For the past two years, I’ve been unhappily cleaning the goldfish bowl for my daughters’ two goldfish, Rocky and Swimmy. I hate the job, but since the fish are the only pets my kids have (both my husband and I have allergies) I grudgingly do it.
The other day, I upgraded the fishes’ bowl to a more sophisticated mini aquarium. The aquarium doesn’t have a filter (alas – I wish it did, to spare me some cleaning), but it is equipped with a light and a pump. Since the pump pushes extra air into the tank, I figured that we could squeeze one more pet fish into the tank, especially since my girls have a birthday coming up.
Another Fish – And Another Bowl!
So yesterday, my kids and I hit the local pet store in search of another goldfish for their aquarium. The shopkeeper promptly told my kids that there is no way we could squeeze another fish into our tank – it is too small. You should have seen the crestfallen look on my kids’ faces!
Being the softie that I am, I told the kids that they could still get another goldfish – and keep the new fish in the bowl that Rocky and Swimmy used to occupy before getting their new and improved digs. Of course, the shopkeeper talked me into getting a completely different fish – a beautiful blue and purple Betta / Siamese fighting fish for $8.99. With the fish, she threw in a bag of gravel that my kids picked out, a small faux aquarium plant that the kids chose, and a small plastic bowl for their new fish, who is now dubbed “Neptune.”
Caring for our New Betta Fish
To take care of our new Betta fish, I’ve been told we only have to feed it two tiny food pellets every three days. The shopkeeper told me to replace about 25% of the fish bowl’s water once a week. I’ve read that it’s important to make sure that the new water that is added is room temperature and that it is free of chlorine. (I usually let new fish bowl water stand for a day before adding it to the fish bowl to make sure that any chlorine dissipates.) I also have some water conditioner (that removes chlorine) that I use from time to time.
Do you think I was taken? My husband thinks I was! Even though I may have fallen for a sales pitch, I don’t mind – that $8.99 has made my kids happy. Now let’s hope that the fish lives way past his 48-hour warranty!
More Tips on Caring for your Betta
If you are looking for advice on how to best care for your betta fish, check out the website, Better Bettas. The site has advice on what to feed your bettas, how to care for them, and how to keep their bowls or aquariums clean.