Family

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Setting up a simple aquarium was all that we ever wanted. We were not inexperienced and although we had aquariums thirty years ago, the little details had been tucked away in the very back of our mind. We hoped to start a hobby that would help us to relax during the evening. Something about fish swimming in an aquarium helps to alleviate all the stress and get our mind off our problems.

I guess I should probably blame my youngest son for all that follows. We had an oak entertainment center and purchased a new television that wouldn’t fit into the opening. Our son had decided to go “shopping” at our home, looking for anything that might fit into his home. We did have extra furniture but when he asked about the oak entertainment center with the beveled glass doors, the answer was “No”. His next query was, “Whatever could we find to fit into the opening?” Without missing a beat I replied that it would be ideal place for an aquarium.

It took some time to find an aquarium that would fit into the opening. We purchased it and brought it home and got it ready to set up. We decided to use this as a tropical fish tank. We decorated the tank, filled it with water and bought an assortment of small fish. We loved the graceful movement and colors of the gourami and it seemed like the perfect selection. Everything was going perfectly and we were fascinated with our new hobby.

It wasn’t too long before we found the fish floating at the surface or dead on the bottom of the tank. It was always the bright red gouramis that seemed to die. Frustrated, we went back to the pet store and bought some more. We asked questions and felt more knowledgeable about fish care. In the past I had never had to worry about pH but this time I bought a kit and checked the pH just to be sure. It was a little low, just low enough that the sensitive gourami succumbed to the bad water quality. It was disappointing but not enough that we would quit. We decided to stay on track. Our goal was to set up a large aquarium on the counter between the dining room and family rooms. We located the seventy-five gallon tank in the basement.

We had set up a ten-gallon tank that we planned on using as a holding place for baby fish. We placed a few small tropical fish in the tank and learned more about tropical fish through trial and error. We added some neon tetras and swordfish but my husband wanted to experiment with some brighter colored fish that he found in another pet store. He chose two bright orange fish and two beautiful purple striped fish. Into the tank they went. Watching them adjust to the tank was fun but after a while I noticed that the new fish were chasing the tropical fish. There was some fast dashing about and then came the fin nipping. The newly added African cichlids were aggressive and would wipe out the whole tank if we didn’t take some action quickly. There were two choices: keep the African cichlids and remove the tropical fish or keep the tropicals and find some other place for the African cichlids. It just didn’t seem right to throw away the money we had already spent so, at my husband’s request, I bought another ten-gallon tank. Now we had two ten-gallon tanks of fish and a twenty-five gallon tank. We lost two fish during that experiment.

Undaunted, we set about to set up the seventy-five gallon tank. We did have some experience with fish and we were confident that this time we had everything mastered. One pet store recommended purchasing white crushed coral and placing it beneath the regular aquarium stone. This simple act would help the pH to stay constant and would be especially beneficial for the African cichlids.

The set-up of the seventy-five gallon tank proved to be a little more work than we thought it would be. Our first attempt was to fill the tank with water. Seventy-five gallons of water is really a lot of water. We carried water from the bathroom, one bucket at a time but finally figured out that a garden hose could get the job done easier. We treated the water to remove any chlorine and then washed the coral. The coral went on the bottom of the tank with a layer of regular aquarium stone on top. The water was cloudy but we trusted the information we received at the pet shop certain that the filter would remove any cloudiness. The next morning the tank was still cloudy but before giving up we decided to wait another day or two.

Our initial tank set-up proved to be unsuccessful so we proceeded to start over again. If you ever have had the opportunity to drain the water from a seventy-five gallon tank you know that this is a large amount of water. Filling the tank the first time was a major task, now we had to empty the tank and refill it. Slowly the water level in the tank reached within one inch of the bottom layer of gravel. We rinsed the coral again and layered the stone on the bottom of the aquarium. Now it was time to refill the tank again and wait for it to clear up so that we could add our fish. Another seventy-five gallons of water went into the tank. Although the water was still cloudy, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the first time. We waited again. But just like before the tank remained cloudy. Once more we had to drain the tank (seventy-five more gallons). This time we were going to spend more time rinsing off the coral so we would be sure that we didn’t have to look at another seventy-five gallon tank change. This time we actually had clear water and we gave a sigh of relief. Success! Hooray! It’s about time!

At that point the hobby had become more than just a little experiment. It was now a major part of our life and an obsession that overtook our life. It was a good diversion and kept our mind off the personal problems that we were facing. The family problems seemed to begin to take of themselves and we felt more relaxed. Somehow we were able to concentrate and focus on the task at hand. The work with the aquariums helped us to focus on something specific and while we were working we used our time to pray and talk to God.

There are times in everyone’s life when things seem overwhelming and it seems like God is far away. I knew He was there right beside me but my emotions kept getting in the way. I couldn’t sit still and concentrate on much of anything else but the diversion of something else seemed to open a new door where I could talk to God and get peace. If He could make something as beautiful and graceful as a fish swimming in the water, then surely He could help me.

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