Indestructible

My son's Betta is as durable as they come — in the year or so since we brought it home, I've been through three (perhaps four) different fish, while my son's Betta has survived in a tank that was much too small, with water that was never changed as often as it should have been, and far too cold in the when the weather got cool.

(I thought I was doing better with the large glass cube in my office, decorated with a selection of rocks and a stem of bamboo — but I haven't been quite so lucky. I added a small heater to keep the water reasonably warm, but I worry that it's still not enough.)

I gave in and bought my son a small aquarium for his Betta. (It was on sale.) It has a gentle filter, and a small heater, and the fish seems much more comfortable. A Betta does not, by nature, seem to be all that active, but my son's fish seems to enjoy exploring his new environment. I wish mine were a bit more lively.

I let my son choose the decorations — he was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to buy one of those tacky aquarium ornaments he'd admired for so long. I tried to nudge him in a sensible direction, but he had very definite ideas about what he wanted.