The Birds And The Bees And The Fish
(An adult calls our aquarium with a question.)
Caller: “Do red devils have babies?”
(Red devils are a type of cichlid.)
Me: *thinking this is a prank* “Yes, they do.”
Caller: “How does that happen?”
Me: “Well, when a boy fish and a girl fish love each other very much…”
Caller: “No, no, I get that, but I had a male and it was fine, but when I put a female in the tank with it, after a while there were all these tiny red fish in there.”
Me: “Yes?”
Caller: *sounding confused* “So are they…?”
Me: “Yes.”
Caller: *frustrated* “But how does that happen?!”
Me: “What exactly are you asking me?”
Caller: “I’m asking you if my fish can have babies!”
Me: “Yes. Yes, they can.”
This story is included in our Aquarium roundup!
