keeping tropical fish can teach your son responsibility

It was my son’s birthday last July one and he turned seven years old, since it was his day I planned of buying him a gift, a gift that he will cherish, keep, nurture and at the same time teach him responsibility.

The gift was buying him a tropical fish. From my own experience and being a kid once, kids are very responsive to animals and they even talk to them. Thus, buying him would be just apt for the occasion.

We went to a local pet shop and look around for a healthy fish to keep, I asked the owner on what type of fish should my son keep? He answered, for a novice it would be better to have an easy to rear pet fish that requires less maintenance and that is a gold-fish. Apprehensive upon hearing the owners selection, I immediately reiterated the option for I kept gold-fish during my childhood years and it gives me discouragement. They are voracious eaters. They won’t stop eating and the tendency would be feeding them all the time to its death. So, I decided to buy a pair of cichlid (green terror).

My son was thought by the owner on the basic things that need to be done everyday from feeding, changing water and cleaning its quarters. He was listening diligently to the instructions given to him and I know he was paying attention to every details that was said to keep the tropical fish healthy and well taken cared of.

The original plan was to buy a fish bowl but persuaded to buy an aquarium instead, for green terrors can grow up to five inches in length. having them in small spaces would deter its growth. Aside from the tank, I also bought filters, gravels for the substrate, lights, plants, aerator, and fish food. The total amount in procuring the new members of the household reach $250.00.

Having the tropical fish in the house, made me witness the transformation of my son being a kid to a little man who is the proud owner and care taker of the fish we bought. Everyday he would see to it that he feeds them before going to school and in late afternoon.  Water change is done every weekend as well as the siphoning of substrate and cleaning filters. I let him do the calls and me his assistant to carry his commands.

It was fun having the fish and eventually strengthens further the bond that we had between father and son……..