Fish vs. Brother, what to do?

[silverhwk03]

Hello,

I'm a 19 year old "big sister" with five younger brothers. We've had a 50 gallon hexagonal aquarium sitting in our garage since our last move, and my Dad has expressed interest in having me set it up for the benefit of the family (which unfortunately, in this case, includes my brothers). I've had some experience with fish tanks before, but that was before my brothers were of age to really cause any problems. One of them especially. He has Down's Syndrome, and has a certain fascination with water, and I'm terrified that, if I should set up this aquarium, the fish will be tormented by strange objects added to their environment, disruptions in the filters/air pumps, etc. Basically, my question is, does anyone have an idea about how I could set up this aquarium, and basically brother-proof it? I've searced the internet for locking aquarium lids with no luck, and, although I can hide most of the wires/tubes involved inside the stand, there's always the risk of him finding some way around it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[poppab02]

Wow, that's a very good question. I'm going to have to think about that one.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

I can't really think of a way to lock down the aquarium, but perhaps you could deter him away from it.

Could you get him his own aquarium? Something small like a 5 gallon and get him a betta, a few of the hardier cories, and a few ghost shrimp perhaps to give him a good lively mix of action. Let him know that it is his, and he is entirely responsible for it (feeding, cleaning, etc.). Then just use it as a confidence/responsibility improvement tool.

 

[millipede]

brothers

That does sound tricky... If it wasn't a hex tank I would suggest thinking about mounting a tank in a wall where most of the tank would be in another room that he might not have access to, then all you can see or access in the "display" room is the front side. He wouldn't be able to get into the the tank at all... Of course that would be tricky with a hex tank and I'm not even sure you'd have the place to do that anyway... But I would also suggest a small "practice" tank. Try something small like a 1-5 gallon with just a small fish or two. You want to go cheap just in case, try some feeder guppies. You can set something like that up real cheap and try to teach him a little about fish and just see how things go. If he does get his hands into it or something breaks, it's only a few gallons. I'm not sure you'd want him watching "finding nemo" anytime he's near the tank though... Good luck

 

[saaebn]

Hello- I have three kids. One of my boys has multiple special needs. I have found that having him experience pets has been very good for him. My son loves the water and he has several fish that he considers "his" in the tank. We have a 75 gal tank. I wouls suggest a couple things.

1) make sure your tank in set on a sturdy stand. I would avoid something made out of particle board and go for something major heavy duty with 2x4 construction. My dad is good at making things so sturdy that I could hit it with my car and not dent it. So, maybe your dad could help make you a stand.

2) try putting a small cupboard inside the stand to hold the filter and excess cords. Out of sight is sometimes really out of mind.

3) Dont even keep the food in the same area as the tank. It leave them less tempted to try feeding on their own. (this goes for all your brothers)

4) start the tank off with something cheap and big. We started our tank off with 4 outdoor goldfish that were about 4 inches long. It made them easier to see without having to get really close to the tank. He could watch the fish while just sitting a couple feet away in a chair. Plus they were so bright and colorful that I had many people comment on how nice neat the fish looked. When they did get bigger and we wanted to add smaller fish and spendier fish we just gave them to a friend with a pond so everyone was happy. He know has a small orange and white goldfish that he thinks looks like finding nemo, but is much cheaper. Also if you go with a cheap fish it gives you time to really see what problems you might actually have with your brothers and give it time for the newness of the tank to wear off.

5) Just keep gently reminding your brother what the rules of the tank are. It did take a while to teach my son not to tap on the side of the glass, but he did. One of my sons therapists always tells me that we (our family) should expect more out of him and that he will learn. Even when we have doubted this in some areas he has surprised us in many ways.

Having fish as pets has worked so well for my son that they have even set up a small tank in the resource room at school. I tank is very calming.

If you do have any other concerns, please let me know. If I have already been there done that I at least know of a couple other moms that might. Good luck!!

Stacie

 

[Matthi]

My sister has downs syndrome .. I don't know of any good way to childproof the tank, if your brother has similar temperment. The best way would be to actually deter them from going near the tank - even getting close would be "off limits", in whichever way your family teaches him that.

The biggest danger would be having soap/liquids added to the tank, or having them try to "clean" the outside with something toxic. Not sure how you could proof the tank against that, other than some kind of locking cover.

Matthi

 

[krap101]

guard dog