Benefits of Keeping Fish

If you read my intro, you'd know that at one time, I hated fish. But after keeping them for only a few months, I've grown to realize that most people misunderstand and underestimate fish keeping as a past-time. This post is dedicated to the benefits of keeping fish!

1. There's scientific evidence proving that watching fish lowers your blood pressure! That's why offices filled with stressed out employees and customers sometimes have fish tanks - to reduce social friction by distracting everybody with colorful swimmers! It also reduces the prevalence and severity of heart attacks!
   
   
2. Gives you something to do in your free time.
   
   
3. Teaches children and adults alike something called "RESPONSIBILITY" (ever heard of it? ;)
   
   
4. Puts you in a relaxed and meditative mood. My guess would be that you could probably find some correlates between fish keeping and lower susceptibility to heart disease, anxiety and depression.
   
   
5. Fish are lower maintenance than some other pets like dogs or birds or dinosaurs.
   
   
6. Aquariums add a splash of color and elegance to an otherwise bland room.
   
   
7. Fish will listen to your troubles without judgment. In fact, they might even stand on your side if you feed them a few worms. (i.e. You: "That big fat jerk dumped me! Do you think he was a bad guy? (feeds betta) Betta: "nods")
   
   
8. There's so much diversity in the fish kingdom! Thousands of species to choose from and care for.
   
   
9. It's much easier and just as educational to raise fish fry.
   
   
10. Fish keeping is a great way to learn:
    
    Chemistry (see: the Nitrogen Cycle, Master Test Kit, Buffers, water conditions, alkalinity, salinity, phosphates, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, KH, GH, calcium, iron....),
    
    Physics (see: How to use a Gravel Vac, Displacement of water, oxygenation of water, filled aquarium weight, how fish swim, how a filter works, how an aquarium heater works, what are drip loops),
    
    Math (see: calculating the size of your tank, fish, how much gravel you need, aquascaping, densities, volume, weights),
    
    Art design (see: aqua landscaping styles, choosing aquatic plants, aquarium placement, color-matching fish / tankmates, fish tattoos, drawing fish, aquarium shapes (hex, bowfront etc),
    
    English (see: reading this blog, reading aquarium books, pamphlets, blogs, writing about aquariums, watching videos about fish keeping, writing poems about fish...),
    
    Psychology (see: why do fish follow your fingers, why do fish eat even when they're full, fish depression, fish under stress,)
    
    Biology: (see: fish reproduction, fish anatomy, how do fish breathe, eat, swim, excrete waste? Symptoms of fish diseases, pathogens, harmful bacteria and viruses, proper tank cleaning methods, fish sleeping, medical models of fish diseases used to treat human illness, diagnosing and treating fish diseases with antibiotics, antifungal treatments etc.)
    
    Geology (see: types of gravel, sediments, rock formation, slate, volcanic rock, river stones, rock decorations, colorful gravel)
    
    Economics (see: how to save money on aquarium equipment, why mom and pop shops have to sell things at a more expensive price, how chain stores (Petco, Petsmart, Petcetera etc.) use capitalism, marketing, outsourcing, importing and other mumbo jumbo to gain your customer loyalty and your pocket money. $$$ why do aquariums cost so much money, benefits of buying used aquarium stuff...)
    
    Socials Studies/ Sociology (see: unethical fish capturing techniques, endangered/extinct tropical fish, fish cruelty/abuse, funding towards fish research, educational programs about aquatic life, ethics of killing sick fish, fry, show quality fish conventions, contests, gatherings, why people help each other with fish questions on the internet, classes/seminars on fish keeping)
    
    History: (see: history of fish keeping, origins of fish watercolor paintings, Goldfish breeding in China, early fascination with aquariums, passing fish from generation to generation)
    
    Engineering: (see: how to design a gigantic aquarium as a tourist attraction, how to sustain the weight, filtration, heating of large aquariums, designing attractive but durable display tanks )
    
    Law: (see: illegal importing/exporting of fish, stealing prized, rare fishes, illegal sale of fishes, trapping endangered species, unethical treatment of fish in large fish stores)
    
    
    

*Srsly. You learn quite a bit if you put your mind to it. These are just some examples!!


Maybe I'll think of more later....But as you can see, the list is quite extensive already!! =D


*********Edit

11. If you clean your tank often enough, tanks won't smell
12. Fish don't take up much room at all.
13. Your furniture is safe. No claw marks or rips haha.
14. Fish and Fish tanks are extremely quiet. No yappin' and barkin' in the middle of the night.

