You want to have a pet but you don’t have a huge apartment to keep a dog. You want a pet but you don’t have time to take care of a cat. Also, you love pets, but you don’t want your house to smell bad. If you think one of those things is stopping you from getting a pet, then the best thing for your situation is a fish tank.
A fish tank is easy to keep and maintain. It is also a pretty and lively decoration for your home. You can choose a big tank if you have much space in your house and a smaller one if you live in a smaller place. You can adjust the fish tank to fit almost any conditions and requirements you have for your home and you.
If those reasons alone are not enough to convince you to get a fish tank, here is a list of all the amazing benefits having a fish tank in your home can bring you.
Reducing stress
This is one of the most important benefits of having an aquarium. Quite a few studies have shown that just by spending a few minutes each day watching those fish in the tank swimming peacefully can significantly reduce one’s stress level.
The fish movement is almost hypnotic. That means after a few minutes of watching, it can put you in a mode similar to mediation. So gazing at the fish swimming is supposed to relax the mind and reduce stress, making your problems seem a little less aggravating.
If you have a stressful life and you want some little pets to share your burden with you but don’t want to have to take on extra burdens of taking care of a cat or dog, a fish friend will be your best companion.
Calming effects
As said above, watching a fish moves is hypnotic. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a fish tank can also give you calming effects. Studies show that just by watching your fish swim, eat or play, you can significantly decrease your anxiety level.
Not only adults but fish also have impressive calming effects on seniors, and children. Children with hyperactivity disorders, when watching the fish move, will feel less anxious and can even sleep better at night.
Reducing blood pressure
A fish tank can reduce your blood pressure. It does sound too good to be true, but it’s true.
Because of the calming effects of the fish movement, a fish tank can help people reduce their blood pressure. There were researches done to study this effect of the fish tank. The research proved that a fish tank does not only help reduces blood pressure but also a person’s heart rate.
There are some cases people choose to decorate their houses with aquariums filled with water, decorations and aquatic plants but no fish. Even though the no-fish aquarium still helps with heart rate and blood pressure, they don’t work as well as an aquarium with fish.
Improving Alzheimer’s patient’s conditions
Having aquariums with fish in the house has positive effects on people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, especially senior citizens with the disease.
There are no concrete, scientific reasons why this happens. However, there are studies that show cases in senior homes and Alzheimer’s facilities that prove the positive effects of aquariums.
Patients with an aquarium or even a small fish tank in their room or if they are around an aquarium every day, Alzheimer’s patients will eat more. They are also calmer, happier, and exhibit less physical aggressive behaviors.
If the aquarium is placed in the dining room or dining area, patients even eat more and require fewer supplements to stay healthy.
Increasing productivity
Besides all the health benefits, an aquarium can provide other daily life benefits, such as productivity.
How does a fish tank help with productivity? This benefit actually is a deprivation from the other health benefits the fish tank gives your body.
Having a fish tank can reduce your blood pressure, anxiety and stress level. That also means the fish tank helps take a lot of burden from your mind. Thanks to that, you can focus much better. You will even be more motivated and creative, which also results in more productive.
So besides your house, having a fish tank in your office also seems like a good idea.
Encouraging learning
Having a fish tank in your house is very beneficial for little children at any age. You can use the aquarium in the house to encourage learning by asking your children simple questions to get them thinking.
Simple questions like: How do fish breathe? Do fish hear anything? Do they sleep? How do they sleep? Etc…will push children to look for answers, which highly encourage learning and searching for knowledge.
You can guide your kid’s curiosity and teach them lots of things about the aquarium. Children as young as 2 years old can memorize the fish names, their colors, learn to count the fish and even describe the fish.
Furthermore, besides the fish, you can teach children about other invisible and micro components of life underwater. From bacteria, microfauna, trace elements to bigger, more scientific fields such as biology, chemistry, and physics.
Having an aquarium in your house provides a bigger classroom than many real classrooms you know. Depends on how you use the aquarium in teaching and playing with your kids, the potential of the fish tank can be limitless.
Help children with negative emotions
A fish tank can help everyone with negative emotions. However, they are especially effective with children.
According to scientific studies by the National Marine Aquarium and the University of Exeter, just being around an aquarium can reduce children’s stress and anxiety level.
Fish do not talk, which is a good, therapeutic thing. They can be perfect friends. Children can talk to the fish about their mistakes and problems without having to worry about being scolded or judged about their secret revealing.
Not only talking to the fish, the action of taking care of the fish can help children as well. By taking care of fish, kids can redirect their attention and help them control and diminish negative feelings such as anger, frustration, and sadness.
Having an aquarium can help children with emotional issues from time to time in a healthy and constructive way.
Fish Tank and Feng Shui
Whether you believe in this last benefit or not depends totally on you. However, since many people have believed in the fish tank Feng Shui and practiced it, I think it’s a good idea to mention.
Feng Shui is an Asian art of placing furniture and items in your house for luck, wealth, and health. Fish tanks are commonly used in Feng Shui to activate and enhance money and career luck. If placed properly in the house, a fish tank can bring wealth, money, and abundance to a person.
Fish tanks should be placed at the front of the house to enhance money and career luck. If the front of the house is a door, the fish tank can be placed towards the frontal left.
If you can’t place the fish tank near the door then check for the most appropriate direction in the house to place your aquarium. Southeast is the best location to place the fish tank if you want wealth and abundance. North is the direction to place the tank if you want career lucks. And east is the direction for health and family.
Conclusion
Fish tanks and aquariums are not only beautiful and relaxing but also very beneficial for your health and state of minds. The benefits of a fish tank in your house are impressive and wide ranged. Fish tanks are good for your health, great for seniors’ medical conditions and even encourage positive effects on young children.
What are you still waiting for? Get yourself a fish tank and start enjoying all the wonderful benefits of this amazing creation.
My wife and I are trying to create a great environment in our home. We want our children to feel comfortable and welcome while in the house. I didn’t realize aquariums are able to provide children with somebody to talk to privately if the need to, which can be quite therapeutic. I’ll be sure to share this information with my wife.