Need some unique gift ideas? This Valentine’s Day, my younger sister bought 2 male Guppies ($5.00 each) for her long term boyfriend. Instead of taking a huge leap and buying a kitten or especially a puppy, fish are easy going and live for quite some time (if you take care of them right).
Since Valentine’s Day is already here, it’s too late to go out and steal this gift idea. But, fish can be an easy gift for a birthday, or any holiday.
This particular set up is a glass fish bowl ($23.00) without a heater and it does not require a plug. This is also the easiest set up because you can move it around anywhere in your room! The blue rocks ($4.00) were chosen mainly as her boyfriend’s favorite color but they also have a nice contrast to the orange guppies.
These two Flamingo Guppies are semi tropical but live well in fresh water. Instead of buying the everyday gold fish, these fish are not only amusing to watch but you can’t take your eye off them. These specific two my sister picked out were the only two guppies that swam side by side, mimicking each other’s moves. They were especially suitable for her boyfriend because they are best friends.
Guppies, like Goldfish are easy to care.
They only require flakes, but it is recommended to buy the flakes that enhance their color. With Guppies, you can add other fish because they are gentle. Since they’re so easy going you can place a couple African Dwarf Frogs in the tank a little later on.
Once the set-up is complete, toys are a must for fish bowls. They decorate the bland bowl and make it a playground. The bridge ($5.00) and the plant ($2.00) bring the fish bowl to life. The heart rock was merely a found rock on the beach; she rinsed it and plopped in as a Valentine’s decoration. Around the fish bowl, a nice clever touch is to write a poem or song lyric. My sister used a white window marker ($2 at the dollar store) to write lyrics of “their song” around the bowl, which in this case was Pink Floyd’s, Wish You Were Here.
So instead of running around stores looking for the latest gadget for your hubby, instead buy them an aquatic companion. They’re fun, cute and don’t require all your attention, which is especially good as a student! You’ll be hooked to your fish!