Dealing with uppity fish

By By Leada Gore, Editor
There once was a time in America when acquiring a goldfish was a simple process. You would get a bowl, fill it with water, buy a fish and put it inside and live happily ever after, at least as long as the fish lived, which was usually a month of so.
My, how times have changed.
Two years ago, we purchased Sutton a betta fish, whom we named Alpha. Alpha was a good fish, swimming in his small tank for a little more than two years. A few weeks ago, Alpha gave up the ghost, so to speak, and swam off to that big pond in the sky. Sutton loved her fish and wanted another one.
We went to the pet store and Sutton picked out two fish – one black and one gold. At less than 25-cents each, we didn’t mind the double-fish purchase at all.
Tank? Size? I don’t know. I’ve never measured.
The sales lady shook her head.
We walked over to one of the large tanks that contained what seemed like hundreds of goldfish.
She was not amused.
Greg and I were left with a decision. To goldfish or not to goldfish?
In the end, we bought another betta, whom we named Chi. Chi seems like a perfectly nice fish, though he’s already started hiding in the plants.
We opted for the betta because we didn’t want to offend the pet shop sales lady or end up turned into the Society for Free Range Goldfish or something like that.
However, here’s a word of advice to the goldfish out there: Lose the attitude and, if you see someone on your tail, you better swim fast. Remember – you had your chance.