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7 Reasons Why I Love My Fish

imagesFish are wonderful pets that have been a part of our lives since 2006. We have always kept goldfish. Aaryan, saw some fishes at his play school and pestered us to buy fishes for our home too. We bought 2 goldfish home and named them Goldie and Ginnie. And since then Goldie and Ginnie have been a part of our family.DSC_0005

No, the goldfish don’t live that long. We have lost many fish over the years, but we always replaced them with new ones and the names of the new fish remains just the same, that is Goldie and Ginnie!! That’s because  unlike a pet dog or a cat these fish do not respond to their names. So anyone of them can be called by either of the names, as neither do they mind, nor do we!! Since the last few years we also added a third black fish, and it is called Blackie, always!

We love having Goldie and Ginnie and Blackie in our home. Here are the 7 reasons why…

    1. Watching the fish swim peacefully through the water and the bubbles floating to the surface are surely relaxing. I can sit and watch our fish dance around in the aquarium for hours. I find this very relaxing and soothing. Psychologists opine that watching the movement of fish in an aquarium can help relieve stress at the end of a long, hard day. In fact studies prove that fishes are good for hyperactive kids too as they have a calming effect on them.
    2. Fish require very limited amount of care to maintain them. All they require is a weekly or a fortnightly cleaning of the aquarium and once a day feed.
    3. Fish don’t take up much space. Even a small bowl on a side table is a perfect home for them.
    4. Fish are best remedial measure for any Vastu defect. As per Feng Shui, aquariums attract the energy of wealth and abundance. When placed in the right direction and taken care of wisely, fish aquariums amplify the energy in any home or office and attract more wealth energy.
    5. Fish are cost-effective too. They don’t need expensive vaccines or special food or grooming supplies or accessories.
    6. Fish are the best silent companions. They silently add peace and tranquillity in the home unlike pet dogs and cats who have vocal cords and make good use of them at the most inappropriate times. Even the neighbours never complain or grimace on seeing our fishes.
    7. I am at peace as I don’t have to wake up at ungodly hours or even in rains or harsh winters to take them out for sussu-potty, and they never chew my favourite slipper.

Owning fish as pets is an excellent choice for children and first time pet owners. In fact, they can provide the kids with their first lesson about responsibility.

Do you love pets? What kind are they and what are their names?

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words 1st – 7th September 2013.WTFestivalofWords

Images courtesy : Google Images

90 Responses

  1. Shilpa, you have mentioned all the plus points of having a small aquarium in the house that now I am tempted to own one. I am not fond of pets but loved your Ginnie and Goldie very much. So sweet. Thanks for sharing a lovely part of your life.

  2. I had fish a few years ago and then suddenly the work was too much I had a big tank with at least about 8 fish and they were wall very nice and sweet to me. They did bring a lot of comfort but being a young mother I found it so hard maintaining them that I gave away the aquarium. I’d keep a pet sometime when my Li’l one will be able to handle it … ha ha!

    1. Oh! I can understand. Big fish tank and 8 fishes require some time…
      Try with a smaller one again. Yes, a dog will enter our home again (yes we had a Dalmatian earlier) only when Aaryan is able to handle it on his own! 😉

  3. and duh! here after reading the post title i thought it is a post about fish… i mean about how delicious they test! My bad, blame it on my bong gene.

    Coming back to the post, i always thought that it’s too much of work to maintain them. i always have this notion that cleaning is a big task.

    last point is the best point though to have fish as a pet

    1. LOL 😀 Sorry to dash your hopes, Pree! 😀
      Cleaning big fish tanks would be a task, but these small fish bowls or small aquariums are cool. Max 10-15 minutes in a fortnight. I guess, that is not much time at all!! 🙂

  4. OK Lady, you convinced me. But I need to let little D grow up a little. My husband has been telling me that he wants to get one but I don’t want another responsibility on my head at the moment.

