Today I want to chat about the benefits of having a fish tank. Believe it or not, there are some significant health benefits for us all.
Hands up to everyone who has ever visited a dentist or doctor’s room where there was a nice fish tank in the waiting area or their office. See – most of you put your hands up right there.
And this is no coincidence or a conspiracy going on. Fish tanks are in doctors’ and dentist’s rooms for a reason.
Pop Quiz: Why are there fish tanks in doctors’ rooms?
You got that right: For the calming effect a fish tank has on everybody!
I have yet to meet one person to look at a beautiful fish tank and say, “What an awful sight” or “That is the ugliest thing I have ever seen.” So here is my dare: If you ever get to meet such a person, please let me know in the comments below. I would love to find out from what fish-hating planet that person is.
Moving Along to the Benefits of Having a Fish Tank
This is why you should buy granny or grandpa a fish tank rather than just another sweater for their birthday this year:
BLOOD PRESSURE
Would you believe that studies started in the ’80s on the benefits of having a fish tank, especially in older persons and children?
These studies have shown that older people, or persons with a lot of stress (and by default, typically have higher blood pressure), have significantly lower blood pressure by spending time in front of a fish tank.
The cool thing about these studies is how it was done. They would take a good-looking fish tank but had no fish in it and test the effect on patients. Then they would fill the tank with fish and put the same patients in front of the tank for a bit. Yes, yes, You got that one right too!
The tank with the fish had a significant impact on patients’ blood pressure levels, whereas the tank with no fish did not affect it.
Less Pain Medication?
So while I was researching this subject, I was told that studies have shown that dental patients needed less pain medication for dental procedures. Dear people of the world who read this: I have NOT tested this theory, and I ask you very kindly, please try this for me. ????
I know I am no expert, and I should believe what the experts say, but I am not willing to budge on this one. It is, however, my duty to report on this to you and state it as fact.
Fish Tanks and Alzheimer’s
This is a big one. Scientists placed fish tanks in the dining rooms of homes for patients who have Alzheimer’s disease. Here is what they found happening, and I love this part.
Patients were less aggressive, ate more than usual, and required fewer supplements during the day. Let’s start a charity to donate fish tanks to all Alzheimer’s patients. Who is in?
Even troubled children can benefit from fish tanks
More studies were done (of course, as always), this time on children. And again, children with hyperactivity disorder were calmed significantly by looking at an aquarium.
So – there you have it, the benefits of having a fish tank are fantastic! So scrap the sweater for granny from the shopping list, and get her a fish tank. These days you can get nice small tanks with everything you need and won’t take too much time maintaining.
I would love to hear from you on this subject, so please leave a comment below, and let’s chat about this.
Jesse is the principal author of this blog. He is an avid fishkeeper with rich experience spanning several years. He is here to share his knowledge and ensure you also have a guiding compass, as he did with his father.