almost impossible for autofocus to work so you need to manually focus but fish don’t sit still
Probe lens or periprobe lens?
Not exactly the most inexpensive option but it's cheaper than a custom built aquarium and diving there with an underwater camera.
...they live in water contained by glass and acrylic...
I purchased this and cut a hole in the bottom to fit my lens. It rests against the glass and cuts all reflections. I use it on the plexiglass when my kid is playing indoor soccer as well!
I think the best lighting if the tanks aren't lit well enough would be a couple of underwater compatible led strips that you could put maybe in the front corners inside the tank and then try to block out any external light with the hoods people have mentioned but also turning off all other lights and closing blinds if appropriate.
I've done it (way back in the film days) reasonably successfully by being in a dark room and adding an off-camera strobe either from above or from one side.
The big lens hood is a good idea or you can just use a jacket or blanket over your head and the front of the talk to block reflections.
Friendly reminder that flashes can be very traumatic for the fish.
Through glass isn't bad as long as it's 90 degrees. The biggest issue is lightning - anything you preview on the camera looks like garbage because it won't WB beyond 10kK so take a lot. Everything needs to be white balanced post. It Also tends to under expose on heavy blue so bump your EV comp a bit. Always shoot at 90 degrees and use a rubber hood.
Shot this through 10mm glass under 18,000K lighting with cheap amateur gear: https://www.reddit.com/r/ReefTank/comments/ksmz50/macro_of_my_little_yellow_rug/
I photograph goldfish all the time. I have a small ring light that I keep on low and shine it above the tank and use a rubber lens hood on the glass. Then I wait. Easier to have them come to you than chase them with your camera. Lots of editing poop out of the photos but it works for me and I’ve got some great shots.
Yes on the rubber lens hood. Butt it right up against the glass, and because the lens hood is flexible, you can even angle the camera a very tiny bit if you need to. I use a flash on very low power handheld on a TTL cord. Wait for the fish to come to you, don’t chase. Autofocus may or may not work, all depends.
Do you have the option of moving the tanks? We shoot aquascape photos in a dark room, and the lights are on the sides and top of the tanks. Dunno if that info helps.
I can never get my fish to smile. Good luck
