i don't remember when my dad started keeping aquariums as a hobby, but i know when his collection hit its peak. when i was no more than 4 or 5 he spent a lot of time in a spare storage closet in the basement of the house we shared with my aunt, and that was were he built an aquatic wonderland. fish tanks lined each wall and in the darkness i would sit with him and we would just watch the little worlds he built for himself. just a few years later we moved cities and he sold off all his fish and tanks, but i never forgot that magical world shared by just the two of us.
i had a betta a few years back. his name was hoshi and he was my pride and joy—pets deserve the world from their owners and fish are every bit as worthy of a good life as any dog or cat. especially bettas, which the pet industry has people convinced it's okay to trap them in tiny, murky bowls. he's since passed and his tank sits empty in a corner of my room, but i hope one day i can give it a new life with maybe another betta and some live plants.