More Than Just A Tank

[00:00:03] Welcome to The Aquatic Edge, where we dive deep into the world of fish keeping.

[00:00:09] This is an incredibly exciting and dynamic hobby, and I look forward to sharing more about this hobby with you in the episodes to come.

[00:00:17] Over the next few weeks and months, we will discover new things about certain species of animals to keep in our aquariums.

[00:00:24] I will be interviewing some local and well-known fish personalities, or fish keeping personalities, should I say.

[00:00:31] And I really hope that you will find that these episodes will be helpful and insightful to you as fellow Aquarists.

[00:00:39] Well, for today, I'm going to take a different tack and share something of a personal story with you, something of my journey into fish keeping.

[00:00:48] I'm sure many of you will be able to relate to it, but hopefully there'll be something in this for you as well.

[00:00:56] You know, I can picture it very clearly, my very first fish tank as a little boy.

[00:01:00] So, somehow, I don't know how I did it, but I managed to convince my mom that having a container full of water and wildlife in my bedroom was a brilliant idea.

[00:01:07] And I well remember the vibrant colors of the neon tetras, the graceful movement of the guppies, those very long-suffering zebra danios.

[00:01:20] But truth be told, I had really no clue about the nitrogen cycle, cycling a tank, how to balance a tank, what fish species were best suited to certain water parameters.

[00:01:32] In fact, water parameters was an unknown term to me back in those days.

[00:01:36] So, it was a complete miracle that anything actually even survived in that aquarium.

[00:01:41] Yeah, I guess many of us started out in the hobby that way with a visit to the pet shop, being quite fascinated by watching the fish swim around, being entranced by their colors, and wanting to try our hand at keeping these fascinating creatures.

[00:01:54] Those early days were definitely more about luck than about knowledge.

[00:01:59] Although I would spend hours in the school library and second-hand bookstores, soaking up whatever information I could find.

[00:02:05] I do remember an old leather-bound book, I don't know when it was published, but I'm guessing probably in the 1930s or 40s, that was almost like a beginner's, a comprehensive beginner's guide to fish keeping.

[00:02:15] And I absolutely loved that book.

[00:02:17] I would dig into it on a regular basis, reading up about all the fish and the different species and how they would best be kept.

[00:02:25] I'm sure much of that information is out of date by now, but at the time I found it an absolute treasure trove.

[00:02:31] So, yeah, I was continually trying to find out more and to get better at keeping fish.

[00:02:36] To be honest, to become better at keeping them alive.

[00:02:39] And the truth is that some fish thrived, while others, well, let's just say they met in early retirement.

[00:02:46] Then in my teens, I leveled up my game.

[00:02:50] Not only did I keep fish, but I also faged into the world of amphibians.

[00:02:54] So just imagine this, a teenage boy's bedroom in which there were tadpoles growing in an aquarium with no lid.

[00:03:02] I didn't ever know if when I came home if I would still find tadpoles or whether there'd be frogs jumping around my bedroom.

[00:03:09] And while I certainly gained some knowledge by then, success still relied heavily on good fortune.

[00:03:15] Well, life took its turns and fish keeping took a backseat during my latter high school years.

[00:03:20] But the passion never truly left.

[00:03:23] Then, during my student years, a pivotal moment occurred.

[00:03:27] The Tertians Aquarium, which was about to open in Cape Town, put out a call for volunteers to sign up as guides.

[00:03:34] I took the opportunity with both hands.

[00:03:36] And after many months of sitting through lectures and eventually writing an exam, I managed to become qualified as a guide at the Tertians Aquarium.

[00:03:46] I absolutely loved that.

[00:03:48] I would go there regularly.

[00:03:49] While the aquarium was being built, we were able to spend some time there.

[00:03:53] We could come and go as we pleased.

[00:03:55] I was able to watch them put the very first rag of two sharks into the main tank.

[00:03:59] And it was really just an incredible opportunity to soak up, quite literally, the atmosphere and the wildlife and the magic of the Tertians Aquarium.

[00:04:11] Although I never ventured into marine tanks myself, those many hours spent sharing knowledge with visitors at the aquarium certainly reignited my love for the aquatic world.

[00:04:21] Then, as a newly graduated teacher, one of my first additions to my classroom was a large fish tank in the reading corner.

[00:04:28] And honestly, the children loved it.

[00:04:30] It was a place where they could go grab a book, hop down onto a beanbag, sit and watch the fish nearby and get engrossed in a book.

