When it comes to having your own pet, which one comes to your mind first? I am sure most of you have thought about dogs or cats. If you are a feisty owner, then you might have exotic creatures on your mind. Your choices are great but, why not a fish? Keeping a fish tank at your home has so many surprising benefits. Want to know about the benefits of keeping an aquarium fish at home or office? Let’s get right into it.
There are countless benefits of keeping a fish as a pet. We humans are close to water, when we see waves, the blue hue of the ocean, our busy and mind go into a relaxation state which reduces our blood pressure, heart rate, anxiety, depression, stress. In research, it was found that keeping a fish tank helped patients with Alzheimer’s disease gain weight. So, it’s proven that keeping a fish tank can improve the behavior and eating habits of those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Resource: Edwards NE, Beck AM. Animal-assisted therapy and Nutrition in Alzheimer’s disease (2002). West J Nurs Res 2002;24(6):697-712
Fish Can Be A Great Pet Too
Imagine you are back from your 9 to 5 work. Your mind is full of stress and thoughts of office works. You unlock your apartment’s door and Voila! There you see your beautiful aquarium shining in glory at the corner of your living room. Suddenly, you are taken to a different world, a world full of relaxation. You are mentally switching off from work without even knowing. Doesn’t that sound amazing? I mean, who doesn’t love to feel that way unless you are a stress lover.
So, what do you think of having a fish? Still not convinced? I am not giving up, as well. In this article, you will find surprising facts about fish. Let’s start.
Can Fish Recognize You?
You might be afraid that after having a fish, it might not get closer to you or wouldn’t even recognize you just like dogs and cats would do. I agree that a human and a fish live in a totally contrasting habitat. But that doesn’t mean your fish won’t recognize you. Of course, the fish will remember your face even in the crowd. The fish can distinguish between human faces. It might be common for other pets to recognize their owners but a fish? Isn’t it amusing?
Fish Loves You Too
Now that you know fish can recognize its owner’s face don’t get surprised when I say this small creature with a simple brain can have feelings for you. This is entirely true as researchers have revealed that fish develops a special connection with its owner.
Touch is the first sense that creates an emotional bond. It’s sad that you cannot interact with your pet fish, just like with your pet dog, bird, and cat. However, the bond that you form with the fish is incredible. Even though this adorable creature has a limited way of showing affection, it will jump, flip, swim rapidly to let you know it loves you. The funny thing is it will ask for food when it sees you. You might get a chance to caress its forehead quickly while giving food to show your fondness. You will love the experience.
20 Health Benefits of Keeping an Aquarium Fish At Home Or Office
Now, let’s get to the real deal. Fish is much more than just an adorable pet. Studies have shown that watching a video of fish or a beautifully decorated fishless aquarium can positively influence a human being. If an aquarium without fish can have such an impact, then imagine what an aquarium full of fish would do. The fish has so many benefits to offer to you. In this article, you will find each and every benefit of keeping a fish tank at home.
Fish for Stress
Fish is the best companion to relieve your stress. This is, by far, one of the best benefits of keeping a fish at home. Just by staring at the fish tank for a couple of minutes calms your mind, body, and soul. It has a hypnotic yet therapeutic vibe that is compatible with the sound of healing.
If you don’t believe me, try it out yourself. The vibrant bodies of fish gliding in the aquarium, the air bubbles, and the motion of the plants in the water will almost take you to a state of meditation. If the thought of having a dog or a cat is adding to your stress, a pet fish is what you need in your life.
Fish for Your Heart & Blood Pressure
If you think heart rate and blood pressure can be reduced only by attending doctor appointments, then you’re wrong. A fish tank can do the magic of lowering your heart rate and blood pressure naturally. Even some doctors recommend their patients to have an aquarium at their home for this purpose.
You might have noticed fish tanks displayed beautifully in waiting rooms and offices. I can assure you this is not displayed only to please your eyes but in an effort to calm patients and interviewers.
New research from the National Marine Aquarium has proven that both a fishless aquarium and an aquarium with fish can lower heart rate by 3% and 7%, respectively. Also, this reduced blood pressure by 4%.
Benefits of Keeping a Fish for Anxiety
Anxiety occurs from stressful life events, hormonal imbalance, genetics, brain chemistry, and environmental factors. It’s impossible for us to stop anxiety from occurring. At least we can control it from happening frequently and that too in a very simple way.
Just stare at your pet fish for some time and overcome your anxiety with ease. When it comes to anxiety, temporary distraction can be the best thing for you.
