My new friend
Friday started out ok. I had made arrangements to purchase a year old 32" tv from a co-worker for $150. He was upgrading to a ginourmous hi-def set and wanted to get rid of his old one. Well, on Thursday, while he and a buddy were moving the old tv, the buddy dropped his end. The picture tube broke and gas came out. It was dead. I am more sad for the co-worker because he just spent a small fortune on the new set and had banked on my $150 helping him get through the rest of the month. He thought I would be mad. I was a little sad, but mad? No chance.
So, for a while I have been wanting to get a fish. We love animules in the Burgess' household and another dog or cat is simply out of the question. Smokey, K.W.A.N. & Flash have developed a good dynamic and we don't want to screw that up. So, every once in a while I start spouting off about how much I like fish. When I was a wee child and my parents were still married, my Dad worked in a pet store. We had a wall of aquariums that I as a toddler could stare at for hours apparently. I have memories of this, but they are a bit fuzzy. Dad always had fish. I have never had my own.
aelburr also has fond childhood fish memories, so he would fantasize with me.
Well, same co-worker as mentioned above recently turned 30. Another co-worker, whom I call my fairy god mother because she is incredibly kind and generous, gave him a Betta kit that had a 1/2 gallon tank, gravel, plastic plant, food and tank goo along with a pink and grey Betta for a present. We now have an office mascot. His name is Olaf. I had no idea how easy Betta's are to care for. Well, I did know they couldn't be too hard as young Allison S kept one alive in her room and she is a little girl. So, I started doing some research. When told that I wasn't upgrading my tv viewing area, I decided that I needed a comfort fish.
After work on Friday, I ran over to the Eagan Petsmart and got me a fishy friend. It was hard to choose between two of the beautiful boys. One was pearly white with blue fins with the same pearly white stripes down the spines. He had black cheek fins and black lips that made him look a little clownish, but smiling. The other was an iridescent blue with blood red fins with the same blue on the spines. He had a red face and and a really ugly mug and his under the chin feeler doodads are red with white tips. Both were totally strutting their stuff and flirting with me from their little cups. Called
aelburr and described them to see if he had a vote because I just couldn't decide. He, bless his heart, listened to me but was no help. I went ahead and picked out the 1/2 gallon tank with the purple lid and rocks. Same kit as above, but that was green instead. The white fish stopped trying to sell himself to me but the little red and shiny guy never gave up. He came home with me. He really hated the ride home. I kept apologising for the rough ride, but he really wasn't able to get into the whole car idea. The traumas for this little guy just kept piling up.
We got the tank all set up with the plastic plant off to one side and we added some smooth polished rocks and a big blue marble on the purple gravel. Then we had to get him from his cup to his new home.
aelburr was nominated to do the transfer as he has steady hands and better reflexes. My little fish buddy tried to evade the hand of doom, but aelburr was able to scoop him up with out any physical harm and transfer him to the tank. He ate right away and checked out his new abode. He kept his fins in tight for a while and eventually napped in the plant. He looks cool all draped over the branches of his little tree. He was all tuckered out from his adventure. Saturday he started flaring his fins and being more comfortable. We had him on top of the piano in front of the mirror at first. But the piano vibrates with every step and he was not relaxing as quickly as we hoped. Although having him in front of a mirror is good because male Bettas will enhance their colors and strut more if they see another male. So, we moved him to the shelves in the dining room where he could see us in the living room. He liked that. Now he will sit in the front and stare at me. I am so in love.
K.W.A.N finally discovered a new thing that moves in the house. So, we put him back on the piano when we left last night to hang out with Mr and Mrs E. I will be very sad if one of the furry fourlegged critters is ever responsible for the death of my finned friend.
Anyhow, he likes the marble. He lays on that a lot. We haven't been able to decide on a fish cave yet. Bettas like to have a dark place to hang out in for reflection and naps. We have a picture frame up next to the tank to give him a darker zone. He seems to like that too. He sprawls in his tree a bunch. I decided to call him Buddy, Bud for short, because he is just a little guy and I kept saying "sorry Buddy" for every turn and brake on the ride home. I call a lot of things Buddy so figured it was ok for my first fish to be Bud.
