[sfshrimp]

What is the point of this hobby? It feels very self-centered? Has anyone done any psychological studies on people that keep aquariums? How many are married? How many have a dog? How many have cats?

Bump:

What is the point of this hobby? It feels very self-centered? Has anyone done any psychological studies on people that keep aquariums? How many are married? How many have a dog? How many have cats?

Also interested in death / rebirth rituals, i've had some things die off. What do you do? Say a prayer? Light a candle? Sage? So confusing.Let me know how you get off failure.

 

[OVT]

What is the point of Art?

Check with marketing departments of larger companies catering to this market if you really want to know, Web is also your friend.

 

[easternlethal]

To me it's a way to get into gardening without a garden..

 

[sfshrimp]

questions and answers

How is art on the same level with keeping an aquarium? How are you defining art? How is web my friend?

What is the point of Art?

Check with marketing departments of larger companies catering to this market if you really want to know, Web is also your friend.

 

[Bushkill]

What is the point of Art?

Check with marketing departments of larger companies catering to this market if you really want to know, Web is also your friend.

If the question is a serious one, talk to someone in the marketing area of a Petco or Petsmart. They'll have all your answers.

 

[SwissCheeseHead]

I think OVT is trying to make a point that aquariums are a way of A) expressing yourself and your creativity through a medium, B) having something nice to look at in the home, C) having something to evoke some sort of emotional response, D) having something you can focus on and make your own.

I think in this way, aquariums and art are one in the same. So by asking "What is the point of art?" he is asking a rhetorical question. I think it's absolutely valid

 

[pdela]

To me it's a way to get into gardening without a garden..

LOL! This is exactly how I feel about it. I live in an apartment with no windows facing natural sunlight so its my own artificial garden.

 

[mfranco]

I see my tank as a living art form. I view it as art because it produces a broad array of powerful human emotion. My tank provokes feelings of serenity, balance, aggression, violence, hope, and sadness. These are key emotions that art (of any form) should invoke in its viewers.

The serenity comes from the thick vegetation and how it gently flows with the current to create a relaxing ambiance.

Balance is paramount to my tanks success, if any one aspect of my tank is deficient or in excess it causes immediate repercussions to my tanks ecosystem.

The reference to aggression and violence is due to the fish I house. Cichlids are amazingly complex fish that are territorial and violently protective of their territory and fry.

The feeling of hope comes from seeing the various organisms in my tank flourish even when I am having a bad day or going through difficult times.

In terms of sadness, when one puts a large amount of time and energy into something it is only natural for one to become attached to their creation. When a plant or fish is lost it puts things into perspective. It makes a person realize that these are living beings I am housing and they are fragile and need proper care and respect.

I know that got a little philosophical but that is why I feel keeping an aquarium is such a powerful art form.

 

[dukydaf]

What is the point of this hobby?

The answer you are looking for is > 42

 

[micheljq]

Troll alert!

 

[wastewater]

What is the point of this hobby? It feels very self-centered?

AQUAsitiondefinitely caught my attention.

Excellent responses by members replying to OP's thread. Thinking to myself (maybe being self-centered ?) before replying to this thread: I wondered if I would be feeding a troll, stoking the flames, or that if I made a statement about your post, "I'w be sarcasket in wesponse?"

So on that note... what is the point of your question > and how do psychological studies, marriage, dogs, cats, death, rebirth, getting off failure, come into play with your question about, "the point of this hobby and it feeling very self-centered?"

Different dictionaries give different definitions for the adjective 'self-centered'. Personally (again, maybe self-centered?), I like the definitions of "concerned with one's own interests", along with "independent and self sufficient". The point of this hobby for me (and this is definitely being self-centered): to satisfy my interests & add to my enjoyment factor. But hey, that's just my self-centered opinion... and a difficult topic to defend/support by an amateur like me!

 

[bereninga]

This is a pretty broad question. Everyone has their own reasons for doing things. For me, I'm in the gardening-without-a-garden crowd.

I think generally, we all enjoy nurturing and growing plants and fish because of their beauty, and this hobby keeps us in touch w/ nature. This hobby could also be an artistic outlet.

I too would be interested in the general demographics of aquarium hobbyists, but that kind of information would be hard to obtain accurately.

 

[Nordic]

Sounds more like the inQUAsition .

 

[AbbeysDad]

But then....what's the point of any hobby?

 

[houseofcards]

I think if you need to ask, you might as well get a hamster with one of those things that go round and round.

This hobby has so many great things wrapped up into a glass box. Gardening, Art, Beauty, Photograpy, Satisfaction, Indoor Nature, list goes on and on....

 

[Varmint]

What is the point of this hobby? It feels very self-centered? Has anyone done any psychological studies on people that keep aquariums? How many are married? How many have a dog? How many have cats.

Don't need a dog or a cat. I have two spoiled Bettas (who live in gardens without a garden)

 

[lksdrinker]

What is the point of this hobby?

whats the point of talking about the hobby on a web forum? You either like something or you dont! The things we like to do/see/experience often turn into hobbies as its enjoyable enough to continue doing or to try for yourself.

 

[Smooch]

It is fun to show your hubby pictures of cool tanks and say things like "Isn't that Microsorum mini the coolest thing?!" and watch him furrow his brow because he doesn't know what to say. That conversation may or may not have happened this morning.

Hubby does enjoy our tanks, just not on the same level as I. He has more fun giving all the fish nicknames than looking at pictures of plants.

 

[Pattern8]

I think most hobbies steady the mind and occupy the hands. When I'm working on a tank I usually have all my devices off or play music and just get lost in what I'm doing. The label of "art" I think is rightly deserved. There are many principles involved in this hobby: scale, ratio, balance (or imbalance) just to name a few. If one wishes for the simpler criteria of "art is meant to provoke" it would certainly pass this test. To pass by an active beautiful aquarium is to be in a state of wonderment.

To the other question: I have one of those small chimney fire pits out back. So I usually do a funeral pire.

 

[sfshrimp]

sorry

I am sorry to anybody that my post felt polarizing or left people uncomfortable, it was not my intention at all, nor was I was trolling the forum. I simply wanted to hear some opinions as a new person involved in this hobby, and question my own failures and intent.

So far, I witnessed beautiful stories that resonated with me, and I understand each person involved has their own free will and feelings, unlike the species we put in our tanks.

Some things I really enjoyed reading:

a). The garden when you can't have a garden - I think this was my impetus to get a tank, we don't have too much space here in san francisco. It's also something fun to come home to or think about. I also enjoy raising bog plants. I like having a happy home - some people here even wanted to see people's homes with aquariums - back to my cats and dogs, books, etc. question.

b). Spirit garden - someone described a situation where the garden is a metaphor of life / violence/ death / birth / calm - I get this, but felt down at the time of posting - I have had several shrimp die and I feel horrid. While I am feeling bad, is it ok to feel self-centered and continue experiencing joy from living fish or shrimp, etc., while they are living in sub-prime conditions? What if you think they are living but you don't really know, and are suffering from a lack of empathy?

c). Scale / creativity / design - someone mentioned scale and HO trains - I think this is an astute observation of how and why something looks great, or might be considered "art." I don't consider an aquarium as "art" for the sole reason that you would not go to a neighbor's beautiful flowers and say oh wow, that's art flower garden. We make a mistake when the appearance has four walls and suddenly is an object in the home and no longer in the wild (i.e. it's mine).

Just some thoughts - I'm not trying to piss people off, but truly I find this interesting. I had no rituals for my dead, mostly just stress, like really? Why did you buy this tank?>