I Blame The Children…

I was sitting thinking the other day. Nowadays I try to avoid thinking too much, as in this world there is always so much to think about that I just try and enjoy ‘now’. Anyway, you know how it goes, one thought leads to another.

I got to thinking about the fish in my reef aquarium. I wondered if they missed the wild reef. ‘No’ was the answer, because as far as I know they only have the brain to eat, avoid being eaten, reproduce and respond to light. So thought processes of any sort don’t occur. They just accept, the reef aquarium is home. Great food though, occurs very timeously!

Then I thought back to the aquarium before the current one, which was also a reef though larger, it was in my previous house and when I moved I sold it all off. I also had a ‘picture’ aquarium as well, not the very thin ones but a proper sized aquarium built into the wall. That was also a reef and, excluding the current one, the most successful I have owned. There have been a few.

Anyway, as said I thought through the aquariums I have owned and upgraded. Eventually I got to the very start of things, the pre-marine days. That was a while ago. I had a tropical freshwater aquarium and thought it was really something else until I saw marine fish. Say no more, I’m sure there are plenty who have the same story.

However, I didn’t ever sit down and make a decision to keep fish, any kind of fish. I did have a cold water aquarium when I was a child; it was located in the hall of my parent’s house. There were a couple of goldfish and a small catfish in it. I remember hatching frogspawn in an old bath, and then later the fish appeared. My father did the maintenance of course; I just spent time watching them. The fish were obtained maybe to avoid the great numbers of tiny frogs that appeared.

So I as a child was the cause of the fish appearing.

When I had become a parent and had two fairly small children of my own, Peter and Michael, we all visited the fair as families do. One of us, I don’t recall who, won a goldfish in a plastic bag which came home, and very swiftly a very small aquarium was acquired to keep it in. The aquarium was on a shelf.

It wasn’t long before another goldfish took up residence as someone, again I don’t recall who, thought the original might be lonely.

I had to maintain the aquarium of course. I also used to watch the goldfish swimming about and found it quite relaxing – my job used to carry quite high occasional stress and it probably helped.

It was from those two goldfish that a freshwater tropical aquarium began. It was quite absorbing setting it up and doing the maintenance and again I would sit and watch.

As said, marines made their appearance when the beautiful colours were seen.

So, I was the cause of fish in the house when a child. My children were the cause of fish in my house.

I know that Michael has resisted attempts by his 5 year old daughter Emily to obtain a rabbit. He hasn’t diverted her attention with any fish – yet. There’s his son Jamie, now 3½, so it probably won’t be long before another request is forthcoming, for a dog, or guinea pig, or whatever. That will start Emily off again. I wonder if some fish will appear.

Peter has got it the wrong way round, but it was still caused by his son Joshua. Peter set up a tropical fresh water aquarium which very soon became larger and marine. This was before Joshua arrived. Joshua, just 6, has now got his own cold water aquarium, with two goldfish (‘Sunny’ and ‘Cloudy’). It even has an electrically powered filter unit. Joshua feeds them very well under Peter’s watchful eye.

I bet there are lots of households where children have been the major influence in the appearance of an aquarium. Perhaps the parents saw it as the easier option, as there isn’t any need to take a fish for a walk!

If you haven’t any children just yet, then enjoy your time but watch out. It could very well be that an aquarium will appear.

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