Aquariums...

[TheMisplacedMidwestMom]

So I am VERY new to keeping fish. We currently have a Betta in the daycare area in a bowl and goldfish upstairs in the non-daycare part of our home. Our goldfish will be moving up to a 20 gal tank in the near future, and I'm moving the Betta in the 10 gal tank that the goldfish will be vacating (and possibly adding a few fish compatible fish).

What I'm trying to figure out is where to put the tanks, I'd like to keep at least one downstairs for the kids.

Anyone else keep an aquarium in their daycare? What things should I be considering before I do this?

[CityGarden]

No tips but I would love to add a saltwater aquarium to our space. I would hire a local fish store to maintain it though. I think it is so nice to see signs of life (plants, flowers, fish) in the same space as the children so best of luck.

[Claraskids]

My husband and daughter love fish and have three aquariums between them. Two of them are in the daycare areas. The kiddos love it! My only big advice is to make sure all plugs and remotes for heating/filters/etc are way out of the reach of the little ones! More than once have I noticed that the timer or heat has been turned off after we've played downstairs. Buttons are way too tempting to little fingers.

[ColorfulSunburst]

I have two aquariums (30 gallons & 10 gallons)
It takes time and money to keep it nice. DC kids don't show big interest.

[midaycare]

I have two aquariums (30 gallons & 10 gallons)
It takes time and money to keep it nice. DC kids don't show big interest.

I got rid of mine after a few months.

[LysesKids]

I got rid of mine after a few months.

i got rid of mine years ago... the babies kept hitting the glass with wood blocks... did not need scared fish much less broken glass; not happening

[Ariana]

I have two aquariums (30 gallons & 10 gallons)
It takes time and money to keep it nice. DC kids don't show big interest.

This has been my experience. Interesting for a couple of days and then they don't care. Constant whining to feed the fish. What I didn't like the most was the amount of humidity it brought into my house. It was ridiculous and hard to control. I only had a 10 gallon tank. Now I have a betta in a bowl. Much less maintenance.

[Pestle]

I have a mouse in a terrarium. We change the bedding once a week and keep the food and water available. The older kids love opening the clamping food jar and measuring out the mouse food for it. Even the infants like to sit and watch it when it's out in the daytime. (They're nocturnal so there's only a little daytime action.)

Mice do better in groups (if introduced at a young age), but our second mouse died and he was bullying the surviving mouse, who is a thriving senior now, so we don't want to stir the happy mouse pot.

[happymom]

Yes @ mice and RATS. Rats are super personable and SMART.

I did an aquarium for 7 years and I was so happy to throw it out a few years ago, I'll never regret it.

[Mike]

This has been my experience. Interesting for a couple of days and then they don't care. Constant whining to feed the fish. What I didn't like the most was the amount of humidity it brought into my house. It was ridiculous and hard to control. I only had a 10 gallon tank. Now I have a betta in a bowl. Much less maintenance.

I've seen the effects of that doing home renovations. Black mold, peeling paint. Humidity is not good for a place. One aquarium isn't really a big deal, but put too much in a room and you're going to need a dehumidifier to offset what they do.

[Ariana]

I've seen the effects of that doing home renovations. Black mold, peeling paint. Humidity is not good for a place. One aquarium isn't really a big deal, but put too much in a room and you're going to need a dehumidifier to offset what they do.

Yes it is crazy! Our windows were covered in frost every morning and my house is new, so very well insulated. We had to run fans 24/7 to get the moisture out! Not worth it.