Benefits of Keeping a Fish Tank for Productivity
Our life is a roller coaster ride. We don’t have the same mood and mindset all the time. Often tend to be lethargic and lose focus at times may be due to stress. The fish tank has a very soothing impact on your mind that takes your stress and worries away. This makes it a lot easier for you to stay focused on tasks at hand. No stress means no interruptions, so you can finish your works much quicker.
If you are running a business company, then having a fish tank in the office will boost your employees’ performance. This is probably the easiest way to enhance your business. Plus, this will make sure of your employees as well as your client’s well-being.
Get up from your couch, invest in a fish tank with a lot of fish, and turn yourself from a couch potato into a productive human.
Fish as Alzheimer’s Remedy
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that gradually damages brain cells causing memory loss and the failure of carrying out even simple chores. People over 65 years are mainly affected by this disease.
Have you ever wondered why there are aquariums in senior homes? It has been proven that people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease behave less aggressively when there is a fish tank near them. They are more relaxed and happier. Alzheimer’s patients tend to consume more food in the presence of an aquarium. Make sure to place an aquarium in the dining hall if you live with someone who’s suffering from this disease.
Nature Comes Home
Dolly Parton, a famous American country singer, once said, ‘Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.’ Don’t you think we all are so busy in our own world of technologies that we have forgotten to cherish the real world: mother nature. I can’t deny that we are living in such a fast-paced world that it is quite challenging to embrace nature frequently.
Why don’t we have an aquarium at home? This will bring us one step closer to our foundation. So what if we can’t travel to the beach or island? Nature will come to us if we raise fish in our own home. Believe me, you’ll have the sensation of scuba diving in Bali while watching the fish glide in the aquarium.
Benefits of Keeping a Fish for Positivity
How do you feel when you are calm? No worries, no anger, or no excitement. You feel unbothered, don’t you? Calmness brings positivity into your life. Just by interacting with the fish, you can attract positive energy and shoo away all the negative energy.
Fish Tank Can Calm Hyperactive Children
Aquariums are best for children. Some children struggle in paying attention and self-controlling. They find it difficult to sit still, so they move a lot. Even waiting for their turn is an issue for them. This is known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Having a fish tank in their room will distract their curious minds from fidgeting. Apart from reducing their stress, this will also improve their sleeping patterns.
Keep an aquarium in your child’s room, and let them take all the benefits of this nature’s creation.
All Eyes On The Fish
A fish tank with vibrant fish is truly an incredible sight to see. It is almost impossible to resist looking at such a sight. Unlike your mobile phones and PCs, there’s no such thing as a side effect in staring at the colorful fish.
Fish Uplifts Curious Learners
Like I mentioned earlier, having an aquarium is best for children. Curiosity runs in the blood of children. They have a lot of questions spinning in their minds, and keeping an aquarium at home will double up their interest. They won’t get tired of asking, and you shouldn’t be tired of answering.
Children, especially at the age of 2, can remember the names of fish and their colors. Guide them to count the number of fish in the tank.
When you bring fish to your home, get ready to answer all the what, where, who, when questions. Your children will think you are a superhuman for knowing such a magical creature that survives underwater. Isn’t that cool?
Fish Spreads Bliss
Deciding to have a pet itself is an exciting experience, but the smile it spreads afterward is indescribable. If staring at a fish tank only for a couple of minutes can release stress, imagine how beneficial it would be to keep it for the rest of your life. Your family and your guests would enjoy the hypnotic movement of fish. So, it is no surprise that fish can spread happiness among the family members.
Fish for Wealth & Prosperity
You might see no connection between fish and wealth. However, it is believed that an aquarium can attract wealth and prosperity, according to Feng Shui. The fish tank adds radiance to your room and also strengthens the positive energy. An aquarium has all five elements (water, wood, metal, earth, and fire) that helps to attract financial stability.
Benefits of Keeping a Fish Tank for Insomniacs
Are you having trouble sleeping at night? Stress and anxiety don’t let you sleep peacefully. By eliminating these factors, you’ll fall asleep faster than you can imagine. Staring at your mobile screen can also be a reason for your sleepless nights. Rather, keep an aquarium in your bedroom and stare at it. The rhythm of the fish swimming will automatically make you feel sleepy.
Fish Improves Focus & Creativity
I have often heard people complaining about losing focus. It takes absolutely no time to lose focus than gain it since losing focus is natural. Sometimes when we are doing a task or studying, a thought crosses our mind, and then we lost our focus. It takes a minimum of 25 minutes to get back to our original task and start all over again. Been there done that, haven’t we?
