why keep fish?

[Ben]

hey guys
im doing a speech on why people keep fish and why should they keep fish,
and im stuck for ideas.
any suggestions?

thanks

DD

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Keeping biotope setups are educational about what fish live in certain enviroments and keeping fish in general i think educates people about maintaining good ecosystems and the importance of keeping it healthy.

 

[CFC]

Because if you kept a hundred mammals in your house the place would stink.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I think when people realise how hard it can be to maintain a good ecosystem in a tank i think perhaps it makes people think of whats happening in the worlds ecosytems/enviroments at large and makes them more aware...hopefully...

 

[Mr Miagi]

Because if you kept a hundred mammals in your house the place would stink.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

OK OK, serious faces....

I started keeping fish because i loved them. Fish are very peaceful, provide entertainment, relaxing, and gave me a constant hobby. And i feel fullfilment when i get compliments from people and when i know my fish are in the best health they can be.

I couldnt have my own of something, but i could have my own fish tank, and sometimes kids just look for "there own" things.

 

[Waterloo Kid]

Keeping fish, especially rare and endangered species gives these species a monetary value. If something has a monetary value then it is valuable to the economy from which it comes and so is worth protecting. Something that is worth protecting is more likely to last in the wild if managed properly. Not only are the animals protected but also the environment from which they came.

On a more personal level I find them relaxing, attractive, educational and exotic yet unobtrusive, clean, quiet and relatively undemanding. Try keeping a dog with just 2 minutes a day care and a weekly hour or two of maintenance. Not going to happen! Well, not without the law getting involved anyway.

WK

 

[dwarfgourami]

When I watched my loud boisterous 4-year-old sit quietly on a chair waiting for his catfish to come out and feed last night, I felt he had learnt something very valuable indeed- that interaction with the animal kingdom needs to be on their terms too.
It satisfies the children's nurturing instinct (and mine). My daughter who is part-time disabled and suffers a lot of pain has become much perkier since we had the fish; it does her good to have someone to care for.
It speaks to their scientific curiosity, and I get to feel like a mini-David Attenborough, lecturing on about the rainforests and biotopes and evolution. I've read *lots* since we started talking about keeping fish again.
I love watching my fish exploring their tank, or peeping out of their cave.
Water changes are very satisfying- makes me feel competent and that I'm really making a difference.
Fish are soothing to watch, too.

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

and thats a very good point waterloo but for me it was a desire t have something to look aftre, and the fun of watching them!

 

[red-devil0602]

i second what dwarfgourami said. my crazy 5 and 2 year old daughter will sit quiet for ages just watching the fish and it is a good teaching aid for my 5 year old as she knows more about fish care etc than any other kid i know. I started keeping them because i love all sorts of animal but with having babies in the house i didn't want a dog or cat that the kids could maul, and my b/f already kept fish so what's 1 more tank(now 4).
I love it as it is a great hobby if your at home all day looking after the house and kids

 

[Ben]

thanks guys,
please keep the ideas coming

 

[debiasir]

the reason i bought tanks and fish are:

they relive stress and i can sit for ages watching the tanks
they add character to the room
i have been interested in marine life for as long as i can remeber.soi enjoy reading up on the fish i keep as well as keeping a succesful thriving tank

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Reasons i first went into fish keeping for...
a. They were the only pet my landlord would let me keep at my old apartment when i first started out keeping them and i realy wanted some pet company...
b. I wanted to keep them happy before i even got them, i realy also wanted a little peice of my own tropical river in my bedroom too
c. I just found them realy interesting creatures to begin with and wanted to learn more about them via keeping them.

 

[akudewan]

Here's a few lines from the intro of my book "Fish Keeping for Dummies"

"Ever wondered what it feels to be God? Well, you can find out. By creating your own aquatic world, a world that you control, you can make your fish breed, you can make them die. You can do whatever you want with this world of yours! That's the reason I keep one."

Note: I don't really make my fish die

 

[MegTheFish]

If you have alergies fish are a good pet to have.

 

[squirrelrabbits]

From couch potato to tank potato: completely eliminates the desire to watch TV!