Neons and Tetras and Plants, Oh Joy
I love my fish tank. It brings a calm and peace to my life as I peer into an alien environment created for creatures with gills and colorful scales. I have a 55 gallon tank and when it’s fully stocked with guppies and neons and assorted tetras it can be better than HD TV. In 3D even!
The story of the tank goes back to the days in Roswell and my job at KBIM TV. The year was 1992. I already had a 10 gallon tank (which was later the home for my Piranha, but that is another story) where my green snake lived. (it was so cool) I also had a little goldfish tank with a little goldfish in it. I didn’t want a dog or a cat since I lived in an upstairs apartment.
I was minding my own business at work one day talking to our receptionist and she asked me if I wanted to buy her 55 gallon tank. Stand, underground filters, gravel, the whole works for only $75. What a steal and a deal! I jumped at it and we agreed. Her Dad even helped me carry it up the stairs to my apartment. He even took the heavy end. (and it was heavy)
I got it all set up and stocked it with fish and it was amazing. It had (and still has) the best gravel I’ve seen in a fresh water tank. My son was only 3 years old at the time and he loved it! Amber did too, and so did I. :-)
I had the tank for the remaining couple years I lived in Roswell. I added a dog when I moved into a house. Popcorn was our “Pet of the Week” one week that we featured on the air after the weather. I said on TV that I would take her if no one else did, and I did, but again, that is another another story.
Marbles from FAO Schwartz. Fish from Pet Smart.
Back to the tank. It traveled well when I moved to Lubbock, Texas and was a source of joy when I bought my first house a couple of years later. I visited FAO Schwartz in NY, NY and bought some marbles that I added to the tank. The fish even made the move (and two year stay) to Odessa, Texas after my nearly 10 years in Lubbock. After Odessa I moved to Tucson and that is when I ran into a problem. The tank got cracked during transport from Odessa to Tucson. So, I went without fish for almost a year. That is until my son came to visit.
Now in high school, one of the first things my son said to me was, “Where is your fish tank?” I had always had the tank since he could remember and it was noticeably missing. I missed it too, so I went down to the Wal-Mart and bought a new tank. I still had all the set-up stuff and it was easy to set it up back up and stock it. Just like old times! All was calm and peaceful again in the Shaw household.
Then came my personal Great Depression last year into this one. Not so much my mood, but my finances. First one light burned out on the tank, then the other. Some of the fish were dying (normal attrition) and the remaining were living in the dark except for the natural light coming in from the windows. I couldn’t afford to replace the lights nor the fish. This went on for nearly a year until last week.
Still needs a little work, but I'm glad it's back
Finally! I caught up on my bills and I had some left over cash to replace the lights and stock the tank. I especially love the guppies. They are the most colorful and flamboyant of the fish and they breed like crazy. The little baby guppies serve as live food for the rest of the fish, and the guppies that survive continue to supply even more guppies. It’s wonderful! In Lubbock I had a pet store owner who used to buy guppies from me.
So there you have it. Pets and apartment living don’t mix with me very well. Except for the fish. They don’t need to be walked and there is no cat box litter smell. Only peace and love and a glimpse into an alien world full of color and life. Sigh.
