Fish!

The other day Casey and I were at the zoo with Orin
looking at one of O's favorite exhibits,
the glass-sided pond, when we realized that we needed a fish tank.
Not only did we need a fish tank, but we had to go get it Right Now.

It actually was not quite as impulsive as I am making it out to be,
we had been meaning to set up a tank for a while
and with Orin's newly remodeled room
we thought it would be the perfect time.
So we drove to the aquarium shop where we picked out
a tank, lights, rocks, plants, a heater, food, a net, decorative marbles,
a little rock tunnel thing, a background, a filter, and
that's it.

No fish.
Apparently, they won't let you buy fish anymore
until you have "ran the tank" for a few days.

Undeterred, we went home and set up the tank,
taking the utmost care to clean and prepare
everything just as we were instructed.
Then we waited.

The first "fish day" we were bursting with excitement.
We had been told that we should introduce fish 2 at a time
with a day lag in between introductions.
Our first two fish were neon tetras.
The night after we brought them home was nerve-racking.
Would they survive? Was our water temperature okay?
What about our pH?
I never realized that fish tanks we so complicated.

Two mornings later, we got 2 more fish
and then two more,
and then two more,
and then four more (breaking the rules... so rebellious)

So far, they are all doing great and Orin just adores them.
"Fish," he points out enthusiastically.
"Mama!" "Fish"
His very first pet.
And with that, his new bedroom was complete.