[00:04:40] It was a fantastic centerpiece of learning in one day in my classroom.

[00:04:45] And life continued to move forward.

[00:04:49] Marriage, birth of our two active boys, and the joy of passing on this incredible passion of fish keeping to the next generation.

[00:04:56] Although neither of my two boys has managed to grab the passion in the way that I have,

[00:05:03] I did install a tank in my oldest son's bedroom for several years, in fact.

[00:05:09] But let's just say his maintenance skills were, well, they were relaxed.

[00:05:13] And it was quite frankly nothing short of a miracle that this fish survived.

[00:05:18] But then let me share something now a bit deeper, and perhaps this is more personal with you.

[00:05:24] I've been a school principal for the last 16 years, currently the principal of a large primary school of almost 900 children.

[00:05:31] The past few years have been particularly challenging, particularly navigating the school through the challenges of the COVID pandemic.

[00:05:39] What I've discovered is that the aquariums, which started out with a number of one or two,

[00:05:44] and has now grown to 30 aquariums in my fish room, they've become more than just a hobby.

[00:05:49] They've become a place for me to decompress, to de-stress.

[00:05:53] They've become a vital tool for mental wellness.

[00:05:57] Research tells us that over 70% of school principals experience stress or a feeling of being overwhelmed.

[00:06:03] I'm pretty sure that in most professions you will find a similar statistic.

[00:06:09] I wouldn't be surprised at all.

[00:06:11] Life is hard for many people.

[00:06:14] Life is stressful for many people.

[00:06:16] There are economic realities, relational difficulties.

[00:06:19] The world keeps going at a pace that often seems incredibly frenetic.

[00:06:23] But here's something quite fascinating.

[00:06:27] Research has shown that watching fish swim can actually lower blood pressure, reduce heart rates and improve mood.

[00:06:35] In fact, there was a joint study by the National Marine Aquarium in the UK,

[00:06:40] Lymouth University and the University of Exeter,

[00:06:42] which found that spending time in front of an aquarium can reduce stress and anxiety levels by up to 12%.

[00:06:50] So think about it.

[00:06:51] In our increasingly connected, highly pressurized digital world,

[00:06:57] aquariums offer a unique connection to nature.

[00:07:01] After a long day of meetings, budget discussions,

[00:07:06] handling potentially in certain situations of your customers,

[00:07:10] interesting relational conundrums and putting up metaphorical fires,

[00:07:16] It is good to be able to come home and sit in front of this slice of tranquility,

[00:07:22] the gentle bubbling of the filter,

[00:07:24] the graceful movement of the fish.

[00:07:28] In many ways, it's its own form of meditation.

[00:07:33] And it's not just about watching the fish.

[00:07:35] The process of creating and maintaining this little ecosystem

[00:07:39] can be incredibly therapeutic.

[00:07:42] Choosing the right plants,

[00:07:44] seeing your fish thrive in the environment that you've created.

[00:07:48] There really is a deep satisfaction in that.

[00:07:52] So now, with ArtsFishroom,

[00:07:55] I'm not just sharing a hobby.

[00:07:57] I'm really sharing something that has a potential to heal

[00:08:01] and to make life better for people.

[00:08:04] So whether you're a stressed out professional,

[00:08:07] a busy parent,

[00:08:08] or someone looking for a moment of peace in your day,

[00:08:12] keeping an aquarium at home

[00:08:14] might just be the unexpected answer you're looking for.

[00:08:18] So will an aquarium solve all your problems?

[00:08:20] No.

[00:08:21] It won't balance your budget or write reports,

[00:08:24] but it can provide an oasis of calm amongst the chaos,

[00:08:28] a space for reflection and rejuvenation.

[00:08:31] And so as we navigate the sometimes choppy waters of life,

[00:08:34] having this little piece of aquatic tranquility in our homes

[00:08:39] might just be the anchor we need.

[00:08:42] So whether you're a seasoned aquarium keeper

[00:08:44] or just starting out,

[00:08:46] I hope you'll join me on this journey.

[00:08:48] Together, we'll explore not just the fascinating world

[00:08:50] beneath the surface,

[00:08:52] but also the profound impact it can have on our well-being.

[00:08:56] So this has been the first episode of The Aquatic Edge.

[00:08:59] I trust you will join me for future episodes.

[00:09:02] I'm Art.

[00:09:03] I'm reminding you to keep exploring

[00:09:04] and keep learning

[00:09:05] and keep enjoying the world of fishkeeping.

[00:09:09] Cheers for now.