    1. It is not a BIG responsibility, Reema. Take my word for this one. In fact it is the right time for the sonny boy to learn and enjoy his first pet. Go for it!! 🙂

  5. Well Well! Just yesterday, I had been asking my husband to get me a fish tank, and viola here comes a post on that, plus 7 advantages of having them. I’m gonna use these as my weapon to persuade the HD 🙂

  6. Long time back, we had a small aquarium with orange mouli and a few other fishes (Kapies?). After that we didn’t have any more. I didn’t like confining them to a small space and keeping them like that – esp. for decorative purpose.

    Destination Infinity

  7. I love fish as well but don’t have an aquarium. This post reminds me of the goldfish I gifted my friend on her birthday many moons ago. Lovely memories were brought forth through this post. Thanks Shilpa. And like you, I can gaze and gaze at the fishes forever!

    Joy always,
    Susan

    1. May you get your pet dog soon. Though a pet dog will come after a few years when sonny boy is old enough to take good care of him 🙂

  8. Your posts on Goldie and Ginnie has tempted me too to keep an aquarium.. The study about fish calming down hyperactive child is so true I feel; an aquarium in the restaurant, hospital or friend’s place, ensures that my son sits calmly while we enjoy food, wait for doctor or chat with friends 🙂

  9. I don’t have any pets but I agree fish are the best pets and not much work.

    I think cleaning the aquarium needs work but compared to dogs/cats no taking them out on a daily basis.
    Loved the names of your fishes!

    1. Honestly, cleaning an aquarium is not such a big thing. Delicate yes, coz you are handling glass bowl or aquarium but very easy and simple.
      Glad you liked our fishes, Ruchira 🙂

  10. I am a dog person and had a Labrador earlier. I believe pets teach you a lot of things and also have a therapeutic effect on you.
    Somehow have never been attracted to fish though many of my friends have it at their place.

  11. We’ve got an empty aquarium lying in living room for years now. Considering the effort involved in its maintenance we prefer to leave it like that. Now that 4th point of yours… wealth and abundance, has inspired me enough. Probably, one day i’ll redo it.

  12. The 7th point was funny.

    As for the first I remember an old Arnie movie “Red Heat’. Arnold plays a Russian cop chasing a criminal in USA. The local cop has an aquarium in his office and says, “That is for de-stressing. Tell me, as cop to cop, what do you do in Russia for relieving stress”. Arnold answers dead-pan, “Vodka!”

    1. It is absolutely true. We had a Dalmatian and he gave us a harrowing time 😐
      LOL …the Russian cop is so very right 😀

  13. No pets for me ever. I kind of get worried or scared(?) in their presence. I don’t think it’s a phobia or something but I just don’t feel comfortable. 🙁

    1. True, both Vastu and Feng Shui has references which talk about fishes absorbing any negative energy that enters our home. Glad you enjoyed this post Suzy and thanks a lot for the mention on your blog 🙂

  14. I love pets too. I’ve had two dogs, Hill meyna and a parrot. I’ve never had fish as pets. After reading the points you’ve mentioned I’m eager to have them as pets too. They look really sweet in the pic.

  15. Same Pinch Shilpa! 🙂 We have 3 pairs of Parrots, 2 pairs of Cichlids and a pair of catfish (the sucker cats). We also have Ram Prasad, our baby turtle. They indeed provide a lot of peace to the otherwise drumming mind. But, I do doubt about their effect on hyperactive kids, coz they haven’t had much effect on Lil Love, my 4 year old. 😀

    1. Wow… you have a good variety of fishes. And Ram Prasad… how cute. We had once a turtle too, but it died 🙁
      LOL 😀 I am sure they must be having some effect on Lil Love 😀

  16. Well this post is seriously tempting me to get some fish in the house, if not for eating atleast for bringing the positive energy :P.

    Last August my 13 year old dog Maxi passed away, and i was so depressed that by a quirk of fate one of my stray cats gave birth to 3 lovely kittens. These little cherubs brought happiness in the house which was still mourning Maxi. They are 6 months old and i named them Whitey, Browny and Blackie. Yesterday Blackie was run over by a car and the pain surface again.

