Guest post:
There are many benefits to setting up a home aquarium. For example, did you know that, according to a recent study, keeping pet fish is great for your health? It’s true; caring for a few fishy friends can lower your blood pressure and relieve stress.
So, let’s check out the benefits that keeping fish can bring to you and your family.
1 Lower Blood Pressure
Scientific research shows that keeping a fish tank in your home can help to lower blood pressure, especially in the elderly. Indeed, a fascinating study revealed that an aquarium containing living creatures produces a bigger drop in blood pressure than a tank containing only plants or synthetic fish.
2 Stress Relief
The simple act of observing pet fish swimming in an attractively decorated tank can improve your mood and lower your stress levels, that’s according to the findings of a survey by the American Pet Products Association.
So, after a stressful day at work, kicking back in front of your home aquarium can be the perfect chill-out activity.
3 Soothing Properties for Kids With ADHD
According to the findings of a study carried out by the NIH/Mars Partnership, children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often find watching fishes swimming in an imaginatively aquascaped fish tank extremely calming.
4 Health Benefits for People With Alzheimer’s
Did you know that there are over five million Americans who have dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease? And it’s predicted that those numbers could rise exponentially by 2050 to around 16 million.
Well, the good news, according to Purdue University, is that watching fishes swimming in an aquarium can bring many health benefits for those who have dementia or Alzheimer’s.
It was discovered that fish tanks full of brightly colored fishes helps to limit disruptive behavior and improves the appetite of people suffering from those conditions. Even communication between care staff and their patients improved in ways not previously experienced, and all because an aquarium had been set up in the care home.
5 Educational Pets for Children
Kids love to get involved in caring for their pets, and a small betta tank with one male betta fish and a few small tank mates doesn’t take much time or money to maintain.
Children learn to be responsible for the wellbeing and health of a living creature, as well as understanding mortality and coping with grief when their treasured pet dies.
Your children will enjoy hours of fun cleaning and maintaining the tank, feeding their fish, and learning to recognize the signs of disease and how to treat the various common fish ailments that might affect their pet.
Older children learn the importance of the nitrogen cycle and why it’s so crucial to successful fishkeeping. Understanding water pH levels, water hardness, water temperature, and their importance is also a very valuable science lesson.
6 Cheaper Pets Than Dogs and Cats
Owning a dog is undoubtedly great fun, but it’s also expensive, and Fido can be a real tie when you want to take a vacation or if you’re out all day at work.
In comparison, a fish tank is relatively inexpensive to set up and keep. Fish food is much cheaper than a cat or dog food, you don’t need to take out costly insurance on a pet goldfish, you won’t need to pay for boarding kennels or house-sitters when you go away, and you won’t be faced with expensive vet bills either.
7 You Don’t Need Much Space for an Aquarium
If you live in an apartment or a small place, you might not have much space to spare, and many renters aren’t permitted to keep pets, making it a clear decision to choose an ESA letter if you qualify.
A small aquarium doesn’t take up much space. You can get tanks that fit on a desktop or counter, and there are even aquariums that double as coffee tables.
8 A Home Aquarium is Low-Maintenance
When you compare the maintenance requirements of a fish tank, they pale into insignificance when compared with the daily needs of a dog or a cat.
Fish don’t need walking, entertaining, or grooming, and there’s no messy litter box to clean up every day.
You can leave your fish home alone while you’re out at work, and you can even buy an automatic fish feeder with a timing device to cater to your fishy friends if you’re not around to feed them.
That said, you do need to spend some time cleaning the aquarium substrate, scraping algae from the viewing panes, and carrying out partial water changes every week. But the total time for that is typically around just one hour.
9 A Home Aquarium Looks Great!
Despite their many benefits, as mentioned above, most people have a home aquarium simply because a tastefully aquascaped fish tank that’s teeming with gorgeous fish makes a fabulous design feature in any room.
There are so many different shapes and styles of aquariums to choose from, and hundreds of freshwater and marine fish, invertebrates, and even corals to keep in your tank; the inspiration is endless.
In Conclusion
As you can see, there are many benefits to setting up a home aquarium!
Keeping fish is great for the physical and mental health of you and your nearest and dearest of all ages. Compared with keeping a dog or a cat, maintaining a fish tank takes much less time and is easier on your pocket too. And a beautifully aquascaped home aquarium makes a stunning focal point in any room.
So, next time the kids beg you for a pet, give fishkeeping a try. You won’t regret it!