The Kitchen... No Longer the Heart of the Home

In 2009 I bought my first home and of course before I finished walking through the first showing, I knew exactly where my dream aquarium would be. When I moved in, I took the 40 gallon freshwater aquarium I had in my apartment and put it in the entry of my home as a “temporary” solution until I could move forward with my dream aquarium. 10 years later and hundreds of humorous comments from friends and family about the Fish Guy having such a small aquarium, my dream came true! In January my team installed a 550 gallon peninsula reef aquarium dividing my entryway from my office. Even as “The Fish Guy” my aquarium surpassed my expectations. The way I interact with it, the way family interacts with it, and the way Riley, my Golden Retriever, interacts with it (he is very jealous of the fish) is incredible. Of course my fish have names, the largest is a Naso Tang with a streamer. As soon as she (it's actually a male) was added to my aquarium, I gave her the name Sue. Why? Well that’s my moms name! Naso Tangs are beautiful fish and appear to have artistically done make-up, very closely resembling my mom! Given her size she also is the ruler of the roost, again just like mom.

While I am extremely passionate about aquariums and business, doing something everyday that I love, there are still points in life that can be stressful. Last night after working an extremely long day, I walked into my home at 11pm, grabbed some fish food and went to feed Sue and her friends. As the fish ate, I sat at the edge of my desk watching all the fish excitedly swim to the surface to dine on a medley of seafood & seaweed. The corals in my aquarium extended their polyps, reaching into the water column to capture pieces of food as it raced by in the currents. Dozens of shrimp, snails and crabs came out from their hiding places to get a bite to eat. As I sat there, I was in awe with no other thought on my mind other than the amazement I saw in front of me.

In a world where we are moving so fast, we need to have moments to let go, relax and melt any stress away. Watching my aquarium after a long day calmed me down, cleared my mind from everything that had previously been racing through my head, and put me in a relaxing state. When we can mitigate stress, we sleep better, perform better at work, and are more present with our families. As the holidays are upon us, some stress will ensue, spend some time with your fish and let them take the stress away from you.

Happy Holidays!

The Fish Guy