A lot of people enjoy fishing for relaxation. I’ve never been one of them, that is someone who stands with hip waders in a river casting a line with hook for hours, or even sitting patiently in a boat drifting for an afternoon waiting for a bite. However, I have discovered a way of enjoying fish. I must admit that watching the tropical fish in my son’s fish tank can be very calming. Warren took up this hobby last year and it came with a lot of responsibility for him. I’m proud of his conscientious care for his fish, and I get to enjoy them while he does everything required to give them the proper care.
Warren did a lot a research before he started his hobby. What kind of fish did he want to care for? What size of tank did he need? What temperature did the water need to be? How would he keep it clean? What did the fish need to eat? What kind of environment did he need create for them inside the tank? These are just some of the questions for which he had to know the correct answers, and he took on the task very seriously.
Like anything that involves looking after some living thing, there are important issues to take into consideration. I recently came across a 2017 article called “The Ethical Issues of Keeping Tropical Fish.” One of the first things the article said was that goldfish were first made pets in China as long ago as 800AD. Of course, being from China, I knew goldfish had been kept in domestic ponds for a long time, but I didn’t realize exactly how ancient this hobby was. The article went on to say that some goldfish have been know to live longer than 40 years. I found that amazing! And in one recorded case, a goldfish grew to be over one and half feet long. Now that opens up the discussion about how big a tank should be. A very large tank, or perhaps an even larger pond, would be needed to grow a goldfish to that size. Of course, there are many different kinds of tropical fish besides goldfish – I will have to ask my son as this is something he knows more about now than me – but he knows exactly how much water they need to have a healthy environment.
His tank is small, and perhaps some day, if he keeps enjoying his hobby as he grows older, he will get a larger one and keep larger fish. But for now, he’s got a number of chores to keep his little fish happy in his bedroom tank. It’s really creates a nice ambience in his room, peaceful and calming. The lighting of the tank can also make a big difference so if you are planning to put a fish tank into a room in your home, keep in mind what kind of lighting will enhance the colour of your room and create the mood you like. Something read in another article on energy consumption was that some fish tank lights can consume a lot of energy and therefore be somewhat expensive to maintain. Of course it depends on the size of the tank. The article said a large tank with live coral and several species of fish could consume several thousand KWh a year, so if you are a major hobbiest this could get expensive since electricity rates are steadily going up. But the editor also said that a small fish tank could consume a little as 150kWh per year.
However, some solutions to this issue have been offered by Matt Clarke, editor of Practical Fishkeeping magazine, who suggested that modern LED lights can help fishkeepers by reducing energy costs. The LED bulbs allow you to replace fluorescent and metal halide lamps which are high wattage and save substantially on your energy bill. All that is good for energy savings, but remember it’s still important to keep in mind what is best for the species of fish you are keeping. Some tropical fish species will require that you create an environment that closely resembles their natural habitat, so it’s something that you need to research before picking up whatever is on your pet store shelf.
Well, as I said at the beginning of the Blog, I get to enjoy the fish and my son gets to do all the research and work necessary to care properly for the fish. He is great with his responsibilities and enjoys the lessons that his tropical fish hobby teaches. And this includes those important moments when he can just gaze into his fish tank and let his mind relax and enjoy the beauty he has nurtured. This is a great arrangement.
If you want to start a tropical fish tank, I highly recommend you encourage your children to enjoy the hobby with you.