Aquarium Story

I keep an aquarium. It is beside the computer. I put it there because it relieves my stress (so I thought). Once in a while I would glimpse at it to relax my eyes. Or, If I am thinking I watch the fishes (there about three species) swim leisurely.

It is really relaxing. But once in a while (or too often), I would plunge my hand into the water, scaring the fishes into panic, to move a plant here and there. Once I bought a driftwood that costs me 200 pesos (I asked the pet storekeeper why it was expensive, he told me it was a yakal wood. I don't know. I just took his word for it.) I put the driftwood and it added a natural look to the aquarium.Unfortunately, after a day, the driftwood dyed the water yellowish. I put a new filter but the color did not change. Nothing I can do about it. A yellowish aquarium is not good to look at.

I remove the driftwood and then replace it with a sea shell of unknown specie. The one where, a long time ago, my sister once wrote a Bible verse to piss my mother off. Come to think of it, that sea shell must be older than me! Anyway, its history...we all love our mom very, very much. Still, I was not satisfied, so I replaced it with another shell. Anyway, my wife kept shaking her head. "Di na naman mapakali sa aquarium!," she whispered audibly.

A few days ago, I saw this strange looking fish, dragon fin according to the aquarium label. It looked like an eel but it has a dorsal fin running along its back and its tail looks like a tail of a Chinese dragon (European dragons have hooks on their tails). Anyway, I bought it and put it in the aquarium together with goldifsh, bubble eye, and rhubarbs. The dragon fin was an added attraction.

The next day, I checked on my pets, I was horrifed to find that a bubble eye has lost an eye and another bubble eye has lost half of its face! But still, they were alive. I went back to the petshop and asked about dragonfins. The store keeper told me that dragon fins are carnivorous. They eat other fish. They start at the eyes, then the face...I asked the him if he would like to buy back my dragon fin, he said no. How unintelligent of me! Now there are two strange, pitiful looking fish in my aquarium. Lesson learned: research about fish before buying them. The sight of the marred fish depresses me.

I don't want to kill the dragon fin. So, I bought s small aquarium for him or her or it.

Every time I look at my aquarium, I feel I have to move something, or add something. In fact the fishes got so used to my hands plunging down their little world, that now, they do not even pay attention to me. Instead of scampering, some even lick (that is if fish could do that) my hand.

I am now trying to avoid looking at my aquarium, it stresses me becuase feel I have to move something, or change something... And my wife looks at me every time I look at the aquarium. I am also starting to annoy my daughter.

Maybe its a disease...