Aquarium Life by Jewels from the Word

I’ve had aquariums off and on all my married life. My husband said one time, “I don’t know why you bother with an aquarium. The kids don’t even look at it.” I said, “But I’m not keeping an aquarium for the kids. I’m keeping it for me, because I love fish.”

Several times I have bought male betas which don’t require an aquarium. They can live in a fishbowl on the window sill, but they must be kept in individual fishbowls. They swirl through the water, hiding and darting around the plastic plant, coming to the surface when I drop food in the water.

If one male beta catches sight of the other male betta in a nearby fishbowl, he ruffles up his fins to make himself look big and threatening. I try to keep them far enough apart so they can’t see each other, with the fish food container in between, but sometimes it just happens. Male betas don’t get along with most other fish, especially each other, and not even the female betta.

Now neons on the other hand are compatible with almost every other tropical fish. They are small with a fluorescent stripe down their side and they run in gangs. If you see one, you will see them all, for the rest are right beside him. There is no discernible leader, just a bunch of followers all moving together.

Guppies are the flashy ones in the aquarium tank. They have long multicolored tails and float around near the top, showing off.

Another tropical fish frequently found in aquariums is the gourami, a fish that grows pretty large and is a predator.

We have had shrimp, frogs, crabs, and eels. They really stand out from the standard fish.

One of our favorites is the angelfish. Big, round, flat, silver coloring and angel wings, they float gently through the water and reflect light. They get along with everyone.

Oh, and we love the goldfish, the one that can live under most any circumstances, in any old bowl or jar, as long as the water is changed once in a while and a pinch of food is dropped into the bowl now and then. But the goldfish will only grow as big as the bowl will allow.

Which fish are you?

“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”Romans 12:18 NKJV

We live our lives in a glass bowl. Let’s live in peace with our fellow bowl-mates and let our shiny souls reflect the light of Christ to all who see us.