My dad had fish tanks when we were little. He’d place a map behind them as “wallpaper”, and I picked out a treasure chest whose jewels glimmered and bubbled The real treasures were the fish, and the tranquility of watching their movements in the tank, the gurgle of the water as it flowed through the filter system.
Born in the sign of water, I’ve always been drawn to most things aquatic. Sharks and I don’t see eye to eye, and I sure hope we NEVER DO! … but fish have always been a part of my home. When we were first married and not yet adorned with children, we had a 50 gallon fresh water tank. I loved it, but we lived in a contemporary with big windows.. and the algae got to be a big hassle. We sold the tank and fish and I settled on a smaller goldfish tank. Life was good.. and the fish tank cleaning was easy.
Many years later, my husband has a very large cychlid tank in his office, my son has a golfish tank in his bedroom… remember Goldie?.. dumped by a family at the fairgrounds in the parking lot because his little baggie was leaking? Son picked him up and put him in his soda cup.. and he still thrives today with a buddy and algae eater.
As for me, I just love my bettas. They are so darn easy to take care of, never asking for much. You know my attraction to rescuing things if you read my blog very often, and to walk into a pet store and see this….
Well, it’s just makes me cringe.
And so.. every now and then I get to liberate one or two of these guys
by bringing them home to a better environment.
Oh, their tank is still small compared to many,
but it’s better than their original lot in life.
FYI – Bettas originate in the shallow waters in Thailand (formerly called Siam, hence their name),
Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and parts of China.
They proliferate rice paddies, shallow ponds, and even slow moving streams.
Their natural habitat
(that’s a giant snail in the middle, but you see the bettas on the outskirts)
When my daughter attended college, the first week’s activities included a betta adoption
program.. I guess to give the kids an opportunity to make their dorm room
more homey, give them a pet to keep them company.
You know the end of that story most of the time, right?
Dead betta within weeks.
This setup is what they’re given.
My daughter did adopt a betta… and I’m proud to say
she had it for two years in her dorm without incident, and with good care.
She even brought him home with her when she visited.
One weekend she came home without the fish,
the power went out in the dorm while she was here at home
and the fish was a frozen fish stick when she returned.
Fast forward to two weeks ago.
I’ve currently got two bettas in a divided betta tank
King and Ruby
King is by far the biggest Betta I have ever seen… he is, in fact, a King Betta. Ruby is beautiful with long flowing fins, and he is an old man by Betta standards. We’ve had him since we moved in to This Old House. He has survived several tank changes and some weird fish fungus which rendered his right eye useless. He now cohabitates through a divider with King.
They only argue on occasion.
Daughter visits a friend at her old alma mater,
friend has the adopted betta that he doesn’t have time to take care of.
Daughter brings said fish home.
MC was looking kinda puny, water kinda murky,
not eating and not talking about it either.
We busted him out of the little plastic pot,
put him in a bigger glass bowl and gave him two friends
to commiserate with. Soon the little bugger was eating again
with a vengeance, fins furled and feathered.
(More water was added, there’s a distillation process in progress here)
And the boys, they are getting along just fine.
Gotta love a story with a happy ending! We have had our betta now for over 2.5 years. They can live quite a while when you take good care of them. Ours is named Josh.
I love Betas too! I had one for a few years – Frank. Yes, Frank the Fish.
I'm a water sign as well. I am always better when I'm near water.
I'm sad to say I can't have fish with the two little fur hunters I have in the house. DK actually knocked a Beta boxed bowl onto the floor. She's a saucy little hunter.
My son insisted on having a Beta when he went away to college. He apparently hated college life so much he jumped out of his bowl. Poor Pepito. College kids should not have pets of any kind. Even a little Beta should have a better chance at life. College, good for kids, not good for fish.
I like fish tanks because they are soothing to watch. But I just want to look and don't want to care for them. Thanks for sharing your fish tale! Sorry, I just couldn't resist.
I've never had a betta but I would like to. I wonder if my cats could behave themselves? 🙂
oh, you gave him new life!
It seems K inherited your rescue gene. That's a wonderful thing! 🙂
from Dog adoption to beta rescues- love it! Are they truly, really that easy to care for? Would they make a good Christmas gift for the boys? I think they would love having them around and I am guessing the fish are budget friendly?
I love watching fish in aquariums, so peaceful and soothing. I had one for years, but the maintenance was difficult for me. I've never had a betta. They are so beautiful.
There great fish we had some but they died maybe its time to start two more ! Have a great night K
What a great story. I love King and Ruby -aren't they beautiful? I am so glad your adopted boy survived, too! xo Diana
Now that's a fish tale. Or is it tail?
They are pretty cool looking fish. Those fish in those little cups in the pet store? That's why I shy away from entering pet stores. Sad.
The only fish I had, many years ago, was a gold fish named Quinby. He committed suicide. I woke up to find him out of his fish bowl and on my kitchen counter. Not good.
Karen! You never cease to amaze me with your rescue stories…I had no idea that your fostering also included FISH!!! Who knew?? The only fish I ever had…didn't live too long…my dad told me to make sure I boiled the water first before I put the fish in. He neglected to tell me to cool the water off before I dumped my goldfish in. I was five. Still will never forget it. I feel bad. Even today.
We also have always had bettas. We usually get a blue one and my husband always says that they have a personality. I don't see it but it makes my husband happy.