I'm not sure exactly when I got Nemo, but I know I had him for awhile before Hurricane Ivan "visited" us in October, 2004. I remember when we evacuated, I left him behind (I put a weekend feeder in his bowl) since I just knew we would be back soon. Wrong! It ended up being a week before we could get back in our condo to check on things. Even then, we had to climb the stairs, since we had no power which meant no elevator, and it wasn't easy since we lived on the top floor. But, I digress...Anyway, I've had him for awhile now. His bowl is in the master bath right by the tub. It's nice to watch him swim around as I relax in the tub. (A glass of wine helps too!) I've worried from time to time about how much longer I would have him since I've always thought goldfish didn't live long. Well, surprise, surprise. I did a little research and found this:Lifespan/Longevity
Longest known lifespan in captivity25 years (high)
Expected lifespan in captivity10 years (average)
Although there is one report of a pet goldfish who lived 43 years, 25 years is a more reasonable maximum lifespan for a goldfish kept in a pond. In an aquarium, ten years is more likely. In the wild, lifespan is undoubtedly less.
43 Years! Guess I better stock up on his food.Anyway, I told you all that to tell you this:
I clean his bowl out once a week. I use a net and put him in a plastic Fudpucker cup (only the best for my buddy Nemo) with some distilled water, while I clean out the bowl, wash off his rocks and refill the bowl with distilled water. Here's the bad part...
I reached for some paper towels to dry off his bowl and my arm knocked the cup off the counter. Now my bathroom counters are relatively high, so I freaked. Water went e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e and poor Nemo was laying on the tile floor panting for breath. I starting apologizing to him out loud as I scoop him up quickly and fill the cup with more water. I just knew I had killed him for sure. Nope, he started swimming around immediately and now he seems fine. I ended up giving him an afternoon snack to further show how very sorry I was.
I once saved Bree's goldfish (named Goldie Hawn), but I'll save that story for another day.
3 comments:
Way to go, Nemo! You must be related to our Little Prince Fishy, a blue Beta fish given to Destiny for her fifth birthday. I declare that little guy thrives on neglect. (Sorry fish lovers.)
How cute and I love his fish bowl! This story made me laugh, because I had a Betta fish named "Fred", who is no longer with us...
But one day I was getting ready to clean his bowl and he jumped out of the net I had scooped him up in and was flopping around on the counter. I FREAKED! Good thing my mom was here, she quickly scooped him up and put him back in the water.
I used to wash his rocks with hot, hot water to make sure they were really clean...guess I didn't let them cool enough before I refilled the bowl and put him back in...I think it was too hot and the next day he was floating.
Awwww, sad...but I have 3 cats, probably better that we don't have fish anymore!
Poor Nemo! I think he will survive. One time I was cleaning my fish and he was sitting beside my washer that was open and washing at the time. I guess the noise of the washer scared the fish and he jumped out of the bowl and into the washer. He survived but needless to say, I didn't have to wash him! LOL!
Post a Comment