Hannibal The Cannibal Guppy
by: Angel

I don't know if everyone can remember when I was talking about the turtles I saw at the lake? Well, not that long ago I was actually given a turtle. Their are 2 unfortunate things here:

1) They gave me a turtle, without the tank or anything that he'd need.

2) They gave me a turtle when I had too many days until I would have money to buy the turtle something.

This turtle had to make due in a bowl, with a rock to climb on and a lamp that I was using as it's sunning lamp. I bought it feeder guppies to eat as well.

Well, unfortunately the turtle didn't survive. I felt really bad because I did everything under the sun that I could do to make sure this turtle would be okay until I could get something better for it. My mom said that it really wasn't acting all that great to begin with, so she thought that it might have been kind of sick or dying when I got it. I don't know, but I was pretty sad about that.

Not to mention that left me with 4 more feeder guppies in a bowl of water. No fish food and no turtle to feed it to.

I have a heart people, I really do. I knew they were gunna die, though, before I could get the money I needed to atleast put them in a proper tank and get them fish food. Which 3 out of 4 did do. They died. That 4th one, though. It was crazy.

My payday came and this one guppy was still alive. He'd actually nibbled at his dead friends, which was pretty gross, but I didn't want to dump him and them down the toilet with that one guppy still alive. I didn't have anything to scoop them out with, either.

I went to the store and got a betta tank for $4, a small fish net for $1 and fish food for $2. When I got home this one guppy was still alive, strangly enough. I got him into the new tank, and some fish food so I could dump out his friends.

This doesn't mean he'll live, though. He's a guppy. Guppy need air systems in their tanks. Betta tanks don't have that. I couldn't afford something that did, either. It has now been a while since then and guess what? That guppy is still alive.

I've found that if I change his water every 2 days, give the tank a good cleaning once a week, and remember to feed him like any other fish, he seems to survive. Who knew, a dime fish would be the toughest thing ever?

As for a name, I don't like to leave any pet unnamed. Even a fish. I named my little feeder guppy Hannibal, because he ate his friends to stay alive.

I have nothing but respect for this little fish. He's tough! No food [just his friends, I suppose you could say], the water didn't get changed, and he still lived. This is the type of pet I need, something durable!

The next time you go to the pet store and look at the sad little feeder guppies that'll become somethings dinner someday, don't feel bad. Just remember my little feeder guppy that was tough and managed to survive what would have killed most fish!