After seventeen years of having many different types of animals, I finally discovered my favorite type of pet. Since a young age, fish have intrigued me because of their decorative tanks, radiant colors, and calming effects. At the age of ten, my grandmother gave me my first male betta fish named Sushi. I fell in love with watching him swim, eat, and play in the tank. Once Sushi died of natural causes three years later, I longed to one day have another fish.

In August 2018, my friend Richard and I set upon our quest of finding the most beautiful, radiant fish at PetSmart. As we entered the store, we were greeted by a jubiant worker named Julie saying, “Welcome to PetSmart! May I help you with anything?” I explained to the Julie my friend and I were searching for a low maintenance fish to fit perfectly in my cozy home. Julie pointed us to the large blue letters spelling out fish, and she explained the many different types of fish that would be a perfect match. When we entered the fish section, we found over one hundred different types of fish. Each species of fish was contained in large, clear ten gallon tank. Because of the different variety of fish, we had a difficult time depicting which would be the best to choose. We saw five of the fish tanks held elegant, coral colored goldfish which swam around in a circular motion in the tank, and three of the fish tanks enclosed miniature, obsidian colored molly fish, which traveled in schools around the tank. Although all of those fish were beautiful, the betta fish on the shelf behind us caught our attention the most. From crowntail, halfmoon, dragon scale, and veiltail species of betta fish, we could not decide on one to choose. However, one specific male dragon tail betta fish in the back of the shelf caught my eye. I noticed the fish’s beautiful long tail, the variety of pink, white, and red colors on the fins, and the energy as the fish swam around the tank. Remembering the old fish my grandmother gave me, I was surprised on how they looked identical. When I realized how similar they looked, I knew this was the pet I had to buy. On the way home, I watched the fish swim around his bag excited to have a new home. Once we brought the fish home, we adjusted him into the new navy blue tank that included multicolored rocks, artificial plants, and a light blue cove. When a male betta fish settles into a new tank, they create small bubbles with oxygen at each corner of the tank; therefore, we decided to call him Mr. Bubbles. Throughout the day, I would constantly watch Mr. Bubbles swim around the tank because it would make me feel relaxed. In fact, I felt I could watch him for hours. One of my favorite things to do when I come home from a stressful day of school is to watch Mr. Bubbles swim in and out of his baby blue cove. Mr. Bubble not only was special to me because of his beauty and relaxing effects, but also Mr. Bubbles made me feel a connection to my grandmother in his navy blue tank.