Did you know that fish are crowd-favorite when it comes to pet-keeping, after cats and dogs? Surprisingly it comes third on the list of the most kept pets worldwide. 69% of the US households own a pet: 3 million of these take care of saltwater fish, and 12.8 million prefer freshwater fish to keep.
If this activity sometimes makes you feel like questioning your choices, especially if there are a few fish lives lost in your aquarium, well, you’re not the first person, though. Read along as we’ll explain to you why. And why you should keep what you’re doing.
Is Fishkeeping Good For You?
Whether you’re a freshy or salty person, you may have thought about packing up fishkeeping and forget about everything. Especially after a specific incident, boredom, expenses, or after some time of fishkeeping. You even feel stupid after losing your favorite fish. Or whenever you make the same mistakes over—and over again.
But that’s the trick with fish keeping; you got to experience how to take care of tiny creatures. Sometimes you keep them for a long time; other days, they last for a couple of weeks. Several aquarists even tried giving up but kept going and now understand the ins and out of how to care and let your fish live longer. But did you know that fish keeping is good for you?
Owning a fish tank at home comes with various benefits you may not be aware of. Besides home interior aesthetics, an aquarium helps improve your mood and mental health. There are several health benefits you can associate with this hobby.
If you are serious about this hobby and want to learn everything you need to know how to take care of tiny fishes at home properly, it’s never too late. You can learn more about aquarium fishkeeping here, with several tips and techniques on effectively maintaining a healthy underwater habitat, which fish to buy, and more.
Proven health benefits
Fishkeeping provides tons of health benefits, including reducing stress, heart rate, lowers blood pressure, improves eating habits and behavior issues, especially with people suffering from Alzheimer’s. This is one reason why most dentists, doctors, and therapists have an aquarium in their waiting area.
Excellent learning experience
Fishkeeping is an excellent learning experience for kids. This allows your kids to learn how to be responsible for taking care of tiny creatures. Your kid will learn several skill sets with fish keeping, including caring, feeding, and keeping the fish tank clean.
While it’s inevitable to have a dead fish, you can look at it on the lighter side, which helps your children understand life and death and deal with it.
They’re quiet
While dogs and cats are popular pets, you will surely agree that day also produces unnecessary noises most of the time. Compared to various pets, fish are all true quiet. Like you’ll never hear any sound. Ever. If you have kids or a growing family, then an aquarium tank is an excellent choice.
Space-saver
One of the reasons why fish keeping is gaining popularity is that it doesn’t take up much space in your living room. Varying on how many fish you want to keep on your fish tank, you can keep it on the corner together with the other accessories and fish foods.
Low-maintenance
Fishes are very independent creatures. They won’t suffer from anxiety in case you’ll have to leave them for a while. As long as you’re providing their necessities and take care of their habitat, they’re good to go. Plus, they do most of the entertaining part.
Cheap compared to other pets.
Compared to getting a cat or dog, fish keeping is an inexpensive hobby. This depends on the type of fish you want to take care of.
Aesthetically pleasing
Aquariums improve the interior design of your home. They also provide a feeling of peacefulness and calmness. Since fish comes in various sizes and colors, simply staring at them for a couple of minutes allows you to connect to nature and relax at the same time.
Rewarding hobby
People who take care of fish testified that it’s a rewarding hobby. Most people who own aquariums take pride in their collection of fishes. Several people also breathe fish.
Does It Make You Feel Stupid?
Be realistic with this having means you have to understand the setback associated with it. It’s essential to understand that fish keeping is not always entertaining and fun. Several factors can be challenging, especially for beginners. The most common setbacks when it comes to fish keeping are the cleaning procedure and algae build-up.
There are times that you may feel stupid, sad, and all, especially if one of your favorite breeds of fish dies. However, this is where you pick yourself up, learn from the mistakes that you have made, and continue again. This gives you an advantage as you know new things moving forward.
Conclusion
Whether you are planning to add new fish to your collection or looking for ways to take care of your aquarium to improve its aesthetics, fishkeeping is an excellent hobby. It comes with tons of health benefits, and it’s low maintenance. It requires tiny space in your living room, and there is no mess to think of or tidy up later on.