For months I had a tiny 3 gallon aquarium stashed away on the floor of my linen closet. I knew I wanted fish but did not know when. The gerbils were a handful and I was not sure if I could handle having another mouth to feed, however small their mouths may be.

(Plan B: Set up a little terrarium)

Three months ago I gave away my little gerbils - cage, feed & barrel. My nose thanked me for clearing up the air. A week later I found myself at the nearest Petco staring at Oscars, Goldfish, Bettas, Loaches, Mollies...and clownfish, starfish, blowfish.

A marine aquarium would have burnt a crater-sized hole in my microscopic wallet and so deciding to buy freshwater fish was almost a no-brainer. Zeroed in on Neon Tetras & Guppies - 3 each. The Petco Guy threw in free ugly pond snails. Woohoo!

Three months later I keep buying fish & they keep dying on me. They are live & kicking ... erm ... swiming for the first few weeks and then one morning I discover them covered in white spots. A few days later snail food. Belly up at the bottom of the aquarium.

I went to a different pet store today and picked up 6 small fish. I hope they have better luck.

Here's the tally so far -
Death Count: 5 Neon Tetras & 5 guppies
Survivors: 1 Neon Tetra & 3 Ugly Snails
Newborns: An infestation of Baby Snails & Eggs
New Additions: 4 Rosy Red Minnows & 2 Chinese Algae Eaters (Small)