My Fishie Friends; Or, Why I Love My Aquarium

I love animals. From my little hamsters and hedgehog to my fourteen-pound cat, as well as occasionally caring for my brother's eighty-pound German Shepherd mix, I've got plenty of experience caring for pets of all shapes, sizes and species. While I've always preferred furry critters to the non-furry varieties, nevertheless I've still enjoyed the company of a fish or two. I've had several male betta fish (or Siamese fighting-fish, as some know them as) over the years, and although they were always very pretty, they weren't often that much fun. Let's face it - a betta is a lazy fish. You'd be, too, if your fins were that long!

After having my betta and a number of tiny Glofish in a little two-gallon mini-tank for a few months, I decided it was time to upgrade. Petsmart had a sale, I had a gift card and money from Christmas, so I figured, why not? Originally I intended to get a fifteen-to-twenty gallon tank along with some new decorations and a few other little fish friends for my resident fish.

But we always end up with more than what we plan for, right?

I brought home a gorgeous thirty-six gallon glass bowfront tank, and after setting it up and getting the nitrogen cycle started (I'll have to write about that later!), I began adding fish, substrate, and "furniture". Everyone seems to love the combination of a ceramic recreation of the Colosseum right next to a Buddha statue of the same height, with bright pink, blue, purple, and green plastic plants interspersed between them, their "roots" buried beneath the black and neon colored pebbles.

Filled to capacity with neon rainbowfish, a dwarf gourami, some peppered corycats, a few more danios (the Glofish died), and, of course, my bright red betta, I sat back and saw my beautiful little underwater world take shape at last. With my new tank sitting atop an old Mikael desk from IKEA, I could now sit down and watch the fish interact with each other and their environment.

After a few days, I could see I needed to make a few adjustments. First and foremost, Mr. Betta had to go back into the little tank. Somebody had tore his fins up, so he was spending the entire day hidden in the Colosseum. Later on, I got him a nice little ten gallon set up, and his fins grew back within a month. Secondly, my three male rainbow fish needed a female or two. I picked up two little females, and at last I could see these gregarious guys in their fully-colored glory! When they were in the mood to impress the girls, their colors would brighten and a white stripe would appear down their nose and across their back. They would take turns swimming up to the girls, flaring their bright-red fins in hopes that the smaller, yellow-finned females would be impressed.

After I removed the betta, I felt I needed to add a little somebody else. Although I knew it might not be the best idea, I decided to get a small Blood Parrot cichlid. Knowing he would eventually need a larger tank, I decided I'd bring him home anyway, because I just couldn't get over how amusing the little guy was! He's full of personality, but he's also a pig. I named him Bubbles (the others, aside from Mr. Gourami the dwarf gourami, don't really have names) and every time my boyfriend or I walk past the tank, he and the three rainbow fish follow us as to beg for more food.

Those little fatties mess up the tank in short order, so I've been doing partial water changes a couple times during a week. It's not the most fun, but it feels good when you finish because the tank looks clean and pretty and the fish look happier and healthier. The worst part of the procedure, for me, is having a few cats who like to get in my way as I haul the bucket of dirty water to the bathtub to dump it out!

So, I've had my aquarium for a few months now, and I can say for certain that it's been a pleasure. The fish are amusing and calming, the tank makes a beautiful decoration for our living room, and keeping my fish healthy and alive is an entirely different challenge than, say, caring for a hamster. Finding a combination of species that will co-habitate, keeping the water at the right parameters to ensure optimal health and colors, and decorating their watery home to look at its best is a satisfying experience, to say the least. Though I had my doubts at first, I'm so glad I went with the bigger tank.

And, if Bubbles continues stealing everyone else's dinner and fattening himself up at this fast pace, I'll have to upgrade sooner than I'd expected!