Tetra is encouraging more people to delve into the underwater world by revealing our favourite childhood memories of having an aquarium.
While back in the 80’s, pet owners might have opted for a traditional bowl aquarium, sporting a multicoloured theme and even a classic novelty item, such as a castle, today’s tanks are light years ahead, with pet owners now more likely to opt for a larger, more stylish tank that can safely house our fish. Even colour trends have changed over the years, with millennial pink currently a popular aquarium colour choice.
Nevertheless, some things never change and that’s where we find the inspiration in naming our aquatic friends. From Beano to Bart, Flounder to Nemo, Elvis to Lil Kim, to Ant & Dec, the latest research from Tetra shows that we typically look to popular culture to inspire our goldfish names.
Indeed, even the Royal family features in Britain’s most popular pet names, with William and Harry currently ranked among the nation’s top choices. For some, our fish’s name might even reveal a little bit more about our other favourite things, with Gin & Tonic and Guinness both common names for goldfish!
So, with fishkeeping firmly back in vogue, the aquatics experts at Tetra have revealed five fin-tastic reasons why you should get back into fishkeeping!
Fish make great friends!
Our friends with fins give great companionship. In fact, one in four UK fish owners admit to regularly chit-chatting with their pet, while half fondly recall their fish chasing their fingers across the aquarium glass or even touching the water, so their pet could ‘kiss’ them2.
Aquariums look beautiful in the home
Perhaps one of the most common reasons people choose to keep an aquarium, is that they look beautiful in the home. Fish tanks can become the focal point of a room and are often a point of conversation with visitors. In fact, many of the rich and famous, such as the Beckhams, late fashion designer Alexander McQueen and Madonna, have had special fish tanks installed in their home as a luxury design statement.
Fishkeeping is fun
Not only is choosing your fish’s name one of the highlights of pet ownership, you can also go to town decorating your fish tank. You can add amazing plants, statues, rocks of many colours and accessories to create it a special ambiance and make your fish’s home as spectacular and comfortable as possible.
It’s a fin-tastic learning experience for children
For children, learning to look after fish can be a magical experience that creates a lifetime of fond memories. What’s more, learning to look after a fish teaches children responsibility. Through fishkeeping, children can learn valuable skills such as feeding and caring for the fish alongside ensuring the tank is always looking its best. When reminiscing about the joy of owning a fish, the UK ranked watching them grow and feeling proud of taking care of them as the most rewarding benefits3.
Heath benefits
Finally, there’s a bank of research to show that fish promote feelings of calm and peacefulness. As a result, keeping fish in your home can bring many health benefits, such as reducing stress and lowering blood pressure and heart rate4. Try watching them for a few minutes a day to help you to relax and connect to nature.
If reminiscing about your childhood aquarium has made you nostalgic Tetra has a range of solutions from small stylish globes to larger aquatic centrepieces allowing you to revisit the fascinating world of aquatics with ease. Visit www.tetra-fish.co.uk or your local aquatics store for more information.
