Two months back I was passing through a street where a vendor was selling some colorful fish in fish bowls on the roadside. In a moment of impulse I picked up a fish bowl with some fish in them. I had conveniently forgotten about my previous experience of maintaining them in a fish bowl. The fish never survived beyond a few weeks back then. However, this time I was confident that armed with Google to help me with all the know-how on fish care I would not go wrong.
I picked up two black Angel fish and two Koi fish (which I had mistaken for goldfish for their orange color but was informed by an aquarium store I visited later that they were actually Koi). Soon enough I was browsing through sites trying to ensure that I was going right with the maintenance of the fish. Quite late in the day I realised that keeping fish in a fish bowl does not provide a healthy habitat for the fish to grow due to the space constraints and also the swirling direction they swim in is faulty as per Feng shui. While I was still figuring out if I should get a bigger tank for them, I found one of the black Angel fish lying flat on the floor of the fish bowl one morning. I wasn’t surprised, since I had been witnessing some seriously fishy politics in that tiny globule of water. The two Angel fish seemed much docile in comparison to the Koi fish. These two orange Koi fish, one with white spots and another with black ones were clearly more proactive and dominating than the Angel fish. By the time the Angel fish would open its mouth to eat the fish food fed to them, the Koi guys would have swiftly pushed the poor guys and gobbled up all the food greedily. No wonder this Angel fish died of starvation. Apparently as per Feng shui, normally a fish that dies in your house (especially a black fish) is supposed to have absorbed the bad energies in your life and had saved you from the negative impacts of the same, taking it all on itself. I feel a tad selfish in admitting that this piece of info did sound a bit pacifying.
I was determined to save the other three. There was barely any space for me to have a large aquarium for them in my living room. Apparently, they are not to be kept in the kitchen or bedroom. While I’m not much of a Feng shui or Vaastu shastra person, I do try to avoid doing things that would suggest a negative outcome, just to be safe. Better safe than sorry. Whether I believe it or don’t, I wouldn’t want to take a chance. So well, meanwhile I kept doing what most sites suggested, changing the water in the fish bowl every week. Some more sites suggested offering them veggies and fruits. I tried feeding them bits of carrots, cabbage, banana, apple and spinach and was amused to discover that they loved fruits. Meanwhile I surfed for aquarium tanks online, visited some local aquarium shops, got them a filter and also brainstormed with the idea of having a small pond in the little terrace that connects to our living room, but wasn’t sure of how I would keep cats, birds and rodents from attacking them. Koi fish are supposed to bring in immense luck. It is originally a pond fish and it could grow as long as 3-4 inches if given the right habitat. I was pleasantly surprised to notice such sizes in Koi fish recently at the Mumbai international airport in an indoor pond. I was particularly fond of the pair of Koi fish coz they seemed to recognise and respond to my presence. Every time I would tap the glass or they would see me approaching they would inch closer to the glass with their pouting mouths and wag their tails like how dogs lovingly do when someone they adore enters the house after a long day! I would like to believe that they were fond of me contrary to what people suggested, that they were plain excited with the hopes of being treated to food!
This morning when I walked into the living room and stopped by to greet them I saw one of the Koi fish floating flat on top of the water on his side. It was the one with black spots. As badly as I wanted them to survive, there was no escape from reality. While my attempt to save the other two fish continues I am more at ease with the fact that somethings are beyond one’s control. There are various ways one can handle situations but ultimately each one of us is rendered with our own sensibilities that drive us to act accordingly. This is life. Uncertain and abrupt. People can only care for you, help you, save you to the best of their capabilities. The rest depends on how strong you are and how well you fight your circumstances. The single alive Koi fish seems to be lonely without its partner or am I imagining it? Although, I notice both the survivors, the single Angel fish and Koi fish, fighting each other more often now. I hope they learn to live in peace given the situation. I quietly fished out the dead fish with a spoon and buried him under a plant in a planter. It was the same planter where the first Angel fish was buried. Till the time I find a solution for this, I prefer to soak the learnings from of this experience.
Have you noticed how some of them just recognise the hand that feeds them? I had these set of gold fish that would see me and just float to the surface. But if my daughter or maid approached, they would be least bothered till food was thrown in. Fascinating lessons they teach.
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Yes, it’s indeed a wonder that are so conscious of who feeds them. We often underestimate these beings.
Sorry to hear that two of the four did not survive. But I love the lessons you shared. We all need to make peace with the environment around us and though support comes from many quarters, one need to be receptive to it. Great reflective post, Vinodini.
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Thanks for your kind words, Parul. You’re right, it’s only through acceptance of situations that helps us tide through tough times.
