If you’ve visited the Children’s Library at the Canton Public Library, you must have seen our fish tank and its many colorful residents. Did you ever want to know more about our fishy friends and the person who keeps them healthy?
Our fish tank is maintained by Chris Savage, owner of Bearded Fish Aquatics. Chris has been taking care of our fish for years, and over time, his work with fish has grown into a passion.
Chris has pursued this passion in many ways, including studying biology and marine and aquatic sciences at Wayne State Community College and Bowling Green State University (which has an amazing marine lab), and even at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he conducted marine research in the Gulf of Mexico.
However, Chris enjoys learning as much from experience as from the classroom. He believes his work is as much art as science, and he gets great satisfaction from cleaning and setting up a tank. Most importantly, he tries to set up a tank that pleases the fish.
The library’s fish tank is a freshwater tank of approximately 100 gallons, and Chris cleans it every 2 to 3 weeks, vacuuming the gravel, replacing a portion of the water and treating it to replicate the fish's natural habitat.
The fish in our tank are mostly African cichlids, native to a lake in Malawi; even the catfish are native to African lakes. Chris adds a variety of natural treatments to the water to make tap water healthy for the fish and closer to what they would experience in their natural habitat. He checks our fish for signs of disease or bullying, and he regularly adds new fish to the tank.
Chris doesn’t just clean our fish tank; he curates it, creating an environment that suits the needs of our aquatic friends.
Chris is supportive of anyone who wants to set up a fish tank at home and strongly recommends researching the fish you want for your tank. Don’t hesitate to ask a lot of questions at the fish store, and be sure to work with a knowledgeable seller. Make sure you understand your new fish's characteristics and needs.
Chris says you should be especially considerate of the maximum size your fish might reach when buying a tank, and he recommends buying one bigger than you think you want, so your fish (as well as decorations and any plants) can grow with your hobby. He also recommends starting with smaller species of fish until you get the hang of caring for them.
Not only is a fish tank a great conversation starter—which you may have noticed if you’ve spent much time with ours—but Chris says that having fish can result in many other benefits. He says it is a “Zen” experience, relaxing you as you feel “your brain is in the aquarium,” rather than worrying about whatever else is going on. A fish tank can even lower your blood pressure, which explains why you’ll often find them in doctors’ or dentists’ offices.
Once you get started, you might find that caring for fish becomes your passion as well.
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