Fish Stories

Who among us has not raised goldfish while growing up?  In 1931, the most popular tropical fish was the goldfish; approximately seventeen million were grown in America for small private aquariums.  Ida Mellen educates us about many varieties of tiny fish in "Tropical Toy Fishes: More Than 600 Varieties of Aquarium Pygmies Afford a Fascinating Field for Zoological Study in the Home," National Geographic Magazine, March, 1931.

Where do goldfishes and other small fresh- or salt-water 'toy' fish originate?  "The happy hunting grounds for toy fishes . . . range in the Western Hemisphere from the Carolinas south through Florida, and from Mexico through Central America, Panama, and South America to the southerly point of Argentina.  In the Eastern Hemisphere, Egypt and other parts of Africa, Australia and Asia. . .have been drawn upon to supply dwarf fishes appearing in the home aquaria" (p. 287).

Mother's Leaping Goldfishes

My mother usually kept goldfishes in a medium-sized round glass tank on our dining room table. There was a wide opening at the top.  Occasionally she would buy a black fish.  From time to time we would find one of the fishes dead on the table, apparently death from leaping over the side.

Did you know?  The tropical fish are separated into groups: "the peaceable and quarrelsome, the carnivorous and omnivorous (few, in any, being wholly herbivorous), the oviparous and viviparous (those laying eggs and those bearing living young)" (p. 289).

Burial at Sea

Billy, Son #1, kept a very large saltwater fish tank in his apartment for years.  Finally, he tired of the upkeep and decided to dispose of the fish by burial at sea (flushing).  Problem was, one of the fish was too big to cooperate! I don't remember the outcome.

What do they eat?  "Some subsist largely on algae, but most favor small water animals . . . and insect larvae. . . If the finny tribe did not readily accept substitutes for live food, their maintenance in captivity would be impossible" (p. 290).

SuperFish!

Once I lived in a townhouse.  The living room had a 2-story cathedral ceiling.  In order to sell the place and move here to Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A., I had to paint the large living room, dining room and stairwell area. I knew this would take weeks because I was working full-time and commuting to Lexington.  My goldfish had all died.  The fishbowl was on the bottom shelf of a bookcase.  I was in a hurry and moved two tall bookcases together, face-to-face, and covered them with drop cloths. The project took longer than anticipated, around two months.  When at last I was finished, I removed the drop cloths and separated the bookcases.  What did I find but a live goldfish!  It had lived without food for two months!  It must have been hiding behind the ceramic castle on the bottom of the tank.  I felt sorry for the little fella and immediately fed him.  He lived for another several months.

Did you ever have a snail?  "Snails, familiar scavengers of the goldfish aquarium, figure also in the home of the toy tropical and have interesting habits" (p. 293).  I think they're gross when they suction themselves to the inner walls of the rectangular fish tank. But they save us a lot of work cleaning the tank.

Jan (left) with friends, Rosemary (center) and Peggy (right) at the Coba restaurant's jellyfish tank in Lexington, May, 2013.

North Carolina Aquarium on the Outer Banks, June, 2010, while vacationing with son #2, John.

Truly I am mesmerized by fish of all sizes and varieties; I have visited aquariums in many states and enjoy them all.  I have, no kidding, a fish net affixed to the corners in my bathroom above my bathtub with plastic fish 'swimming' near them!  I plan 'sometime' to build a koi pond in my backyard.

Bonus question:  What is the study of fish scales called?  Lepidology.  (Bonus: your personal satisfaction from knowing the answer!)