Diversify Your Feedings

As promised, I went out and bought some new foods for my fish to try. This evening, I bought some algae wafers and white mosquito larvae (glass worms). Some people might think that fish don't really care, and that just feeding them artificial, sprinkles of tropical flakes will suffice. However, I think fish should be treated like any pet or animal: they need diversity to thrive. They'll appreciate the novelty, change of taste. Besides, frozen foods are cheap. Think about it, a package of frozen or dried foods only cost about $3-$10, and they last for months and months, sometimes even years! $10 is less than the amount you'd spend on take-out. C'mon guys, give the little fishies some good stuff.

This is a list of foods I currently feed my fish:

- Color-enhancing tropical flakes
- Sinking shrimp pellets
- Sinking algae wafers
- Betta pellets
- Blood worms
- Glass worms
- Brine shrimp
- Zucchini
- Romaine Lettuce


Some foods I hope to buy in the near future (once I find a place that sells them!):

- Daphnia
- Black worms
- Cucumbers
- Spinach
- Carrots
- White worms
- Mealworms
-Plankton
-Krill


***

Top Fin Algae Thins; Rating 5 stars!
- all my omnivorous fish love 'em!
-$4 for a 42 gram bag = awesome deal.


Frozen Glass worms; Rating 5 stars!
- all my fish love 'em
- $9 for at least 6 month's supply.


********Side Note on Types of Tropical Fish Foods******

Freeze-dried: super dry, you need to soak them first so it doesn't expand in your fish's stomach and give them belly aches. Long shelf life, not as messy as frozen food. Can be kept in a nice little container. It is messy though and will cloud your water.

Sinking pellets: As the name suggests, it sinks to the bottom and is designed for bottom feeders. Non-bottom feeders eat them too though~ They usually are designed to slowly break apart and dissolve into the water. It pollutes your water pretty fast, so don't overfeed this stuff. It can be designed for carnivorous, herbivorous or omnivorous fish. Varies in size. Personally I'd go for larger pellets because that way it won't break apart quickly into like a million pieces and also bigger fish won't try to shove it down their greedy little throats.

Tropical Fish Flakes: Really cheap, convenient, long shelf life. Many have color-enhancing additives as well as yeast and fatty acids for growth and digestion. Sprinkling above or just under surface of water for top level feeders. You could also sprinkle it near the bottom for bottom feeders, but the flakes won't sink properly as they're designed to float.

Species-specific Pellets: Bite-sized pellets designed specifically for bettas or cichlids or goldfish. Other fish will eat them too. Usually a small tubful will last years.

Live insects: Yup. You can feed your fish live insects you trap in your house or neighborhood. Caution: live insects may contain harmful bacteria. Feed at your own discretion. Yummy treat, and can give your fish a little entertainment and the thrill of the hunt.

Frozen insects: Much safer but a little messy than other foods. Frozen foods are decontaminated and packaged in blister packages with like 40 individually sealed cubes. Chip out a corner with a knife, dissolve it in tank water, and it'll yield approximately 40 worms. Don't overfeed frozen food, as it can be low in nutrients and high in fat.

Fresh veggies: Helps omnivores and herbivores digest better, and promotes health. They'll eat pretty much any leaf veggie. Cook it boiling water for a minute or two or just microwave it for 1 minute in a small bowl full of water. This softens up the veggies to make it easier to eat.


Feeder fish: Gigantic fish like Oscars will eat feeder goldfish, guppies, tetras. Any small fish that fits in his mouth. Ethics aside, keep in mind that goldfish are usually kept in poor tank conditions and may be diseased. Feed with caution. Some people also gut-load feeders by feeding them tons of nutritious food so that when they in turn are fed to bigger fish, they're more nutritious.


Infusoria and Rotifers: Commonly fed as fry food. Comes in liquid forms that you just squirt into the water with a baster or a syringe of some sort. These are tiny little micro-organisms too tiny to see.


I found a nice little chart that lists typical nutrient requirements

	Carnivore	Omnivore	Herbivore	Limnivore
Fat	3-6%	2-5%	1-3%	2-4%
Fiber	2-4%	3-8%	2-6%	5-10%
Protein	45-70%	30-40%	30-40%	15-30%
Moisture	6-10%	6-10%	6-10%	6-10%

References

- My own experiences
- The pet store
- http://fish.mongabay.com/food.htm




It might also be helpful to write down a feeding schedule. If more than one person is in charge of feeding the fish, make sure that they talk about who's going to feed what and when so overfeeding doesn't happen!