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Aquariums Reduce Stress Don't They?

Whenever our family walks into a pet store my two children, Alysse and Ryan, ages 6 and 3 respectively, bolt past cuddly puppies and kittens, without pause for the cages of lizards, snakes and birds no, they rush headlong to the back wall of the store filled top to bottom with teeming cauldrons of fish. Filled with excitement, they run from tank to tank, leaving smudgy little nose and finger prints on the glass of each and every tank as they ooh and ah over the swimming multi-color masses.

So being the good mom I believe myself to be, I resolve to get them a fish tank. Something small and uncomplicated, but tasteful, that the whole family could enjoy. And how lucky was I? My kids weren't asking for a $500 purebred puppy that needed to be housebroken and I'd end up feeding and walking, or the proverbial pony that every little girl seems to demand sometime before the age of 12 that would require a second mortgage to house and feed. All they wanted were some fish. Some inexpensive, easy-to-care for fish. I was truly blessed by their innate sense of practicality. Besides, fish were supposed to be relaxing. Something about watching them slip gracefully and silently through their aquatic domain was supposed to calm and sooth. As a self-employed, mother of two with a road warrior husband, I could use a little soothing. I was totally on board with this, we're getting an aquarium!

Our aquatic adventure begins when I bring home a beautiful, hexagonal, 5-gallon aquarium and all the fixings gravel, light, net, filter, plants, fish food, etc. Now I'm as excited as the kids at the prospect of this unique and beautifully decorated piece sitting atop my wrought iron and glass baker's rack, gracing our dining room with an air of elegant tranquility. I quickly unpack all of the materials and proceed with the assembly of our aquatic piece de resistance.

I carefully read each and every piece of literature, and there are many, detailing the steps to creating a successful aquatic habitat. Keep out of direct sunlight. Check. Use only materials sold specifically for use in aquariums. Check. Make sure there's enough slack in the electrical cord for a drip loop. Check. Be sure you use a sturdy surface to support the filled aquarium's approximately 65 pounds. Check?

My husband and I debate the tensile strength of inch thick, tempered glass. I'm cautiously optimistic, my husband, well let's just say he's experienced a rich history of the results of my impulsive

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