If you grew up in a house with three cats, four dogs and some guinea pigs here and there, then you might think that buying a betta fish far into the college years as an introduction into the pet world is kind of silly. It is just something to look at on the other side of a glass barrier and you can’t stroke the soft and bushy fur of a swimming fish in a fishbowl. But a tiny fish and what comes with it is exactly what this article is about. I know I wasn’t the only furry friend-less kid who swore that as soon as they could, they would buy a pet themselves. With city apartments that aren’t always welcoming to animals, a schedule that’s a top concern isn’t taking care of an animal and allergic friends, it’s clear that now is not my time for a feline or canine debut. So, my betta fish, Randall, will have to do for the time being. Here I am as a student making her way through the third year of college with a greater understanding of what it means to take care of a pet and this is what I’ve learned.
Both when I walked into Pet World and when I walked out of Pet World, l didn’t know the first thing about taking care of a fish. Besides ghost stories about my brother’s old bettas that each died when I was little, I had no past experience with any; I only knew the rumors that fish are the easiest pets to take care of. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my short few weeks of being a pet mom is that having another life to look out for other than your own can be challenging. For starters, did you know that if your betta’s water is too cold or dirty, it’s tail and fins can become damaged or torn? I didn’t know this either until today when I noticed a tear in Randall’s back tail. If I don’t clean his tank regularly or let the tank water acclimate to room temperature fully, it could have serious effects on Randall. This is how having a fish teaches responsibility and accountability. You can bet your betta will show signs and let you know when it needs your attention.
Secondly, I’ve learned not only how to clean my betta’s tank the correct way, but also how much patience plays a role in it. There have been countless times when one of my roommates has walked into our living room wondering why I’m yelling, “What the heck!”, “Come on!”, “Seriously, you’re really going to do this?!” and the list goes on. Each time they are relieved to only see me, standing over the dinner table and trying to get Randall into a cup so I could clean his glass home. After about thirty minutes of slowly following behind him with the cup, I realized that patience is what you need to get the job done, not force. In between cleaning the tank, I’ve also noted that the dirtier the tank and the more you put off cleaning it, the more uneasy and stressed your fish will be. From these short few weeks, I’ve taken these things into consideration when determining if it’s time to clean the tank again: if the surface of the water has a notable amount of food residue in it, it’s time for a cleaning; if you look into the tank at the surface of the water underneath and the color is a tinted pink color, it’s time for a cleaning.
This is where my tendency to procrastinate comes in. Having a fish has helped me a bit in this aspect so far and I can only guess that it will improve as my time with fish continues. Procrastinating something regarding your fish differs from, say, doing the dishes, emailing a professor or starting that project due in two weeks. When you put off something regarding your fish, your fish’s life will be at stake for something you did (or didn’t do) which seems a bit unfair. This thought process has steered me away from a hesitant mindset and towards a determined one.
Although my time as a pet mom has just begun, this list of lessons learned is already jam-packed with useful skills and I know that list is only going to expand and grow from here. Hopefully, by reading this I have inspired students to go out there, buy a scaly new friend and become a pet mom or dad! And if not, at least now they know why they should!