I've had fish in my office in the past, and didn't encounter any problems
with insects or humidity (offices are not near galleries or collection
areas). I used weekend feeders when I was out of the office or made
arrangements for coworkers to tank-sit. 

I think Monday - Friday people food (lunch) is much more of a problem in
attracting insects. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Deb Fuller
Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 12:16 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Fish in museum offices

On 11/4/05, Bennett Siegel <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> the humidity would be less of an issue than toilets, with standing 
> water, if you have any of those. fish seem to be the most innocuous of
creatures for a museum, as they are "sealed" in their own watery envelope.
humanize the environment, allow the fish!  the only issue may be, the
keeping of fish food, and the creatures that the food may attract.

I've kept fish for years and never had a problem with insects. The frozen
bloodworms are kind of gross so I discourage people from keeping them in the
community freezer. You can get the dried variety.

There's a couple of caveats with office fish. First, if the heat or AC gets
turned off on holidays or weekends, you could loose your fish.
Same thing will happen if your office doesn't hold a constant temp well.

Secondly, desk top tanks that are only a gallon or less are generally too
small for most fish. Ammonia waste builds up very quickly so you end up
having to change the water every day. Little betas (aka Japanese fighting
fish) do okay in them as they don't move around much and live in stagnant
pools but most fish need more room to swim around in. Betas should never be
kept in those stupid little decorative bowls as those are MUCH too small for
them.

Given those two caveats, I'd say let people have fish. They can be great
stress relief on bad days and brighten up an office.

Deb

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