  17. We have never ever had fish tank at home.
    I do remember a joke from Amitabh Bachachan movie.
    Both were standing next to a fish tank and the bad man asked AB if he knew as to which one is a male and which is a female of the two?
    JO TAIR RAHA HAI WOH MARD HAI.
    JO TAIR RAHI HAI WOH MADA HAI….says AB

  18. I completely agree with you. We had a huge aquarium at my parents place. My mom would say it was theraupetic to watch them. We had all sorts angel fish, fighter fish, golden fish etc… one electric blue fighter fish pair was the star of our aquarium. We used to feed earth worms. Scientific studies also report observing them reduces hypertension.

    But, shilpa we often travel, especially during summers i am away for nearly two months. During those times it is difficult to leave it with neighbours who may also have travel plans.

    Yes, i love pets but don’t like the responsiblity that comes with it like taking the cats and dogs for walk etc.,

    1. I guess, you can keep the aquarium at the aquarium shops too.
      We had a dog and we had to give him up for adoption because of this disconnect… KG was busy with his work and Aaryan was too young then and taking the dog out in the morns, afternoons and evenings and then at night too really took a toll on me… it was a harrowing task and something which you cant miss at all. Fishes are really angels in that regard… 😀

  19. Wonderful post. I had never thought of having a Fish as a pet. But yes it reminded me of my pet dog Jinnie. She is a lovely company. I miss her a lot since last few months as I had to leave her back with my parents post my marriage.

    1. Aww!! I can relate to this, Kripali. It was just the same for me too… I missed our dog Candy after I married and moved to a new city.

  20. I also had a fish tank in my house & only I was responsible for them. I loved looking at them. Sometimes, I liked to think that they responded to my psychic-orders.:D
    After leaving bhopal, we gave it to our nieghbours. Never had any aquarium after that. 🙁

    1. LOL @ ‘I liked to think that they responded to my psychic-orders’… 😀
      I think they are just not bothered and just do what they want to do! 😀

  21. I remember when I was growing up my mom and dad had a big aquarium full of fish. I loved to watch them. These days I have 4 dogs and love each one of them. My son would love to have a fish for his room, but I am afraid he isn’t quite ready for the responsibility. We got him a puppy now that the new has worn off her barely makes time for her at all.

    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

    1. 4 Dogs! That must be awesome and a lot of work.
      A fish would be perfect for your son, I believe 🙂 Go for it, Kathy 🙂

  22. The only so called “pet” I had as a child were fishes and they still form some of my fondest memories. The only sad part is that they die more often and each time they do one’s heart breaks over it. It is because of this my parents finally let go of the aquarium…

    Richa

    1. True, there comes a phase when they die quickly, every replacement dies and sometimes the same fish can live for more than a year. We used to be sad earlier with death of every fish, now we like to think that they have sacrificed themselves and removed negativity from our life! 😛

  23. the last reason was classic!! 🙂 i had a couple of goldfishes too, chip and dale, we called them, but when they died, my elder was just about 4 and he took a long time to get over it…. but agree, with u, they are the most calming creatures, i’ve ever seen..

    1. Hi Sojo. Good to see on this blog after a long long time. True, but we keep goldfishes because of Feng Shui thing! 🙂

  24. Not trying to be rude but the reason your fish are dying is because they aren’t receiving proper care.Goldfish can easily live up to 10 years with very basic care.

    I suggest you read up on the nitrogen cycle.

    This is how you basically care for your fish:
    Start by buying a tank (75L/20gallon should be the minimal for a goldfish,something like a bowl is too small)

    Buy a small filter that does twice the tanks volume per hour (a 75L for example will need a 150lph filter)

    Buy filter media and floss (filter media is generally round hollow ceramic rings)

    Buy a double output airpump with 2 airstones and 2 small pipes to fit onto them.

    Buy a small 15l container that you will only use for the fishtank (any kind of soap or chemicals can be deadly to your fishtank)

    Buy dechlorinator (something like seachem prime) and something to accelerate the cycling process (Seachem stability for example) and a short 20mm or so thick pipe

    I know those are allot of things to buy but it’s a once of buy (except for the filter materials that you will have to replace cheaply every couple of weeks and the dechlorinator which will proably run out in about 3 or so months depending on the size.A note:You can also convert it easily into a tropical tank just by adding a heater with the above things,and unlike the goldfish smaller tropical fish like neons and guppy’s fill never outgrow the tank.

