Yesterday I overslept and took a taxi into work. The taxi driver was chatty and when he mentioned he had a four foot aquarium at home I became chatty too. The entire taxi ride we talked fish and fish care. By the time I got to work, I no longer cared I was tired, not feeling well, and hopelessly late. I let the taxi driver show me videos of his aquarium and walked slowly the last few steps into work, dreaming about having something like that.
I’ve always wanted fish, but have always been put off with the cost of the equipment, and how finicky it can be to look after them. Enough, I said to myself then. Said to myself today. You never know until you try. I went to the pet shop, and brought home five White Cloud Mountain Minnows. Spent a long time after I’d got them settled into their new home just watching them, captivated and amazed. They are adorable and a little silly…there’s just something a little silly about fish, isn’t there? I felt myself falling a little in love, even though I couldn’t tell them apart, or even which was male or female. My tank is too small technically, so I will have to save up for a bigger tank to move them to once they start to grow but for now my challenge is to keep these five, incredibly small and delicate creatures alive.
They are apparently quite hardy, suitable for low temperatures, forgiving of mistakes in water quality, and they won’t eat my marimo. I hope all these things are true.
Fingers crossed I wake up tomorow morning and still have five fish.