A touch of ‘Lovely living nature’ in our home!

We have two ‘Freshwater-Planted Aquariums’ at our home, one indoors and the other outdoors amidst plants and under a tree. My brother Dr. Lakshminarsu picked up this hobby while at school in 1963 and since then we have been keeping a variety of attractive fishes. My nephew Dr. Uday Bhasker and my son Srikanth have shown interest in fishkeeping since childhood and have learnt from my brother all that an aquarist needs to know in maintaining aquariums.

The aquarium is the only means that enables us to bring an element of living nature into our house without causing the difficulties we may face in raising pets like dogs or cats. Of course, it is an altogether different pleasure of having a dog or dogs in the house. Since my childhood, we had 14 dogs in our house, all my best friends, and these departed friends I shall never forget as long as I live. And when they die it is a great tragedy. Coming back to the subject of an aquarium, the fishes do not make noise, they do not dirty the house, they do not need a license, they do not need much care and when they die the sadness is momentary because it is a common occurrence in an aquarium.

There is no other hobby which like the aquarium offers the possibility of living in daily contact with nature in the comfort of one’s own home. Any time it is a pleasure to watch lovely fishes swimming around in the aquarium amidst the plants, over the sand and shells. Well decorated aquariums with colourful and exotic fishes are like ornaments to a house.

Every day my brother and son spend some time giving food to the fishes and in the maintenance of the aquariums. They ensure proper aeration, lighting, check the state of plants, clean the glass and so on. Come Sunday, they spend some more time in maintenance of the aquariums, top up the water and sometimes go to shops for procuring more fishes. Uday who is working at Al Dammam, Saudi Arabia, is now on a long vacation at Hyderabad and is actively involved in upgrading and maintenance of the aquariums.

My contribution to such a popular hobby in the house is negligible. Only once in a while, I am asked to give food to the fishes. But every day I spend at least a few minutes in front of the aquarium and it brings about a pleasant feeling.