The benefits for Children of Owning Fish

The benefits for Children of Owning Fish is a paid collaborative post for BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Mars Fishcare and the API brand. Growing up my Grandad had an aquarium and my Granddad never did anything by halves so I remember it was huge. In fact, it was a number of tanks that filled the entire wall of the dining room. Even as a little girl they would memorise me and I found it really soothing to watch the fish.

Setting Up Our First Fish Tank

How to set up your first temperate water fish tank

As much as I adored my Grandads fish I have to say that there was a lot of hard work involved and I remember that tanks had to sit empty for six weeks before fish could be added and I always thought that it was a labour-intensive hobby, so I was intrigued when APIfishcare said that we could go from tank to fish within a couple of hours using API products from Mars Fishcare!

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The benefits of fish for children:

Keeping fish has proven effective in reducing stress and improving
mental health, in addition to aiding children, grow in academics like science
and mathematics

According to The Sensational Brain watching fish reduces anxiety and stress which is a common factor amongst children with additional needs. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have found that keeping fish is an effective therapy which helps with disruptive behaviors in children.

Focusing on taking care of something else can also help to reduce anger and channel any negative emotions children have to something more productive.

Simply watching aquariums filled with fish has been known to increase the feeling of wellbeing. The greater the number of fish in the tank, the more dramatically people’s mood improved according to research in 2015 carried out by researchers from the National Marine Aquarium, and the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter.

We are hoping that this fish tank helps Mini and for that reason, we have popped it in his bedroom. We were gifted a Leddy 60 and it has day and night lighting and also comes with an Aquael ASAP 300 water filter and an Aquael Platinum water heater. The tank is 54 litres (60cm by 30cm by 60cm).

Mini and I then had a Zoom tutorial with Gary Jones stepped who is the Research and Development Manager for Mars Fishcare to explain how to set up the aquarium, including how to add the API products and why each one was necessary. Mini took some ace notes:

• API STRESS COAT® – a conditioner that removes the damaging chemicals from tap water, making it safe for your fish and also helps to make sure your fish stay healthy and disease-free.

• API QUICK START® – this amazing additive introduces bacteria to your tank that convert damaging ammonia in tap water into harmless nitrates and allows you to immediately add fish.

• API STRESS ZYME® – one teaspoon of this contains 300 MILLION live bacteria which remove sludge, and help keep your aquarium clean and your water quality high. Which means less cleaning – total win

• API ACCU CLEAR® – this clarifier cleans up cloudy water, so you can enjoy looking at your fish.

• API AQUARIUM SALT® – it may seem weird to add salt to a freshwater tank, but this evaporated sea salt is a must even for freshwater fish as it improves gill function, so they can breathe more easily.

How to set up your first temperate water fish tank - hints and tips for setting up your first community aquarium

How to set up your tank

Rinse the gravel and spread it throughout the aquarium
Install your heater (if using one)
Install the filter
Half fill with water (Tip: When filling up the tank, place a small plate on the gravel and pour the water onto a small plate to avoid disturbing the gravel.)
Add plants and decorative items (Remember to remove any plastic pots, wool or metal rings from the aquarium plants before adding them)
Top up with water, leaving approximately 2cm at the top.
Prepare the water for the fish using API® STRESS COAT™ water conditioner, as well as API TAP WATER CONDITIONER™ treatment which makes the tap water safe for fish by neutralizing the chemicals commonly found in tap water. STRESS COAT water conditioner contains the healing power of Aloe Vera to protect your fish’s slime coat, which guards against bacteria and disease and was included on the bags that we collected our fish in too. All of these treatments work instantly to dechlorinate aquarium water, so you can start enjoying your underwater world right away.
Place your fish in their bag into the aquarium for 15 minutes.
Add some aquarium water to the bags with the fish and leave for another 15 minutes.
Submerge the bags and allow the fish to swim out on their own accord. and remove the bags.

As mini is currently isolating due to close contact with a teacher who has tested positive he wasn’t able to visit the pet shop, but I went and picked up what he has chosen and we decided to only add six initially (4 Mollys and 2 Platy) so he can choose more himself.