Late last Summer the boys pooled some money together (I think it was $10 in change) and purchased an aquarium set. But it took more than a few months for me to get comfortable with the idea of adding fish to the mix of living things to care for around here. It wasn't until November they finally earned the privilege of live fish and though it has proved to cost more money than the original aquarium set, it has also been more fun than work.
Our first 3 fish were the $.18 feeder goldfish. Their names were Colin Kelly (a famous B-17 pilot), Gill and Gardner (Devin Gardner Michigan's second string QB). Gill was the first to leave us only a few days after his arrival. When he was fished out we accidentally knocked the filter cover off and Colin got sucked in. Gardner is still swimming strong, perhaps a good sign for Michigan football.
Now James has a little yellow platie named "Joseph of Egypt" because of its many colors. This is a funny fish because he likes to hide inside the castle and we have thought him to be a goner on many occasions, that is until it is feeding time and he surprises us to be the first one to the top feasting on flakes. Here he is:
William's second fish was a fancy tailed goldfish named "Douglas" after one of his favorite older cousins. He was a sturdy guy and always "kissed" George's finger when pressed up against the glass. We lost him a few days ago but we are not exactly sure why, it may have been Ick, a fungus in fish that thrives in cold water. You see we received an outrageous energy bill and I lost my head and turned the heat in our home down to 66 degrees. It was the next day the fish developed their ick spots and I decided 66 was too cold for even us humans. I purchased some Ick medicine for the fish and set in a water heater, all recovered except Douglas and now we all miss him.
William now shares a blue Beta with Henry. His name is "Alpha". William looked at me like I was a dummy when I asked him the significance behind the name, "you know mom, the Greek alphabet, Alpha, Beta"....... here he is, he is going strong and we have learned that Beta fish are only aggressive to other betas.
I'd like you to know I've been posting frequent updates about our fish on facebook because that is where our attention is lately, you see we don't have any T.V. service so the kids often just sit and stare at the fish and bubbles when they are bored.
One friend on facebook suggested we bury our dead fish in our house plants as natural fertilizer but I'm not there yet. It still takes a bit of guts for me to actually fish out the lifeless bodies, but that may be because my brother use to chase us around the house with the dead fish from our aquarium growing up.
The girls are now enjoying some fish of their own. Their first $.18 picks didn't last more than 24 hours. When James noticed Clara's "Baby Princess" floating on its side he suggested she say a prayer, Clara responded, "maybe later, I'm too busy playing outside,". We never did see a miracle with Baby Princess but we did pick up a catfish a few days later that she named "Caty,Caty,Caty". CatyCatyCaty is still going strong and unlike Clara is very willing to help cleanup its surroundings.
Maryanna's first .$18 fish had 3 different names before we made it home. She was debating between "Sparkle Buttercup" and "Princess Mermaid" but settled on "Mermaid Rock". Mermaid Rock did not live long, not even 24 hours in our aquarium. By this time I had shed some of my fear of dead fish and even allowed her to touch it before the "flush". But I was taken aback with my young daughter's suggestion, "should we not eat her for dinner"?
Now Maryanna has new fish, a bright yellow platie again named "Mermaid Rock". Here she is (she has the dark tail) with Peter's new platie, the bully of the bunch, named "John Madden".
I admit most of the fun for me has been in the naming of the fish and watching the kids perceive different personalities. I didn't know what to think though when Peter after staring at the aquarium for a long time asked, "Mom, what is the purpose of a goldfish's life anyways, are they fulfilling their mission here in a tank in our house"? I told him they were adding to the life, joy and energy in our home.
Look below, nothing gets George to babble like the fish do. Here he is calling out at them ......"dat, dat, dat, dat". The fact that the outside of the tank is dirtier than the inside is evidence of our family's love for these fish.
I would like to now pay tribute to the original two goldfish that joined our family in the early fall of 2001. Their names were "Orange" and "Daddy", named by the then 2 year old James. I don't remember them living more than a few weeks but James still remembers them. The next fish was again named by James, "Ahgis" but we can't recall the significance of the name. He did last long either, in fact, even the bowl didn't survive long after that. We had plans to add more fish but the waiting empty bowl got knocked down by a clumsy toddler.
One more fish we will never forget is a beta named "Declaration of Independence". It was my sister Cathy's fish and being the kind aunt that she is, let James, then age 3, name the fish. She did not flinch at the out of the ordinary name and suggested it be called "Doi-Doi" for short. With such a strong name I believe the fish lived at least a year.
Though often short lived and sometimes costing less than a quarter, these little pets (with their funny little names) really do brighten our days. Though we never even touch them, they still seem to touch our hearts.....and that is exactly why I've been frequenting the pet shop like it was as necessary as a trip to Costco.
A once poured a carton of soy milk in our fish tank. Our rather large fish tank full of fish. It was an expensive lesson.
ReplyDeleteI loved the fish stories. I was the end of DOI DOI. Cathy asked me to care for it while she traveled to Germany with work. When I went to feed him I found he had leapt from his bowl and dried up in a dust bunny next to my couch. That was his last declaration of independence.
ReplyDeleteHa! What a great hobby! I think I'll look twice next time I see an aquarium at a garage sale!
ReplyDelete