Fish are not only easy pets to care for, but they also provide you with hours of enjoyment and relaxation. An attractive aquarium can also add beauty and interest to your home. Studies suggest that watching fish helps to reduce stress levels and reduce blood pressure. Keeping an aquarium of fish allows a person to create a self-sufficient underwater biosphere, which many people find very satisfying and rewarding. Studies have shown that approximately one household out of ten have fish.
Fish make great pets for busy people on the go, since once you have an aquarium established; there is not a need for a great deal of daily care to maintain it. Many times a child’s first pet is a fish, since it is easy for them to care for, and provides them with a way to prove that they can develop the responsibility necessary to care for a pet. Children often have a strong desire to care for a pet, and with fish, they have the gratification of successfully caring for a pet that is easy for them to maintain. Children are also fascinated by the sight of fish swimming in an aquarium, and they can spend hours watching and talking to their little fish pets.
An aquarium of fish also makes a good addition to a classroom environment, nursing homes, hospitals, and waiting rooms. In nursing homes and hospitals, an aquarium of fish is often more beneficial than any other type of pet therapy.
Fish have the ability to hold a person’s attention, which can be especially helpful for nursing home patients with attention span deficits and even Alzheimer’s. For patients with disabilities or mobility issues, an aquarium can be perfect, because they may not have the physical ability to interact with other types of pets or animals.
Other than feeding, aquarium tank maintenance is easy. If an aquarium is properly maintained, the tank only requires a small amount of maintenance, other than feeding the fish. When choosing an aquarium, especially for the first time, it can be beneficial to start small. Not only will the financial investment be quite modest for a small ten to twenty gallon aquarium, but it also will not take up much room in your home. You will also need something sturdy to support the aquarium. Keep in mind that a gallon of water weighs a little less than 8 1/2 pounds, so even a small aquarium can be quite heavy.
In addition to the aquarium, you will also need a hood, to keep the fish in and small children out. Some hoods also have a light included. A good filtration system is also necessary to keep the tank clean. If you are keeping tropical fish, you will also need an aquarium heater. You will also need gravel for the bottom of the aquarium, and some live of plastic plants will add the final touch. When choosing fish for your aquarium, be sure not to put too many fish into the aquarium. A time-honored method of determining the fish capacity of an aquarium is figuring one inch of fully-grown fish size per every gallon of water.
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