When I came back to school this year I was ready to add a little excitement into my life but I wasn’t sure how to do that. Every time I left my home, I always missed my two dogs. I felt lonely without them there to cuddle me when I got cold at night. When I came back to Athens for the beginning of my sophomore year of college, I wanted to get a pet. I wanted an animal that would keep me company and would always be there for me. I really wanted to get a cat but unfortunately, the dorms don’t allow that. So it looked like my only option was a fish. Soon after coming back to college, I went and picked up a fishy friend. You never really realize how inconvenient a fish is until you have one. So if you’re trying to decide if you should get a fish while in college, read the rest of this article before making your decision.
1. The fish that you pick out in the pet store is going to be the one you’re stuck with for the next 2 years.
Think this one swims more than the others? Is this one prettier than the blue one? Which one looks like it’s ready to get out of the clear cup? Did you make the right decision? Whichever fish you decide to take home is the same fish that you’re about to take care of for the next few years. Make sure you choose wisely.
2. Did you get the right equipment for the fish?
When you get to the store, the employee assigned to the aquatic section is all too excited to help you pick out your new scaly friend. You learn that there are way more complexities to getting a fish than you realized. There are so many different types of fish. Some require filters, some require light, some need a special type of food. Some can’t live with other fish, and some need a certain sized tank. How much is this going to cost you? Is having a fish really worth it? These are the two main questions that you start to ask yourself when you first start to realize how hard getting a fish really is.
3. Cleaning the tank is a lot harder than you thought it would be.
The employee at the pet store said it would take you 10 minutes max every two weeks to clean out the bowl. But as you’re changing the water for the first time, you realize that the pet people lied to you. Not only does it take longer than 10 minutes, but you have to clean it once a week, not twice a month. It also stinks. Like, worse than an outdoor trashcan after it rains. After the first three times you clean the bowl, you begin to wonder if the fish is even worth the hassle.
4. Going home for the weekend? Not if you can’t find a fish sitter.
Before I got my fish, Oscar, I could take quick weekend trips anywhere I wanted. It was great. After I brought him home from the pet store, I had to wave those spur of the moment trips goodbye. Fish need to be fed once, maybe even twice, a day. If you don’t feed them for two or three days they could starve. And then you would really feel horrible knowing that you murdered a fish. You could find a friend to come feed it for you. But let’s be real, no one wants to do that. Taking care of a fish is like having a real kid.
5. You start to wonder about its well-being.
Did you think that fish are simple creatures that don’t experience thoughts or emotion? Well if you did, I hate to break it to you, but you’re wrong. Fish actually can get stressed if something isn’t right in their environment. Goldfish can change color if they get stressed or if they aren’t eating the right food. Male beta fish build bubble nests when they have the right environment. Once you learn these things about fish, you start to constantly check on your fish to see if it’s happy. Which, in turn, just adds a lot of stress to your life.
6. You actually start to develop feelings for the fish.
After you take your fish home and you spend the first couple of days with it, a relationship begins to form. After a while, you begin talking to it when you wake up. You say goodbye to your fishy friend when you leave for the day. You watch it swim around the bowl and eat its food. It becomes a friend to you and you actually start to care about it. This is a positive thing about owning a fish. But do you really need to have another thing in your life to care about?
7. If the fish dies, it’s all your fault.
If you don’t feed the fish, it will die. If you don’t clean the tank, it will die. If you don’t watch out for its stress level, it will die. If you or your roommate can’t remember when you last fed the fish, you better run home to feed it. This little guy is depending on you for life. And if it dies because of anything other than old age, it’s all your fault.
Fish are definitely the lowest commitment animal out there. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to care for them. They are good company to have and they do make your life a little more interesting. They even teach you a little about responsibility. Yes, this article was slightly satirical. But all seven of these are real things that you have to think about before you commit to actually buying a fish. A fishy friend will add joy to your life but it will also add a lot of stress and responsibility. Happy fishing.
