Pros and cons of an aquarium in the house

Entrepreneurs have long grasped the connection between having an aquarium indoors and the friendly attitude of people. In St. Petersburg, a large aquarium is installed, for example, in the lobby of the head office of a large real estate agency, in a restaurant at a hotel near the Moscow railway station. Shopping centers have even learned to make a profit from aquariums – they offer to feed the fish by putting a bill in a machine that throws food into the water. Does an aquarium with fish for children and adults really become a means of getting rid of unpleasant thoughts, helping to relieve stress?

Psych Central magazine in August 2015 published an article about a study conducted by employees of the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, UK, the University of Plymouth and the University of Exeter. The National Marine Aquarium decided to update its main display – the aquarium with a volume of almost 150 gallons began to launch fish from scratch, gradually adding new species and increasing the total number of inhabitants.

British researchers asked a group of volunteers to watch the fish in a huge aquarium. Scientists recorded how people’s well-being changed from this. It turned out that the more inhabitants there were in the aquarium, the more enthusiastically the volunteers watched their movements and the better they felt. Scientists have stated that watching the aquarium does help improve physical and mental well-being.

In the study participants, in the process of observing life in the aquarium, blood pressure significantly decreased, heart rate decreased, mood and concentration improved. All positive changes were proportional to the increase in the number of fish in the aquarium. National Marine Aquarium Lead Scientist Deborah Cracknell concluded that this scientific work provided the first convincing evidence of the positive effects of the aquarium on humans.

Dr Matthew White, an environmental psychologist at the University of Exeter, said the results of the study give reason to think about how aquariums can improve the lives of people who do not have access to nature. To do this, Dr. White says, it is necessary to determine the mechanisms for the improvements in well-being that he and his colleagues observed in volunteers. Dr. Sabina Pal, from the Department of Psychology at the University of Plymouth, concluded that in an atmosphere of increased stress from work and city life, aquariums can become an oasis of relaxation and tranquility.

• New knowledge, responsibility.

Aquarium with fish for children will be a living guide to biology. It is much easier to interest a child in learning when you can follow the life processes yourself, and not read about them in a book. Even a small aquarium at home will awaken a thirst for knowledge and teach the young aquarist to be responsible for their pets, who need to be fed and cleaned.

• Air humidification.

Evaporation of water from the aquarium will humidify the air, which is very important in a city apartment. If health restrictions or other circumstances do not allow you to often leave the house, walk, then observing the flora and fauna in the aquarium will cheer you up and compensate for the lack of communication with nature.

• No allergies.

If you’re an animal lover, but your wool allergy keeps you from getting a cat or dog, you might be able to make friends with fish. They, unlike a puppy, will not ask to play with them, and there is no need to walk the fish. And if your indoor plants are dying due to the fact that the sun bypasses your windows, why not start a herbal aquarium with picturesque plants of the underwater world?

• A small ocean right at your doorstep.

Marine painters are ready to paint canvases depicting the sea and ships all their lives. Popular sci-fi films show us how scuba divers film life in the depths of the ocean on camera. That’s how the whole world is fascinated by the beauty of nature! Now imagine that a living work of art will delight you every day, right in your home. Large aquariums for the home are even better than monumental oil paintings, because every day you will see a new scene from the life of fish.

• Personal psychologist.

Watching the aquarium, a person relaxes and gets rid of stress. And for hyperactive children, watching fish helps them concentrate on other tasks.

• Family leisure.

Aquarium can be an interesting form of family leisure. Just imagine how you will decide at a family council which aquarium is best for your home, which fish to put in it. This common topic of discussion will unite you with loved ones, and also help you find many like-minded people on Internet forums who will be happy to chat and share experiences.

When looking for information about the effect of an aquarium on a person, check the information. A publication about research in this field should indicate the name, specialty of the scientist and the university or laboratory where this research was carried out. See that there is a link to the original source of information – the press service of the university or a respected scientific publication.

Unfortunately, aquarists sometimes suffer from misinformation. A few years ago, a popular Russian TV show said that diseases are transmitted through an aquarium. In response, a series of commercials followed, in which experienced aquarists refuted every statement made in the program. The authors of the video reviews recalled that many people bathe in water bodies and go fishing without being afraid of microorganisms living in the water.

There are not so many disadvantages that keeping an aquarium can bring into your life. And with the acquisition of experience, they disappear altogether. Here are the main points that bother beginner aquarists.

• It will take time to study the information.

The arrangement of the aquarium requires information training. Online portals with feature articles, demonstration videos from aquarists, forum discussions will help you gain knowledge about types of substrate, aquarium equipment, and care procedures. Just go to the pet store and stock up will not work, you need to approach the matter wisely. You will need time to find and study the basic information. But by the time you purchase the aquarium and its inhabitants, you will already know where you can find the answer about cleaning products for large aquariums for the home and suitable food for goldfish.

• The aquarium needs to be cleaned regularly.

The aquarium should be cleaned about once a week and partially replaced with fresh water. This should become a habit, become a regular duty of the owner of the fish. But when you have all the cleaning tools at your fingertips, the procedure will not present much difficulty. If you doubt that you have enough self-discipline, start with a small-sized underwater oasis. A small aquarium at home will not take you much time and effort.

• Short life of fish.

A big disadvantage can be the short life of the fish. Here we need to return to the issue of information preparation. Choose fish not only by color, but also by characteristics such as life expectancy and the necessary conditions of detention. The fighting fish looks spectacular, but lives for two to three years. A goldfish will be a real decoration of your life, and even live 10-15, and maybe all 20 years.

But in the matter of the life expectancy of fish, a lot depends on you. The inhabitants of the aquarium should not be crowded, do not allow overpopulation. Large aquariums for the home will allow you to get more fish. Observe the temperature regime, give the fish quality food, clean up your own little underwater world.

We hope that these pleasant chores will please you and leave doubts about the pros and cons of an aquarium in the past in the past. And the aesthetic pleasure from the beauty of the aquarium and its inhabitants will allow you to relax and forget about all the hardships.