Pet World has Amazing Deals and Specials on Pet Supplies!

With the initial nitrogen cycle of our aquarium behind us, we added four new neon tetras, as well as a platy friend for Indy.

It’s been six weeks since we embarked on the journey of pet ownership. I admit it hasn’t exactly followed the itinerary I’d planned (you know, the buy-fish-and-live-happily-ever-after plan), but somehow we’ve ended up in a good place. Ah, if only I could guarantee this was the final destination!

Only one of our four fish—Indy—survived our aquarium’s first nitrogen cycle, and he continues to thrive. We’d been testing the ammonia level in the tank, and since it had remained low enough we decided to visit the pet shop again.

The shop’s test of our water sample confirmed that ammonia is all but gone, and a member of the staff advised us that we were ready to add fish. Quite honestly, I was thinking that one new fish would be plenty, but when the salesperson suggested three or four, my family and I got carried away. My son picked out a female sunset platy (for Indy) and three teeny neon tetras. Four tetras swam into the net, and suddenly we had five new fish.

I’m caught between the excitement of building our aquarium again and the fear that maybe this isn’t wise… I’ve managed to justify it because the tank has cycled and the tetras truly are teeny, thus I’m hoping they won’t create much of an additional biological load.

Indy, for one, seems to be liking his new lady friend, whose name is either Lillia II or Rose, depending on my daughter’s mood. I think he’s smitten, but I’m not so sure she’s interested.

The neon tetras are too small for us to tell apart, so they’ve been named Michigan, Fishigan, Wishigan and Tishigan. I know tetras are happiest in larger numbers, and I hope adding a few at a time isn’t too stressful on the little guys (or girls—I’ve only had an anatomy lesson with respect to platys).

With all of this excitement also came the necessity of our first weekly 25% water change. Our new gravel vacuum worked so well, I wasn’t able to clean all of the gravel before it had siphoned out enough water, but the water looks crystal clear. We also realized, rather sheepishly, that the tank’s filter is much quieter if we slightly increase the water level. (Yes, it took us six weeks.)

It’s truly a pleasure to have several fish in the aquarium again, and we’re all enjoying watching as they adapt to their new home. I’m hopeful, despite my misgivings, that our pets will continue to thrive. We’ll see where this journey takes us.

“The Last Kid on the Block” is a continuing series following the Knudsen family’s progress selecting and caring for their first pets. Andrea Knudsen lives in suburban Chicago with her husband and two children.

Indy, a platy, has proven a hardy tropical fish for our first aquarium. Isn't he cute?

You may know—or maybe you are—one of those people who waxes poetic about his or her pet. The pet that is the cuddliest, cutesiest, best friend ever.

Well, that pet has nothing on our fish, Indy.

Understand that Indy is the last remaining survivor in an aquarium that was briefly home to four tropical fish. The initial cycling of our tank has been rough, to say the least. We lost our two zebra danio glo fish days after adopting them, then watched our female platy succumb to toxic ammonia levels.

But Indy has persevered, and we love him for it. As a parent, I love him for surviving and sparing my kids—especially my son, who requested a fish—another loss. And while I know he’s a $2 (if that) fish, as a new pet owner I think I get the pet-person bond.

I’ve been watching Indy closely—after all, I don’t have many other opportunities to interact with him. I began by watching him for the signs of failing health we recognized in the two of our three fish who didn’t make it: no interest in food, erratic swimming, no strength to swim through the mild current from our filter.

Indy has been a champ with a strong appetite. He’s also much more lively than I initially recognized. Either our water quality has drastically improved, or he’s actually enjoying being the king of his aquatic castle. I appreciate his little personality!

At this point, there isn’t a lot we can do to expedite the nitrogen cycle. We’re not completely convinced that additives to colonize “good” bacteria quickly will benefit the long-term stability of the tank. We’re not confident that a massive water change would be good for Indy, either. So we’re letting nature take its course.

We did invest in a water testing kit, and have been monitoring the levels of ammonia. In the past few days, ammonia has decreased but it’s still present.

Next Wednesday marks four weeks since we introduced fish to our aquarium. With Indy doing so swimmingly (I couldn’t resist the pun!), we’re hopeful we’ll be able to introduce a friend soon. But I think it’s safe to say that our interest in cultivating a tank of tropical friends has taken a backseat to whatever is best for Indy.

Honestly, I would cuddle him if I could!

“The Last Kid on the Block” is a continuing series following the Knudsen family’s progress selecting and caring for their first pets. Andrea Knudsen lives in suburban Chicago with her husband and two children.