A lot of people talk about how therapeutic aquariums are, but they mainly focus on the calming aspect of watching the fish. I agree watching them is great. However, I feel the caretaking aspect of it isn’t talked about as much, so I wanted to share my story about how caring for these little guys changed my life for the better.
Back in December I lost the best dog I’ve ever had due to a freak accident that was out of my control. It devastated me; she was only 6 and it was extremely sudden. A few days later I pulled it together for my family’s Christmas party, and my SIL brought a female betta for our white elephant game. I felt so bad and ended up taking her. I knew nothing about fish, but I have a bleeding heart for animals and knew she would have the best shot if I took her. I literally got emotionally attached to her as my family was passing her around, lol. I learned all the basics and crammed all of the tips and advice I got from this sub in one night, and got a proper tank set up the next day. She’s now in a 20g long with corydoras and ramshorn snails.
A month later multiple tank syndrome hit and I was ready for another one. I had my heart set on a black crowntail and went to get everything I needed. This time I wanted to do a fishless cycle… well, I glanced at the bettas and front and center I saw the saddest black crowntail ever. I know it’s not ideal, but by this time my 20g was cycled, and I used some gravel, rocks, and plants from it to give the new tank’s cycle a boost. He’s in a 10g with bladder and ramshorn snails.
As for how it’s helped me, I’ve always struggled with my mental health and the loss of my dog was a huge setback for me. My fish tanks gave me a reason to get out of bed in the mornings. Feeding them, monitoring their health, cleaning the tank, and testing the water gave me a loose routine to stick to, and keeping up with maintenance gave me something to put my energy into. Knowing that my fish depend on me to survive motivates me to get off my ass even on bad days. It’s extremely rewarding to see your little ecosystem thrive because of all the work you put into it. Seeing my plants flourish has especially been a great source of pride for me since I’ve never had much of a green thumb. And yes, it is relaxing to kick back and watch them hang out when everything is said and done. You really get out what you put in!
Of course, getting a pet won’t help everyone with their mental health, and it isn’t a be-all-end-all cure to mental illness. I just wanted to share my experience with fishkeeping and talk about how much it’s helped me. If you read all of this, thank you. 🙂
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1t8hxo5
Posted by loveyoulikeadog
4 Comments
Which tank grows better plants
I’m curious because I have the same light in the blue bettas tank
This is lovely to read~ TY for sharing.
Kinda same, I only got a betta because I was at Petsmart to pick up some cat food. Then I decided to go look at the small animal section and saw the wall of bettas in cups and decided I had to get one. I didn’t buy the one I had my eye on immediately, I went home and spent all night doing research, went back the next day and bought him and all the supplies right away. Then a few weeks later, I decided I wanted more and got 2 ethically bred ones from a breeder and now I have 3 bettas LOL. Fish are really so relaxing to watch! I always knew this cos I grew up with fish, even had a betta as a kid. My dad always had fish in his aquarium/pond and I actually helped raise some Angelfish fry by hatching brine shrimp way back in high school. But I hadn’t owned any fish as an adult, not sure why, because it’s so therapeutic to watch them swim around.