It’s like having a piece of the Caribbean in your home, says Laura St. Pierre.

She likes to retreat to her living room after a tough day to relax and be soothed in front of her 55-gallon saltwater fish tank.

Tough day or not, she usually spends time gazing into the colorful scene that is a world away from the frozen landscape outside her home. Her tank is filled with a variety of tropical fish that she has collected over the past few years.

“People make a big mistake by just getting a bunch of fish and dumping them into a tank together. You need to build it gradually so you don’t stress them out and create problems of all kinds, including too much ammonia in the water that can kill off some or all of the fish.”

The registered nurse from Turner began collecting fish in 1995 with a 150-gallon tank. During the ice storm of ’98 she lost them all. After that, she decided to downsize and go to saltwater fish. She has collected as many as her present tank will allow.

“You can tell if you have too many fish in the tank, as they will get to a point where if you try introducing more fish, they will all attack the new one and kill it.”

It’s more than a hobby, she says.

“You almost have to be a mad scientist as the tank and fish require maintenance nearly every day. I spend about an hour and a half each week on it. Everything in it is alive. Not just the fish, but the coral and even the sand, needs TLC.”

Each fish has a unique personality that she has gotten to know over the years.

“It’s like a high school in a fish tank with cliques and everything. Some won’t go near others, a few are reclusive and then you have the groups that hang out together all the time. My favorite is the marine betta – it’s so unique and beautiful in its own way.”

St. Pierre believes all of the work is well worth the benefit of being able to enjoy the almost fluorescent color of the scene that is constantly changing and offering a beauty not found in this part of the world.

She and her husband plan to buy a bigger tank in the spring.