Why don’t doctors offices have fresh water tanks?

[Bettapuppy]

So I’ve been to a lot of doctors offices and hospitals recently. Uterine Fibroid tumors are no joke! I’m on the mend now thankfully. Anyway, I noticed that many of them had aquariums, but they were all reef tanks. I mean they are pretty and all, but fresh water tanks can be just as beautiful. Do you guys have any idea why freshwater tanks aren’t more popular at places like this?

 

[sharkweek178]

My gf went to an appointment and sent me a pic of their tank. She was concerned because the fish kept going to the surface for air. I explained to her that this was natural behavior for gouramis.
I haven't noticed a prepoderance of salt water tanks. I'm sure that the majority of offices hire someone to maintain their tanks. I wonder if they get talked into saltwater by companies that want to charge them a little more for the maintenance.

 

[Byron]

So I’ve been to a lot of doctors offices and hospitals recently. Uterine Fibroid tumors are no joke! I’m on the mend now thankfully. Anyway, I noticed that many of them had aquariums, but they were all reef tanks. I mean they are pretty and all, but fresh water tanks can be just as beautiful. Do you guys have any idea why freshwater tanks aren’t more popular at places like this?

The general public like seeing marine fish, they are more colourful and odd (a debatable point, but it is widely held). When I visit the Vancouver Aquarium and browse the marine tanks and the freshwater, I can certainly understand where this comes from. I have never ventured into marine because of the expense and work (perhaps also debatable) but more to the point, I find freshwater habitats absolutely fantastic. One can certain see evolution more clearly in freshwater than marine; the oceans have identical parameters (GH, KH and pH) so all marine fish evolved in that habitat. But each freshwater water course can be very different from the others, and the fish in each individual water course have evolved to fit in that specific habitat and no other. Though obviously many are similar, but the species clearly show evolution at work.

We can see this occurring today. One example, the freshwater hatchetfish Carnegiella marthae, which is found in many blackwater (and I believe clearwater) habitats in Amazonia and northern South America. One assume it is one species. Not so; phylogenetic analysis have now determined there are actually three distinct lineages among this "species," each having evolved from a different common ancestor. There are no external differences, but the genetics tell this story. Something similar is occurring or has occurred in the sister species, C. strigata which is the lovely marble hatchetfish. More recent phylogenetic analysis has shown that while the genus Carnegiella is monophyletic, the species C. strigata is not. Examination of populations within the Negro and Uatuma blackwater rivers has revealed two monophyletic lineages within this species, with considerable genetic distance (10-12%) between them, making it probable that there are two distinct species within this complex (Schneider, et al, 2012; Abe, et al, 2013).

 

[10 Tanks]

So I’ve been to a lot of doctors offices and hospitals recently. Uterine Fiblroid tumors are no joke! I’m on the mend now thankfully. Anyway, I noticed that many of them had aquariums, but they were all reef tanks. I mean they are pretty and all, but fresh water tanks can be just as beautiful. Do you guys have any idea why freshwater tanks aren’t more popular at places like this?

Hello Betta. Hope you're all mended and have a clean bill of health now. It sounds like your doctor has very deep pockets and can afford to have such a tank set up and maintained for them. This isn't cheap, that's for sure. I maintain a freshwater tank for a government office. They already had most of the gear, but all the local tank businesses wanted to rent the office their stuff and then charged a big fee for the plants and fish. I just took what the office already had and added the decorations, plants and fish. Attached is a photo of their 55 gallon tank.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[emeraldking]

Overhere, certain health facilities have freshwater tanks. One of the hospitals I go to once every month has even an African cichlid tank.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

The only fishtank I've seen in any professional setting is a tiny little 30-40 litre with 2 comet goldfish in it at a Children's Centre they've had them like that for years apparently, when I take my kid I have to consciously avoid looking in the tank's direction to avoid filling up with rage...

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Last summer I underwent a series of radiation treatments in a wing of the local hospital. After checking in at the front desk one is buzzed into the main area. In the main lobby one enters first there is a large FW tank (125-150 gal). Every time I went for a treatment I would stop and check out the tank and the inhabitants. My only criticism as they used fake plants. but that reduce the cost and maint. time needed.

The thing about a decent basic tank is that FW is easier to get established but usually more work to maintain while SW is the reverse. I have never done anything besides FW. So I may be wrong about the SW?

 

[Ichthys]

I wonder if they get talked into saltwater by companies that want to charge them a little more for the maintenance.

This. Doctors have money, and a reef tank is much more profitable for the tank maintenance people looking after it.

 

[Lanpenn]

Well, here in Brazil aquariums are rare in doctor's offices. Probably by lack of knowledge and low purchasing power. This fishkeeping industry here is still poor, despite recent advances. We suffer from very high taxes and tariffs, besides the poor performance of the currency (Brazilian Real). Any good equipment that's trivial for North America and Europe (from brands such as Aqueon, Tetra, Marineland, and something else) is extremely costly here (and, because of this, Chinese brands are far more common for power filters, heaters, et cetera).

The last time I saw an aquarium in a doctor's office was more than 10 years ago, it was a small saltwater tank with a Nautilus (I don't know really it was one, but it had a carapace and several "legs").

However, in my first months at my Bachelor in Biology at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in São Vicente, the campus had a large tank with a cool grouper, besides several sea urchins.