MLAARE -Three and Thirty

I saw this mother/daughter duo staring up at the Oranda Goldfish.
Our larger ones.
Like baseball sized ones.

The daughter really really really wanted to get some.
But they didn't have anything, so were curious as to what size of tank would be needed for the large Orandas.

So I began explaining it to them.
How gold fish need a lot of room to do well.
That they needed 2 gallons for inch they got.
And that the large gold fish that they were set on buying,
Would get even bigger.
12 inches.
They would need like a 30 gallon tank. Each. When they're full grown.
It would be pushing it to put two in there.

And as I was talking I kept saying 30 gallons.
But for some reason the woman kept hearing me say "three."
"Three gallons."
She kept saying that.
Smiling.
Thinking that she could totally deal with a three gallon tank.

Honestly.
Has she seen a three gallon tank?
Did she comprehend that the baseball sized fish would hardly be able to move!
And she was thinking more than one could fit in it.
Be happy in it?!
Uh no.

NO.
"Thirty." I said. "It's a Thirty Gallon tank, not three. Three zero."
Finally she comprehended.

That the fish tank I was explaining to her was not one that would fit nicely on the corner of a desk.
No. It would take up the whole desk, Could take up a whole wall.
The tank would be much bigger than she wanted it could be.
The light of "we could do this." disappeared into a "Oh no, I'm not going to go through all this."

It was disbelief. That fish could need so much space. Even big fish!
Yah...
They do.

Especially gold fish.
They don't stay tiny.
They grow.
Like all things grow.

I don't know if the mother/daughter duo ever came back to get a fish tank for the goldfish that the daughter wanted....

Hopefully it was a thirty gallon instead of a three if they did....

-Sarnic Dirchi