Camera advice

Casey, check out the Canon A series cameras, i have a A610 and think its pretty good for the money, it even has a white balance preset with a fish on it that i use for taking pictures of my tank. Also the minimum focus distance is 1cm compared to that panasonic that has a minimum of 5 cm. You can get them pretty cheap nowadays cause they are discontinued, also, if your buying a camera, you might as well get a tripod too if you don't already have one.

 

I would recommend a canon for a point and shoot. They really do make a good camera. ( I'm not being biased either, I own an olympus)

 

I just did my research on cameras, and the Canon G10 is going to be what I get. It is kinda pricey, $500, but it is a great camera. I seen it in action, and for a point and shoot, the macro shoots are amazing. Just my opinion, thought I would share.

 

If you're going to spend $500, you may want to consider investing in a digital SLR.
Helluva deal right here:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/589104-REG/Canon__EOS_Rebel_XS_a_k_a_.html?kbid=1023
Canon EOS Rebel XS (a.k.a. 1000D) SLR Digital Camera Kit (Black) with 18-55mm IS Lens & 75-300mm III Lens

It's macro abilities would still be better than a point and click.  Later, when you have more money, buy a macro lens and you'll be shooting like a pro.

 

Casey,
The 1cm vs. 5cm means you will be able to focus on objects as close as 1cm to the lense vs. 5cm away. I don't think it would make a big difference for what you will need it for...but with the 1cm minimum focus distance; you would be able to take some better/closer macro shots.
That last canon powershot you posted (PowerShot SX110 IS) looks like it will take some really nice pictures. It has ISO settings up to 1600 so you should be able to take pictures in low lighting and still have them stay in focus. It also has the ability to set a custom white balance which will work well for taking pics of the tank. The 10x optical zoom will be really nice to have as well.
A couple things that would concern me if I were purchasing it. One, it doesn't have a very broad range of aperture settings (f/2.8-4.3). This might not be an issue, but most lenses have a broader range. It most likely is just that the increments are much smaller than the 'standard' increments (2.8, 3.2, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.8, 5.6, 6.3, 7.1, 8.0 etc) It would be nice if they showed what the increments really were. The other thing is that it uses AA batteries. I prefer cameras that come with their own lithium-ion battery pack, they seem to hold a charge much longer than AA's.. Although the AA batteries come in handy when you forget to charge the battery They now have special rechargeable AA batteries that are supposed to last much longer which would probably solve that problem. Also, make sure to get a larger memory card. The 32mb one will only hold a few pictures.
Here are the batteries: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/425697-REG/Canon_1171B002_NB4_300_AA_NiMH_Batteries.html

 

Canon SD1100 IS

I own one, it's great. Stylish, small and takes great pictures for a point-n-click.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-SD1100IS-Digital-Stabilized/dp/B0012YC7AE

There is a slightly newer model but the 2 megapixels isn't worth the hike in price. It doesn't use AA batteries though. The lithium battery it comes with is great (lasts much longer than 2 AA) and you can always get a second one.


Or you can buy a D-SLR and tell your significant other to carry a bigger purse