Children learn a lot about life and the world by being involved with animals, including aqautic ones. Kids love fish tanks. They love watching the fish and feeding them--just like adults do. Aquariums are a great way to expose children to nature and to the responsibility of being a pet owner. A fish tank can be simultaneously stimulating and soothing and provides a great model of a natural ecosystem.
Still many parents are hesitant to have aquariums in the home with
small children. Sad. Fish are good for kids but make some parents
nervous. Maybe when she’s older,
they say. What’s the problem?
Problem 1: What if the tank gets tipped over?
I understand that
concern. My brother and I established quite a reputation for tipping
over antiques and siblings in our single-digit years (I grew out of
this tendency later in life). Solution: Some tanks are difficult to
tip over. A goldfish bowl rolls right over but a 55 gallon is hard to
empty even with a siphon hose. A ten gallon tank on a metal stand
might be a bit wobbly but is hard to budge on a kitchen table.
Problem 2: What if little snookums breaks the tank by hitting it
with a hammer?
Solution: Put the hammer where the kid can’t get it,
especially if you have TV’s or windows in your home. A standard 55
gallon tank can withstand quite a blow with a 16 oz. hammer (don’t try
this at home).
Problem 3: What if he gets out the fish food and dumps it all in the
tank?
Solution: clean the tank. Why did you leave the food out
anyway? Put it up on the shelf with the hammer! This is supposed to be
a learning experience for the child so teach them how to feed the
fish...just a pinch. If you let your child participate they will rise
to the occasion, but if feeding fish is one more thing they are
forbidden from doing until they turn 21 they will be envious and
resentful and turn to rap music. When my son was small he wanted very
badly to help feed the fish. I told him that this was an awesome
responsibility and insisted that he watch me feed so he learned the
proper technique. Oh, no!
I yelled, I put in too much food!
Quick! Get the net!
He netted out the excess food and by age five he
was feeding all the fish in my hatchery and those at a fish
wholesaler. He did a good job--only the fish that ate all their food
got to have dessert. As a reward I let him play The early bird gets
the worm
in which the players try to get up early on Saturday
morning and look for earthworms to feed the large cichlids (have to
admit I always let him win).
Problem 4: How do I keep her from paddling in the tank and getting
water all over?
Solution: You have to change diapers don’t you? How
wet can the kid get anyway? I’ve met plenty of 3-year-olds that could
use a good splash of aquarium water. You could always yell shark! at
the top of your lungs, but there are more subtle methods like the old
Now that you dropped your pacifier in the tank we have to change the
water so go fill up this pitcher while I drain the tank.
This method
teaches the child responsibility and provides challenging physical
activity for them while you watch Oprah.
Problem 5: What if he puts something poisonous in the tank and kills
the fish?
Solution: Like what? Drano(R)? A cobra? What kind of
parent are you? Put the Drano(R) up with the hammer and the fish
food. Keep an eye on that kid! Legos, crayons, checkers...no
problem. Ice cream, pop, peanut butter...see problem 4.
Problem 6: Sure you can be glib, but you don’t understand what it’s
like to be a mother. A fish tank would be just one more thing to worry
about.
If you are really worried you can put the tank up out of
reach and make a daily ritual out of lifting them up so they can throw
some food in. Hey, you always wanted to have a built-in fish tank so
that you could keep it in the laundry room but look at it while in the
living room. It’s not that hard. Get the saw out! It’ll look great!
Problem 7: That’s not what I meant! I mean that I’m the one that has
to take care of this thing and I just don’t have time.
Solution: Use
a good filter, don’t overfeed, don’t overcrowd, and stop whining. It
takes about five minutes to siphon out five gallons of water from your
tank with a gravel vacuum, dump it in the toilet, fill it in the
bathtub while adding the chlorine remover and pour it back in the
tank. You can leave the Jane Fonda tape in the VCR while you do this.
Problem 8: I’m still worried about the tank tipping over. What if
there’s an earthquake?
Solution: Stand in the doorway.
Problem 9: I’m serious!
Solution: Okay, if you’re really worried
about earthquakes you might consider strapping your tank to the
wall. The best way to do this that I know of is to find some of that
metal strap they use on pallets and cut a piece that can reach around
the tank. Drill a hole in each end and use 2" sheetrock screws to
fasten it to the wall. This black metal strap looks rather nice on
most tanks. It needn’t be tight, but you should try to put the screws
into studs, not just the plasterboard. Alternatively you could use the
Ken Behring
method and move to California.
[Editor’s note: As a California transplant, I can say with confidence that you will not avoid earthquakes by moving there. However, I have yet to have a tank fall over during an earthquake, California or otherwise.]
Steve Ward has been keeping fish since he was a kid, and has admitted to bathing his own offspring in a water change bucket.