Blog 5: Richard Fish

So, one day I was sitting in English class bored out of my mind with my head on my desk. I then popped my head up and decided, “You know what? I think I will get a fish today!” I was so beyond pumped.

Right after school my friend and I drove to Target and picked out a nice clear water plastic water bottle. It had I flip top that opened to I little whole to drink out of. It was perfect for my future fish. I had to get a water bottle because I could not buy a tank, and if I put him in a bowl my cats would eat him.

We then raced to Petland which is the local pet store. I wanted a beta fish. I knew they were very simple and often lived in vases with plants in them so I asked an employee if my water bottle was a suitable habitat. He said it was fine, as long as I changed the water frequently so he could get enough oxygen. With this confirmation of my plan, I ran to the fish section and began examining. Immediately I found him. He is blue, red and turquoise, the best looking fish there. I named him Richard! I bought him, his food and some rocks to keep at the bottom of his bottle. We were good to go!

I got Richard set up in his habitat right away. He stayed in the water bottle and came with me everywhere. He would ride in the cup holder in my car. I brought him to school, work and even to take my ACT college entrance exam. One weekend, I brought him to my grandparents. They felt so bad for him in his water bottle they bought him a really nice glass fish bowl and a castle to keep inside. I couldn’t turn free stuff down so I accepted.

I put Richard in his new bowl and he was overwhelmed. He started making all these bubbles at the top until his water looked like foam. Scared I googled what he was doing. Turns out, when beta fish make bubbles it’s because they are happy and comfortable! The only thing that stinks is I have to keep him on a shelf way up high above my closet so my cats can’t get him. Whenever I change his water, I still carry him around in his old water bottle for a day.