When parents think of small children and pets, a fish is usually the fit that the parent goes for. Pets are great for children because they help teach them responsibility, how to care for a living thing if they don't have siblings, how to relax with the pet, how and when to feed the pet, and how to love the pet.
Parents have a great deal of responsibility when it comes to their child's well being and introducing a pet into the family is no different when it comes to responsibility to the child, and even the pet. I can remember many a sleepless night when my daughter was a newborn and my pet cat was not. I was worried about how the cat would react to her, and as she got older, I worried how she would react to the cat. Fish, of course, are different because they are contained in a tank, have no claws, and probably won't bit your child if you go for a small tropical.
A fish looks like an ideal pet for the whole family when these factors come up for a parent to think about. And fish are a great choice if parents consider a few things before their little toddler picks out his new pet...
The first thing to consider is the size of the tank you would like in your home. The size you pick, will determine the size and amount of fish you can have as pets. For instance, you wouldn't want a small five gallon tank to house a pleco because plecos get rather large when they become adults and probably wouldn't be happy in such small quarters.
The second thing to consider is where your new tank will be placed in the home, will you put it on a desk or will you be purchasing a stand? Will you be placing the tank in a sunny room that has a southern exposure or a dark room that gets little light? Is the room always busy with people walking by or is it a quiet room? These factors will also determine the types of fish to have in your new tank as well, because a fish like a Bala Shark, does not like to be placed in a room with a lot of movement. They have a tendency to "jump" and you wouldn't want the fish to jump right out of the tank. You also want to make sure that the tank is not placed near a window that gives off a lot of light. This can cause the water to turn green and then you would be faced with daily water changes until the problem is solved by curtains. And lastly, is your child going to feed the fish? If she is, then you might want to consider a stand for the tank so she can reach it for feeding time.
The last thing to consider is who will be doing the bulk of the care for the fish. Junior may be able to help feed the fish under supervision, but most likely, you as the parent, will be cleaning out the tank. A general rule of thumb for maintaining a clean environment for your new pet(s) is, the bigger the tank, the lesser amount of the work involved. By this I mean that a larger tank will function rather well with partial water changes (20%) every week and a filter change about once a month. A small tank is generally once a week for both.
No matter which fish a parent and child decide to pick as their new pet, an aquarium will bring much joy to the household. If you, the parent, have fun with it, then your child will too. And this in turn, will help them learn how to be responsible adults.