Yup, totally in love. Bud is beautiful. Maybe later I will blather on about Bettas and where they come from and what they are like. I will leave you with the fact that they are Siamese Fighting Fish.
So, for a while I have been wanting to get a fish. We love animules in the Burgess' household and another dog or cat is simply out of the question. Smokey, K.W.A.N. & Flash have developed a good dynamic and we don't want to screw that up. So, every once in a while I start spouting off about how much I like fish. When I was a wee child and my parents were still married, my Dad worked in a pet store. We had a wall of aquariums that I as a toddler could stare at for hours apparently. I have memories of this, but they are a bit fuzzy. Dad always had fish. I have never had my own.
aelburr also has fond childhood fish memories, so he would fantasize with me.
Well, same co-worker as mentioned above recently turned 30. Another co-worker, whom I call my fairy god mother because she is incredibly kind and generous, gave him a Betta kit that had a 1/2 gallon tank, gravel, plastic plant, food and tank goo along with a pink and grey Betta for a present. We now have an office mascot. His name is Olaf. I had no idea how easy Betta's are to care for. Well, I did know they couldn't be too hard as young Allison S kept one alive in her room and she is a little girl. So, I started doing some research. When told that I wasn't upgrading my tv viewing area, I decided that I needed a comfort fish.
After work on Friday, I ran over to the Eagan Petsmart and got me a fishy friend. It was hard to choose between two of the beautiful boys. One was pearly white with blue fins with the same pearly white stripes down the spines. He had black cheek fins and black lips that made him look a little clownish, but smiling. The other was an iridescent blue with blood red fins with the same blue on the spines. He had a red face and and a really ugly mug and his under the chin feeler doodads are red with white tips. Both were totally strutting their stuff and flirting with me from their little cups. Called
aelburr and described them to see if he had a vote because I just couldn't decide. He, bless his heart, listened to me but was no help. I went ahead and picked out the 1/2 gallon tank with the purple lid and rocks. Same kit as above, but that was green instead. The white fish stopped trying to sell himself to me but the little red and shiny guy never gave up. He came home with me. He really hated the ride home. I kept apologising for the rough ride, but he really wasn't able to get into the whole car idea. The traumas for this little guy just kept piling up.
We got the tank all set up with the plastic plant off to one side and we added some smooth polished rocks and a big blue marble on the purple gravel. Then we had to get him from his cup to his new home.
aelburr was nominated to do the transfer as he has steady hands and better reflexes. My little fish buddy tried to evade the hand of doom, but aelburr was able to scoop him up with out any physical harm and transfer him to the tank. He ate right away and checked out his new abode. He kept his fins in tight for a while and eventually napped in the plant. He looks cool all draped over the branches of his little tree. He was all tuckered out from his adventure. Saturday he started flaring his fins and being more comfortable. We had him on top of the piano in front of the mirror at first. But the piano vibrates with every step and he was not relaxing as quickly as we hoped. Although having him in front of a mirror is good because male Bettas will enhance their colors and strut more if they see another male. So, we moved him to the shelves in the dining room where he could see us in the living room. He liked that. Now he will sit in the front and stare at me. I am so in love.
K.W.A.N finally discovered a new thing that moves in the house. So, we put him back on the piano when we left last night to hang out with Mr and Mrs E. I will be very sad if one of the furry fourlegged critters is ever responsible for the death of my finned friend.
Anyhow, he likes the marble. He lays on that a lot. We haven't been able to decide on a fish cave yet. Bettas like to have a dark place to hang out in for reflection and naps. We have a picture frame up next to the tank to give him a darker zone. He seems to like that too. He sprawls in his tree a bunch. I decided to call him Buddy, Bud for short, because he is just a little guy and I kept saying "sorry Buddy" for every turn and brake on the ride home. I call a lot of things Buddy so figured it was ok for my first fish to be Bud.
Yup, totally in love. Bud is beautiful. Maybe later I will blather on about Bettas and where they come from and what they are like. I will leave you with the fact that they are Siamese Fighting Fish.