It's Official - Aquariums Are Good for Your Mental Health

[@MolanoZwolle]

When migrating my main tank I always get a little bit of stress. Not having the plants dry out, having the fish healthy etc. . But when doing anything else it's always relaxing. On another note, I just watched about 20 or so of your videos. What a breath of fresh air is this channel. I found you via the review of the chihiros light, and started browsing. It was so fun seeing your journey from so early on and it's refreshing to also see the mistakes. Many channels only show the Instagram reality of fishkeeping, but we all make mistakes. Amazing job with the videos. I'd be open to helping people get in the hobby, but have found that local forums and clubs is the best way to do that. Clubs aren't really my thing but I've been active on forums and reddit. Anyways, keep up the good work. I'll be watching 😊

[@AquariumShed]

Aah I love comments like this. So glad you've been on a binge and seen the journey of the channel. I think your spot on that forums/reddit are an invaluable way of developing the community, but still think we could do more to make them accessible to beginners. Maybe it was just me, but when I started back in the hobby, forums initially felt quite exclusive with some very strong opinions that made it hard to be open or feel comfortable asking questions. Is that something you've ever experienced? How do you think we could improve online aquarium communities?

[@MolanoZwolle]

@@AquariumShed When i started out there wasn't as much available online. It was basically only a select few forums and some books. I've basically made all the mistakes there were to make and just followed advice from my local fish store (which is almost never a great idea as an only source of info). I have had a break of about 7 years where i had no aquariums, but started it up again a few years back. Having a lot more fun now with multiple small aquariums in stead of my 1 large aquarium back when i quit. Something that helps with that is youtube content that inspires me to try new things. I do see a lot of opinionated posts on reddit and forums nowadays. People aren't allowed to make mistakes and it's a echo chamber of knowledge where very few people actually experiment and try new things. Also it seems to be more and more focussed on animal wellfare, which is great, but it starts getting a bit silly when people say people need to cycle a tank for 2 months and need a 80cm tank for a betta fish. But, on the other hand as a young fishkeeper i once put a couple of angelfish in my 80cm tank and that obviously wasn't ideal. All that can be daunting for new members of the hobby, i'm sure. The way to improve communities? I don't really know. I always like communities with a low barrier of entry. Ideally open to everyone to read. Otherwise i'm not really looking for a community to join, though i'm always open to something if it looks right.

[@ubrosso]

I returned to the hobby after being fired during covid pandemic. I needed it. It is one of the things that occupy my mind and relaxes me, I watch the tank when arrive from work to unwind.

[@constantinyanicostas4664]

As a 63 old guy, I fully approved that fish keeping is good for the mind.

[@Mimijona]

Very interesting, I returned to my aquarium special interest after a few years pause during a tough mental health time of burnout and leaving my job.

[@RonohRonohRonoh]

Have just found this channel and really enjoying it!

[@AquariumShed]

Thanks so much, glad you found the channel. If I might be so bold, my AI video is a recent favourite, and my levitating moss stone project is an oldie but a goodie! 👍

[@Laelq]

Thank for your videos

[@Sinserg]

Very interesting results! I am definitely not considering leaving this hobby anytime soon, specially after leaning so much from people like you on KZbin 😁

[@AquariumShed]

Glad you found it interesting. Anything in particular stand out to you? I was really surprised by the family connection element, though it does make a lot of sense in retrospect.

[@Sinserg]

​@@AquariumShedFor me I would say the people responses on how relaxed they felt before and after starting the hobby, and though it can be stressful at times (specially when you don't know how to go about things) once you start working on your tank it really helps you disconnect from everything else.

[@AquariumShed]

@@Sinserg yeah the mindful aspect is really powerful for me. Even just cleaning a filter or cleaning the glass can totally distract me from the daily stresses!

[@HereWe_GoAgain]

Thanks for the videos. I based mg new setup off of the advice and experiments you have tried. Quick question have you ever tried hydrogen peroxide as a for of algae control? I've been doing .5ml dose per gallon and it killed off a minor bloom in a few days.

[@AquariumShed]

Hey Hey. Glad you've been enjoying the videos. I have never tried dosing the water column directly, but I have bleach dipped plants in a bucket before and then added them back to the tank. Its pretty incredible what it can do. Do you have livestock in your tank atm? Has it caused any issues? That's my main reluctance, but I do know it can be effective.

[@HereWe_GoAgain]

@@AquariumShed Just red cherries currently , no deaths and all seem perfectly fine. I do know it will kill snails at 3ml/g and is not harmful to plants or fish at that doseage.

[@aboveandbeyond.99]

Makes me mad and sad seeing that 13% wouldn’t volunteer to support new people to the hobby, I love and enjoy spreading the knowledge I have of fish keeping, while also still learning new and old tricks and information from other people.

[@TheLifeGuards]

It’s not just fishkeeping, it’s owning any pet in general. It gives you that mental boost. Lol

[@Sinserg]

I have fish, dogs and a cat and of them all I find fish and plants the most relaxing 😌

[@martynblackburn9632]

Fish keeping in the UK can get insanely expensive. I used to keep fish and would buy a fair amount at little cost. I stopped the hobby when the prices started to get way too much. Also I noticed the quality of fish declined and they would end up dying of stress and disease. I decided to pack it all in.

[@AquariumShed]

Aah thats sad to hear, but also really useful feedback. Do you think if local fishkeeping communities were reestablished, that would change anything at all? Trading healthy locally bred fish, sharing cost cutting tips etc. Aside from the initial outlay and my electric, I spend very little on the hobby. But I rarely buy fish and cut a lot of corners on everything else with DIY filters and alternative substrates etc.

[@princessofthemessiah]

I started watching father fish KZbin it helps with the cost based on natural fish keeping