Don't get me wrong - some fish are very pretty to look at, so long as you don't eat them. Mind you, I can never understand why people have them as pets. How can you get attached to a fish? There's no interaction like you get from a puppy or a rat, unless you whack the front of the fish tank with a blunt instrument and scare the crap out of them - not that anyone should ever do that, children!
I can just about understand them being in dentists' waiting rooms, to relax or bore you to tears, and take your mind off the long wait until your pain begins, but as pets go, where's the bonding value? That said, many moons ago, my older kids (then young) bullied me into buying the whole shooting match. Big rectangular tank, a dozen assorted guppy-types, and a ruined castle that bubbled a lot. They were mildly amusing for about five minutes, and each was given a name and allocated to a particular house member.
I was very generous and agreed to only have one so that everyone else could have multiple fish of their own. Mine was a kind of small eel thing that skulked at the bottom of the tank and didn't socialise with the others. At that time of my life, it seemed very apt, and I almost did get to like 'him' (I've no idea) in an empathetic kind of way. I called him Elvis. He was the last one to die. None were replaced, and the tank was sold on.
I hope I haven't upset anyone.