The presence of a fish tank in your workspace helps you to regain lost focus or totally stop you from losing focus. The beauty of the fish tank will boost your creativity skill, which will further improve your productivity.
Fish Keeps You Company
The feeling of having a fish is equally appealing as having other pets. It takes some time to learn how to take care of your aquarium, but it will benefit you in several ways. Your fish will accompany you throughout the journey. The connection you form with the fish will surprise you. Make sure everything is alright for your fish, and you’ll be together in the ups and downs of life for a long period of time.
Fish Makes Peace
Dove is a symbol of peace. However, you cannot hold it captive to maintain peace in your home because you won’t be able to give dove the independent feeling of flying freely in the open sky.
Do you know that having a fish tank at home also gives tranquility and peace? Certainly, you won’t be able to give the same space to your fish as in the sea or ocean but, you will give a sensation of being in the wild with your aquarium. The fish tank keeps your mind at peace as it absorbs all the negative energy.
A Sweet Distraction
We are so indulged in the latest trends and technologies that we’ve forgotten there’s a beautiful world outside it. An aquarium is the sweetest distraction you can have that will make you feel the nature at your home.
Keep your mobile phone, PC, TV away and get lost in a world of fish and underwater.
Nature’s Aesthetic Creation
WOW! I am pretty sure this would be the first word that comes out of your mouth when you see an aquarium. Fish are nature’s aesthetic creation, and the aquarium is an empty canvas that you can decorate the way you desire. The fish and your artistic touch in the aquarium together will be a perfect piece of art for your home.
Fish Makes You Responsible
Like I had said before, it takes time to learn how to take care of your aquarium. This will make you responsible for how you may ask. Cleaning the aquarium regularly and making a schedule for feeding your fish need your time and focus. Remember you’re keeping a living being alive with proper care and concentration. Of course, you will have a sense of responsibility.
A Good Karma
Although these species can’t express their gratitude, loving, caring, and feeding them will give you inner satisfaction and meaning to your life. Your act of love, compassion, and kindness will create good karma in your life. Having an aquarium at your home will teach you to live life purposefully.
Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui to Enjoy the Benefits of Keeping a Fish
Vastu Shastra is an ancient science of architecture. Originating in India, Vastu Shastra guides the appropriate design layout, right from the ground preparation to the entrance of your house. According to Vastu Shastra, a home should be built in such a way that the five basic elements: Air, Water, Fire, Earth, and Space harmonize to elevate positive energy.
Similarly, keeping the aquarium at an accurate location guided by Vastu Shastra can be prosperous for your home. In Vastu, the fish tank is a very robust accessory. It also explains the various benefits of keeping a fish at home. Vastu Shastra suggests that the aquarium should be placed in the south-east direction. If you plan to keep it in other rooms, then it should be placed in the north direction.
Feng Shui, Chinese geomancy, also infers that the best location for your aquarium is the south-east corner of your room.
The Luckiest Fish for Your Home
In many cultures, a fish aquarium is represented as a symbol of good luck. In fact, certain fish are said to be the luckiest fish for your home. What do you consider to be lucky? Is it wealth? A healthy life? Or is it being happy? Everything is mentioned above in the benefits, so there’s no doubt in saying fish is the good luck charm.
Any fish is lucky for you, but if you really want to keep the lucky Vastu fish, then Arowana is the one for you. Also known as dragonfish, Arowana is the ultimate wealth fish that offers love, good health, wealth, and peace. Try searching for the red and gold Arowana fish as it is the traditionally prized fish in China. Goldfish, Flower Horn Fish, Feng Shui Fish, and Dragon Carp are also considered as lucky charm fish that symbolizes perseverance, career success, and a good omen.
Also, there is a lucky number for fish. Number 9 is said to be the number of prosperity and happiness.
Is it Cruel To Keep Fish In a Tank?
If you fail to care and maintain the tank, then it is definitely cruel to keep fish in it. Don’t make them feel like they are in a cage.
Shower them with love and attention. Feed the fish with high quality and nutritious food. Clean the aquarium frequently. Check the water quality and provide plenty of space to swim in the aquarium so that they feel like they are in their own natural habitat. Having a fish at home means adding a new family member, so make sure to treat like one.
Why the Wait?
A small space of your room is enough to keep a beautiful fish aquarium. Sure, it’s a bit different from most pets out there, but that’s a part of what makes it great. Now that you know all the benefits of keeping a fish, what are you waiting for? Hurry up to the nearest shop near you and get the best companion you could have ever asked for.
