A Boy Named Julia

My fish experience had been limited. My first fish was a goldfish that I got at the end of my 5th grade year in school. He had been the class pet and I got to take him home for the summer. All I had was a small square bowl with no filter. He lived only a short time. I don't know if it was me or if it was just his time to go. So, I was discouraged at fish keeping at a young age! The next gold fish I had was when I was working as a florist and the shop owner got tired of taking care of the fish she had in a bowl on the front counter. So again I got awarded the fish. This time I had a 5 gallon glass water bottle and a air stone. I kept all 5 of them for about 6 months and they all died one day when I did not get the bowl rinsed out enough when I had cleaned it with bleach. So, again I was discouraged at fish keeping! In Southern California I kept beta fish in a small vase with a plant. I had one at my office and one at home. I had them for about a year and then had to give them away when we made our move up here. When I married Rich he told me of his love for Angel Fish and how he had had several down through the years. So for his birthday last year I bought him a full fledged aquarium with filter and heater and bought 2 Angel Fish and I have so enjoyed them. They have grown to full size (6 in. from fin tip to fin tip) and are so cute to watch. I bought a smaller tank when they laid their first bunch of eggs thinking I would use it for their babies but after realizing they would need a bigger tank for that, I set the little tank aside. Then a few months later I got it out and set it up and thought. Hey, why don't I use this for a beta fish. It has an under gravel filter and was the perfect size for 1 fish. So, Mary and I went to the pet store and picked out a beautiful blue, crown tail male beta. He was so pretty and so active. He was like a peacock spreading his beautiful tail fin! I named him Zuli. Short for the Spanish word for blue, Azule. Well a few weeks ago Zuli fell ill. He was so sick that he just laid on his side and barely moved his gills. I thought that was it. I decided as long as he was moving a little bit, I wouldn't flush him down the toilet. Well much to my surprise, he recovered! His appetite came back and his beautiful activity and tail fin spreading. The morning he recovered Mary got up and said, "Look Mommy, Julia is swimming!" So Julia it is. He came back from near death and has a new life, so a new name is appropriate!

I have become very attached to him too. Fish are such beautiful creations of the Lord. To me they are like little under water flowers that need my care and attention. So pretty and fun to watch.

I want to thank you all for the lovely comments that you left on my 2nd Anniversary post. You gals are all so sweet and such a blessing!