Candy Sparkles rocks out a fantastic fish dwelling! This post is all about being kind to your fishy and committing to care for it in its new plush pad! Your pet will need to be fed regularly and have their water changed (and bowl cleaned) routinely – however it will not need walking.

GIT YO’SELF:

A glass lantern or vase

(Rustoleum Spray Paint if you plan to paint the metal)

Aquarium pebbles

A Betta Fish (aka Chinese fighting fish) – these guys live alone or they will fight roommates to the death.

Fish Food specifically for a Betta fish

Water Conditioner – this is CRUCIAL to make tap water safe for your fish.

Lucky Bamboo

Scissors

SOMETHING’S FISHY

Begin by following the instructions on your water conditioner drops to prepare adequate water for your vessel. There are drops available now that work in seconds. I recommend rinsing your pebbles in water treated for fish-living – it only uses a couple of drops.

The less you move your fresh-from-the-pet-shop -fish the better.  Put the bag with the fish in it into a container about the same size as it - the walls should be high enough to support the level of water in the bag. Open the bag to allow air into it. Make sure your fish is not too warm not too cold, and not in the sun. Name your fish. Say hello to Doctor Charlie Pasquale the third.

Dismantle your lantern if you’d like to paint it. Rustoleum paint rocks for painting metal. Following the instructions on the can, I hooked wire through the bits that I could hang and spraypaint, and upturned the base of the lantern on a stack of plant pots to paint all of it at once. Allow to dry for recommended time and do a second coat if need be.

Measure the height of your bamboo against your lantern and cut the end off to require the height you’d like – the roots will re-grow. Would you believe the name of the guy that grows this luck bamboo is Lucky!? Brilliant work Paradisa Nursery! Lucky told me roots can grow at the joins of the submerged stems – just peel ‘em off when you clean your fish’s home.

Reassemble your lantern, put your bamboo in and add in your aquarium pebbles in a way such that it holds the bamboo in place.

Now introduce your fish to their new home. I half fill the vessel, then lower fishy and his bag as close to the water as possible (into the water is rad) and let the fishy swim into his new pad. Give him a teeny pinch of fish food as a house-warming gift.

Choose a warm place (without hot direct sun) for your fishy and feed it daily.

When the water becomes murky, tip the fish and the dirty water into a different (clean) container and start your fish-living-quarters sequence over – including rinsing the pebs under fresh, treated water. It’s a good idea to keep a fish-home-specific strainer and dish-brush at the ready. Using a fish net, transplant (totes gently) your pet into its clean home.  Oh, and administer fish kisses daily (on the glass) so your little guy knows he is loved.

For further craft adventures with Candy Sparkles  join her as she heads up the kid’s holiday program at The School for Megan Morton!