The focus tends to shift to “how do I keep these fish alive?” or “how do I make this a functioning ecosystem?”
I recently helped my wife set up a betta tank. I ended up with a free 6 gallon cube, and she’d been wanting a betta for a while. Something that was hers.
It was hard for me to step back. She was fine with the filter and heater—no contest there—but she picked the plants and decor. No thoughts about long-term stability or balanced ecosystems. Just, “what would my betta like?”
It didn’t take long for her to get attached. Pebble settled in almost immediately. He patrols the tank slowly, moving between a few favorite spots. Sometimes it feels like he’s looking back through the glass at you.
Watching her get excited about those little behaviors, worrying about small things, and just falling in love with the fish is… familiar. It reminds me of my first tank.
Sometimes I forget why I keep fish.
Sometimes it takes fresh eyes to see the whole picture.
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