Aquariums And People With Mental Disabilities

[Platy lover]

I have autism and I was wondering why aquariums calm down and relax people with disabilities

 

[andyg81]

my sisters young daughter has the same, they have 4 large tanks in the house and she sits watching them for hours, I guess its something to do with the colours and the movement. kind of like those sensory rooms in the schools etc, lights / movement and possibly the sound of moving water if there is a waterfall / bubble type effect

either way she likes them

 

[Dav]

Well, I don't have any mental disabilities and my aquariums calm me down quite a bit as well.

But I know what you mean my cousins kid also has autism and his fish tanks completely calm him right and make him so relaxed but in the same breath they have the same effect on me and I would say everyone that comes into my house, It has been known for my mates to come round mine and they end up just sitting watching the fish glide back and forth in the tank, I find that so soothing.

 

[Platy lover]

Well, I don't have any mental disabilities and my aquariums calm me down quite a bit as well.

But I know what you mean my cousins kid also has autism and his fish tanks completely calm him right and make him so relaxed but in the same breath they have the same effect on me and I would say everyone that comes into my house, It has been known for my mates to come round mine and they end up just sitting watching the fish glide back and forth in the tank, I find that so soothing.

My 29 gallon doesn't have anything in it right now and I love watching the bubbler lol

 

[Dav]

Well, I don't have any mental disabilities and my aquariums calm me down quite a bit as well.

But I know what you mean my cousins kid also has autism and his fish tanks completely calm him right and make him so relaxed but in the same breath they have the same effect on me and I would say everyone that comes into my house, It has been known for my mates to come round mine and they end up just sitting watching the fish glide back and forth in the tank, I find that so soothing.

My 29 gallon doesn't have anything in it right now and I love watching the bubbler lol

lol well when you get something in it you'll love it even more , I do understand what you are saying about fish tanks but I'm sorry I can't give you a perfect answer as I don't know the reason for it. But as like you my cousins kid loves his fish tank, and it does him the world of good, he is always calm when he is doing something that involves his fish tank.

 

[Platy lover]

Well, I don't have any mental disabilities and my aquariums calm me down quite a bit as well.

But I know what you mean my cousins kid also has autism and his fish tanks completely calm him right and make him so relaxed but in the same breath they have the same effect on me and I would say everyone that comes into my house, It has been known for my mates to come round mine and they end up just sitting watching the fish glide back and forth in the tank, I find that so soothing.

My 29 gallon doesn't have anything in it right now and I love watching the bubbler lol

lol well when you get something in it you'll love it even more , I do understand what you are saying about fish tanks but I'm sorry I can't give you a perfect answer as I don't know the reason for it. But as like you my cousins kid loves his fish tank, and it does him the world of good, he is always calm when he is doing something that involves his fish tank.

I removed all of the gravel and put down some sand so maybe I can keep a few cories alive. Lol, I had trouble trying to get them to not die on me.

 

[sadguppy]

I am sure there is research into this. Some doctors (at least used to) recommend it to people with high blood pressure and heart problems to calm them down!

However I would have to say that the whole process of cycling a tank is NOT calming

 

[Squidward]

When I had Malawi Cichlids, it was definately not calming! If anything it was stressful to watch.

Since packing them and going for general tropicals it is a lot more pleasant to sit in front of my fish tank.
There is something mezmerizing watching the fish.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

For me, though I don't have autism, I think it's the constant movement - you can just let your mind go and stare off into the flow of the tank, like a trance!

 

[FishBlast]

It certainly helps me fall asleep at night. No idea if I have mental disabilities or not (some OCD and anxiety I suspect at the very least) but at night I end up staring at the tank, watching the fish roam above the sand... and then they freeze and stare back at me...

 

[watertown28]

I have 2 young autistic children. I can say this, they love it. In fact, my youngest, I have a 30 gallon in his room. He stares at it while he is calming down.

I will say this, if your like my kids, I suggest getting some help to get the tank cycled. I get frustrated and I dont have autism, and seeing how my kids temperament is, if your anywhere near what they are like... get a helping hand.

 

[NeonNeptune]

I am stressed out a lot on account of my leukemia which is one of the reasons I got tropical fish. My doctor said I could not keep my turtles any more because of salmonella and other things they carry. So the turtles went out and decided maybe I could try tropical fish. I'm now upgraded to a 20 gallon and my fish always calm me down and help me forget about my problems because I find it interesting the things they do.

 

[FishBlast]

I am stressed out a lot on account of my leukemia which is one of the reasons I got tropical fish. My doctor said I could not keep my turtles any more because of salmonella and other things they carry. So the turtles went out and decided maybe I could try tropical fish. I'm now upgraded to a 20 gallon and my fish always calm me down and help me forget about my problems because I find it interesting the things they do.

I still keep a turtle but it's an emys orbicularis, not a RES. She's been eating fried chicken all the time and I can't seem to convince her to get some greens too.

I also upgraded to a 20 gallon from a stressful 5 gallon. Even though the water changes have gone from the 10L of the old tank to 20L and sometimes 30L in the new one, I still enjoy it as much as I enjoyed it for the smaller tank.
Used to change it daily in the old tank (due to cycling), now I change 1.5L every 2 days and 20-30L at the end of the week.

Not many fish in there, just a hoplo, a pair of teenage swordtails and 2 of their fry, but they are nice to watch, with their antics. Some like to interact with people, which is all the more entertaining.

 

[sadguppy]

I went to a doc's today and they had a tank on the wall in the waiting room with a few danios and tetras in - I am sure it is meant to calm down the patients as I imagine there are a lot of people who go there with anxiety etc... But all I could think was 'How thin is that tank! Poor fishies must be lonely!'

 

[Platy lover]

I have 2 young autistic children. I can say this, they love it. In fact, my youngest, I have a 30 gallon in his room. He stares at it while he is calming down.

I will say this, if your like my kids, I suggest getting some help to get the tank cycled. I get frustrated and I dont have autism, and seeing how my kids temperament is, if your anywhere near what they are like... get a helping hand.

I have Aspbergers which is a high functioning ASD and I have been doing everything with my 29 gallon. The most frustrating thing is having my whole tank die of an ammonia spike.