Anyone else view thier fish keeping as therapy?

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The fish keeping hobby has always been a stress relief for me, whether it be WC's,feeding or it's just sitting watching all the monster fish in the family room. I have the perfect setups as I never need to modify anything and the fish are happy,healthy and breeding. I think some people on MFK have OCD and are never happy with their tanks and are constanly changing or tweeking something which takes all the fun out of the hobby and would have to be a constant stresser if anything.


If you get it right the first time it can be a very rewarding hobby!!
 
think of it as a stress reliever. just sit there and watch them interact sometimes. also even the cleaning and water changes, put some music on and have a beer or two. my wife thinks i'm a little crazy though.
 
I can definetely relate, i've suffered badly from anxiety and depression in the past and starting fish keeping has helped me more than any medication did. Gives me something to focus on, sometimes it gets out of control though! I honestly find myself thinking about fish 24/7, constantly reading about different fish and set ups.. Anyone else literally obsess over their tanks and fish?
 
I think I get more relaxation from the planning and setup of the tank more than anything. Don't get me wrong, watching the fish can be relaxing also, however I just love planning out the tank, building a stand/hood, filters, scaping, etc... Just moved into a new place and now I have a room dedicated for my fish tanks in the finished basement where our bedroom is at now. They would call this a mother-in-law suite, however my wife and I turned into our own little area with a kitchen, living room, restroom and bedroom. I've taken over the living room and turned into a fishroom and i'm really excited about setting up my 350 and 75 to add more tanks down the road with all the room. This is where I believe I have the most fun with the hobby and that is the exciting thing about this hobby is that we can all have relaxation in our own way doing different things in this hobby.
 
Paulbearer said:
I think I get more relaxation from the planning and setup of the tank more than anything. Don't get me wrong, watching the fish can be relaxing also, however I just love planning out the tank, building a stand/hood, filters, scaping, etc... Just moved into a new place and now I have a room dedicated for my fish tanks in the finished basement where our bedroom is at now. They would call this a mother-in-law suite, however my wife and I turned into our own little area with a kitchen, living room, restroom and bedroom. I've taken over the living room and turned into a fishroom and i'm really excited about setting up my 350 and 75 to add more tanks down the road with all the room. This is where I believe I have the most fun with the hobby and that is the exciting thing about this hobby is that we can all have relaxation in our own way doing different things in this hobby.
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I feel you on that, I love planning, building and tinkering. Seems I'm always right around corner from starting another fish related project.
 
Be putting this to the test tomorrow... just found out my grandad passed away :( if I had a furry animal I'd be cuddling it right now... instead I'm going to clean that tank from top to bottom tomorrow...
 
sorry to hear Hanwyz, his angel lives in your heart as with every one he ever new or touched. is fish keeping therapy? its a strange or complicated concept to me. sailing, building things, painting, yoga even, these are hobbies. so it kind of begs the question, is the fish in the tank your hobby? or the tank and build you made for the fish the hobby, and which of the 2 do you receive the most gratification from? any thing you do that supplies you with a sense of self worth is therapy, wither that is picking up a piece of trash in the safe way parking lot and dropping it in the trash can or carring for a fish and making sure it has the best environment you can provide for it. the righteous mind is fed by righteous acts.
 
My therapy, hahaha that's funny. It's my main source of stress though but it's worth it :)
 
Yes and no. Before I had a python water changer I used to dread water changes, we have all had that wake up and tank is sick and things are going wrong. The more I become experienced I find it to be more relaxing but defitnently nently not when i starting.
 
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