About the fish: I know how well you take care of your tank, and I'll bet your fish are happier than the fish living in my son's 10-gallon freshwater tank!

We set up the tank when Jack was just a baby. He was in daycare at the time, and from the time he could crawl, he would crawl to the tank in the baby room, stare into it, talk to the fishes and fall asleep leaning against it.

Jack was just about a year old when we set up his own fish tank next to his crib. Now he's 6, and he still falls asleep watching the fish in his tank.

We put quarry catfish in there because we were told they were hardy. I say thank goodness for bottom feeders! One of those fish is 3rd generation, and we've had some of them for 5 years. Are they happy? Well, they're mating, and that's got to be a good sign!

My guess is that fish don't think about much. But if they're healthy and well fed, they're happy, or whatever the fish equivalent of happy is.

Having the tank is good for you, like it is for my son. The light, the sound, the fluid motion are mesmerizing, peaceful, and give us a place to go that is peaceful, quiet and gentle.

And, once you have that kind of energy, you're contributing that energy to the people around you.

It's a good thing.

There's something so peaceful and quieting about just watching fish. They make the atmosphere somehow so much more enjoyable. I was actually just saying to myself last week how well our office is set up to encourage a peaceful and good work environment. It's the same things I did in my home.

I set up a 55 gallon freshwater tank in my house and for a while I questioned if it was really worth it. I found myself working hard to preserve the delicate balance of the ecosystem. I was really pulling for them each time I put in new fish, knowing that just the transport is enough stress to put a fish into a coma. I made countless trips to the pet store to buy water softeners, slime coat promoters, aquarium salt, and water conditioners. I lost a few really nice fish when it was finding its equilibrium. But now I have a vibrant tank that's about as close to a coral reef as you can get in freshwater. I know how much harder it is to keep a salt water tank running. I tried it once and never again.

As far as your tank is concerned, it's one of the nicest and well kept tanks I have seen. I'm sure your fish are very happy in there. You can always tell when fish are stressed out and yours seem quite content. When you think about it, they probably would have wound up in someone else's tank who wouldn't have taken such good care of them.

I love just sitting at my dining room table alone and just watching the fish going about their lives. It's so relaxing somehow. What is it about fish that so enraptures us and brings us into such peace? Why do they inspire such awe and wonder in people of all ages?

I find going to the zoo to be extremely depressing because I think about what those animals are feeling locked up like they are. I don't have those same thoughts about fish, though. I don't think they think very much and they probably appreciate (to the extent that they can) the constant food source and no predators.