Write 31 days, day 26
Writing prompt: Moment
“I think I’m going to get a betta.” My wife looked at me, assuming I was joking. I told her I was quite serious, that I really liked fish, and that I thought it would be fun to have one. As a family, we already have 3 dogs, 2 guinea pigs, 8 sugar gliders, and a horse, so why not a fish?
A betta in a bowl soon progressed to a 20 gallon tank, but I didn’t get the betta. Instead, I got an Australian rainbow, a silver dollar, two guppies, and a pearl gourami. That was just a few weeks ago. Not too long after, my wife asked if I might want a second tank for my birthday. “Sure. That would be cool.” Never one to disappoint, she scoured Craigslist. She first brought home a 40 gallon tank, but it was too scratched up. Then she found another 20 gallon, which was in really nice shape. But last weekend we found a garage sale that had a nice 70 gallon tank.
You might imagine where this is going.
Today, we went and bought some more fish. I now have 4 mollies, 4 silver hatchets, 1 upside down catfish, 1 ghost catfish, 1 cory, 1 pearl gourami, a pleco, 1 Australian rainbow, 2 catfish, 1 blood parrot, and 1 firemouth cichlid in a 70 gallon tank and a 20 gallon tank. I also set up another 20 in my youngest’s bedroom. She has 7 guppies, a cory, and a betta.
Twenty-six fish, all because I wanted a betta. Yet I have no regrets. I sit here and stare at them. I get lost in the present moment and, for a little while anyway, the hurries of the world melt away.
For reflection: try identify something that allows you to get lost in the moment, and then do it.
Jason Kanz 
I miss having a fish tank! Years ago, before kids, we had a 37 gallon tank and a rotating assortment of guppies, platys, cory catfish, rasboras, zebra danios and two pearl gouramis. (One of which tortured the other to death). We had three very short lived Angel fish as well, that’s when we realized we clearly couldn’t managed angel fish which really bummed me out.
Aquariums are so much fun but a lot of work. We struggled to keep the temperature manageable in our apartment, it was always too hot or too cold and our water was VERY hard which also didn’t help the fish.
Hope it works for your family. It’s a wonderful hobby.
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I am worried about long term management. It is definitely a “learn as you go.”
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You wanted one betta and ended up with 26 fish in total, that’s awesome! We had a family gold fish named speedy and he was quite fascinating to watch. Enjoy your fish.
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Chrystal, that seems to be the way of things in our house. Go big. 😬
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My Betta of six years, Steve, passed about a year ago. He was wonderful and crabby and curious, and loved to flare at the cat. I do miss my big fish tank. I had a 20 gallon in the kitchen, and sometimes while eating dinner, I’d suddenly realize I’d been starting at the tank for the last ten minutes. There’s something about them that really soothes. It sounds like you’ve got the aquarium bug. You’re going to love it. 🙂
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So true! They are good for blood pressure. It’s partly why so many doctor’s offices have them!
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I’ve never had fish, but I find it quite relaxing just watching them in waiting rooms or the aquarium. Good for you to have such a supportive wife!
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Yes indeed. We support one another’s obsessions…err…hobbies. 😊
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