    Here is how to set up everything from above:

    1)Firstly put the tank on something stable that can take some weight (if you can sit on it without it breaking then it’s prob stable enough)

    2)Put the filter media into the filter,make sure the floss is the furthest away from the impeller and the ceramic rings the closest.You can place the filter into the tank but make sure not to turn it on yet.You can also start filling up the tank now with regular tab water to about 4-5cm from the top.

    3)Set up the airpump,the airpump itself should stay outside your tank and only the airstone should be in the tank with the pipe connecting the 2.You can run the airpump even when there is no water in the tank because unlike the filter it’s not watercooled.

    4)Fill up the 15L container and the fishtank (if you haven’t done so already),after that add the the dechlorinator to both the 15l container and fishtank and then add the stability only to the tank and then add the other airstone to your 15l container.

    What will not happen is the nitrogen cycle.Let everything run for a week without any fish,the longer the better.

    When the tank is done cycling can add your first fish,make sure to use a net to take the fish out of the bag.you don’t want that nasty store water in your tank.

    Maintenance is simple and easy (this is what the 15L container is for).Twice a week (i usually do mine on wednesday and sunday) you will need to use a pipe to simphon out 15L of water in your tank and throw it away (you can also use the pipe to suck in any poop in the fishtank.After that you can add the 10L of water from your container that has been sitting for a week with an airstone to your tank to fill it up again.Make sure to fill up your 15L container again and let it sit until your next water change with an airstone and treated with the declorinator

    Filter maintenance is also easy,every second week you can clean out the filters material with tank water that you have changed (never use tap water as it kills the good bacteria in the filter and don’t clean it in your tank,only use the water you are about to throw away to clean it).Replace the floss in the filter but keep the ceramic rings (this is where the good bacteria lives).After that you can easily put the filter back together and put it in the tank again.Make sure to plug it out when doing the cleaning.

    Also remember to only feed your fish a pinch of food everyday,goldfish like to overeat and it’s better for them to be hungry then full (a hungry fish is a happy fish,in the wild they can go for an entire week before getting a decent meal so feeding just a tiny bit each day is already good enough for them)just make sure to to leave them longer then 3 days without food.

    Sorry for the long post but i hate it when people buy fish that they don’t know how to keep,allot of people are still ignorant in thinking they can keep a goldfish in a bowl.Don’t be one of those people.

    If you need more help then the members on the forum below will be more then happy to help you.
    http://www.fishforums.net/

      1. Hey, not sure if this blog is still active or if you even still keep fish, but you are absolutely mistreating them. I’m not trying to be mean, it’s just a fact. They are dying because you don’t know what you’re doing, didn’t do any research, and just decided to get one of the most difficult fish to maintain on a whim. Many people would say that they need a lot more than this, but in my experience goldfish need 75 liters FOR ONE fish. If you get any additional goldfish, you are supposed to upgrade by about 35 liters. Your goldfish should have lived very long lives, but they didn’t because you killed them by not knowing anything about them. No fish can go in a bowl, no fish can live without filtration. Please research all of these things before you get any more fish or they will continue to die. Thank you.

        1. I wonder if they know their extremely poor husbandry has been reviewed all over the web and yes, you are mistreating them.

  25. I’m very sad to see you having Goldfishes for so long, yet never did any research on them. Your statement that Goldfishes don’t live long is very wrong. In actual they can live more than 35 years in an ideal condition! I request everyone who has Goldfishes to some research about it. Look up Goldfish care or Fish Keeping for Beginners ONLINE.

  26. hmmm, good points to think about! I agree that it is mesmerizing to watch fish swim in a big tank. And the lighting in the tank is also peaceful. Didn’t know that aquariums attract wealth and abundance! Very cool!

  27. Hi there,
    Thats a great information.
    Fish tanks and aquariums are amazing. You want to have a pet and you love them. But, you don’t have enough place or huge apartment to keep a dog, or you don’t have enough time to take care of them. If these things are bothering you from getting a pet, then the best thing for you is getting a fish tank. There are many advantages of fishkeeping.

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