I am a Guppy Dad!

Now I’m not so shocked to see this guppy, as I recently bought four new bright orange guppies to add to my random collection of zebra dainos, neon tetras, diamond tetras and a lone hatchet fish, but it is still an amazing sight.

Back in middle school I had an aquarium after a fateful goldfish win at a local fair. An aquarium that I loved for a year until the heater broke one night and I awoke to boiled fish. Since then, I’ve been pretty much pet-less, not wanting the responsibility, or when traveling, the ability to keep pets.

Three years ago, just before she left for Kenya, Sabeans gave me her twenty-gallon fish tank, tasking me with a responsibility that at the time scared me. Here I was, fresh from world travels, newly moved into an apartment, and expecting the arrival of my new wife, and I had to deal with fish.

Luckily, fish are just above plants and snakes in the low-maintenance pet world. They don’t need to be walked, petted, or even fed on a daily basis. No, all fish need is food most days, a water change here and there, and a working light and heater. For that little effort, I have hours of peace watching them swim. Peace that helped me deal with a layoff, a divorce, a death, and a hurricane.

Peace and happiness, as I am smiling from ear to ear thinking about baby guppy slowly, and with caution, exploring the tank. I don’t know if there were any other siblings and I fear that other fish or the water filter might eat it, but for now, I am a happy Guppy Dad.

Go, baby guppy, go!