We have been keeping gold fishes since the last 10 years or so. We started with fish bowls and never faced problems for 3-4 years, the mortality rate was also pretty low. And then suddenly, they were dying almost every week. That was so disappointing but yes, a part of it believed what feng shui said. Then we were told that bowls are not good for fishes and this is when we had them fit and fine for years. But still we moved to a small rectangle aquarium, things have been better. Though some fishes live for a long time and some die pretty soon, and we dont know why that happens. Have never fed fruits veges to the fishes! That’s a new one for me!
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That must have been quite a journey, Shilpa. So finally it all boils down to moving them into an aquarium. Fish! I’ll really have do some great space management to fit one into my living room. I got to know that they could be fed veggies and fruits when I was surfing the net and I gave it a try. But I’ve noticed that it’s best to give them these in very small quantities a day before you’re changing the water coz they dirty the water a lot after that. Also the uneaten remnants of the fruits/veggies need to be removed from the water within 3-4 hours to keep the water from getting dirtier.
This made for a fascinating read, for a number of reasons. One, the way you talked about the effort you put into learning about the fish and their upkeep. I doubt many people would have done that. Second the learning that you received from humble fish. Third the way you absorbed the goodness from them, even though they may have absorbed the negative from you. Finally, the stoic acceptance that came from their deaths and how you responded to it. I know you’ve already lost a pet in the past so this may not have been easy on you. Beautiful little insight into your life, Vinodini.
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Thanks, Shy. It’s heartwarming to note that you remember the loss of my pet even after such a long time. I guess, it’s that loss that makes me extra cautious on taking care of these fish. The least one can do from someone who’s taken your negative parts and died for it is to look at the positive side of it. I did exactly that.
Thank you for sharing this moving experience, Vinodini. Death of loved ones is always painful. But the human spirit is so amazing that it grieves, adjusts, and learns to move on. I love the way you narrated your experience with love and insight. Hugs! I am sorry the fish didn’t survive. I would have cried.
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Thank you for your kind words, Vidya. When you lose something more often it ends up teaching you to accept it in a better way. I guess that’s what’s happened here.
i know you are a pet-person, so the kind of hard work you put in learning about fish and their habitat and their life wasn’t a surprise. Your caring attitude towards all living beings comes through in every word you have written here, Vinodini! Kudos to you for doing so much for those tiny souls and learning from them about life, accepting destiny for what it has in store for you! May the sole Koi fish find the will to live till it gets a partner. It was a beautiful post, Vinodini!
Hey, thanks Shilpa. Yeah, I do love animals. Probably loss of pets in the past has made me cautious to care for these fragile beings in the best way I can. I’m sure all of us pet-lovers would do that. ?
Very interesting insights derived from the fish and their behaviour. I have heard it too that bowls are not conducive for keeping fish in it
Thanks, Shalini. If only I’d known about the disadvantages of a fish bowl a little earlier I’d have not picked it.
I remember my mom-in-law keeping a fish tank but somehow the fish would die. Maybe they are just meant to be in a big bed of river and not a claustrophobic fish tank…..You tried to save them……that effort counts…..
Yeah, maybe they’re best in their natural habitat. I also contemplated on letting them free in a natural pond but wasn’t sure if their bodies could adapt to the sudden change.
I have absolutely given up on raising fishes… I have lost so many of these beautiful creatures that now i don’t think I can take any more loss. I can totally understand how helpless you must be feeling even after taking so many precautions and doing as been told… The part about dead fish absorbing the negative energy is so heart warming. Poor thing! I really hope the other two lives…
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I guess I might also give up if I lose these last two. I agree, it really gets frustrating after a while. Till then I’ll keep trying to retain them.
Thanks for sharing and interesting lessons taken away from it too. we have been keeping fish for a long time and did start out with fish bowls initially but later moved onto much larger tanks as it gives the fish a bit more freedom (and places to hide!) but agreed they can be difficult and sometimes slightly frustrating to care for when random things happen but glad you took some lessons away from the situation.
Best wishes for 2017!
Oh yes, those were some lessons. I’m left with only one fish and a smaller fishbowl and I don’t see myself getting more. Wish you a Happy 2017 too, Craig!
I have had some incredible trysts with fish most of my life. I am a die-hard pet lover. If I had it in me I would have an entire zoo at home. While in Singapore we had Guppies of myriad colours, that popped out babies too-yes they don’t lay eggs they are oviviparous. Recently after a long picked up two Goldfish from a vendor by the roadside, just like you did. They were so pretty, playful and fun to watch. But as luck would have had it, they didn’t survive beyond 4-5 days in the fish bowl. I have noticed that it’s essential to have a water filter even while keeping the fish in bowls.
I don’t know if I will now have the heart to get more, for sometime now. Just been kind of not lucky with fish in the recent years. Hope your Koi and Angel fish are doing great.
Love the look of your blog-clean and a visual treat. Cheerio!
Thanks, Natasha. I am glad you like my blog. I have given up on the fish too. I’ve lost all of them except on last single Angel fish that has survived. I am taking care of that one lone survivor.