Fishy Mother's Day Gifts And The Coolest Fish Bowls Too

While writing about the best aquarium ads the other day, it struck me how relaxing it is just to watch one or two fish in a bowl; it's a very zen like experience that always seems to relieve stress.  I thought why not buy a fish bowl and a small fish for my mom this Mother's Day, and do that for myself as well.  I'll share the cool fish bowls I found in my search.

The Fish!

But first, about the fish.  My research led to one conclusion: I should get a male betta fish.  No, not a gold fish because, as I learned from the gold fish experts, they won't last long in a fish bowl, as they are really meant to be in a temperature-adjusted minimum 10-gallon aquarium with many many other gold fish. So don't let anyone try to sell you a gold fish for a small bowl!

Of all the fish that are recommended for beginner parents of pet fish, the betta fish is the only one I found that does well in a small fish bowl with just regular air temperature water... no heat pump. The good news is that there are hundreds of varieties of betta fish and they are very pretty and very hardy.

Photo by Mean & Pinchy on Flickr

But just buy one fish per fish bowl, because bettas will fight each other and then the loser will get eaten by the winner.  They don't call them Siamese fighting fish for nothing!   The betta below is pictured in fight stance as it prepares to attack his image in the mirror.

You'll find many more varieties of betta fish at your local pet or fish store. Make sure you get as much education as you can about care and feeding while you're there... although I'll leave some links to related sites below.