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If the only thing that was in my drinking
water was a little algae, I'd be happy.
A few years ago Wendy took the kids to a fair. They
played the fairway games and won two goldfish. At the time we had 4 cats, 4
dogs, 5 horses and a pig. I surely didn't need or want any stinking fish.
One of the fish died within days. The other was in
a goldfish bowl over my kitchen sink. Every time I came into the kitchen that
fish would circle the bowl, do flips and dives just to get fed. If there is
one thing I really hate, it is a demanding fish.
My water trough was always gross. I dumped, I
scrubbed, I bleached. I decided I would try and put that demanding fish in the
trough. He could eat 24 hours a day and never have to do a thing. So in he
went.
John lectured me about keeping the ph level in the
tank and not to change the water completely because it would kill the fish.
Yeah, right.
The fish ate the algae. He ate flies that landed in
the water and I never saw mosquito larvae. There was still some algae but I
found that I didn't have to clean the tub as often and stopped checking it
everyday.
I can't tell you how many times I found that fish
in maybe a cup of water. And because he had been there all day, that water was
hot! I would throw the hose in and turn the water on full blast. But did he die?
No. He would be listless for a while and then start swimming as if nothing
happened. However, every time that happened, he would get a shade lighter in
color. He went from a very red/gold to an almost albino color in the end.
One time I found him in about an inch of water. One
side of him was dry and stiff, ( I swear) including a dry eye, but his wet eye
was screaming at me, "Get the hose, GET THE HOSE NOW!". So I did, and did he
die? No. Ph balance? Water temperature? They don't care, they just need to be
wet! It also helps when the horses drink after eating salt. The fish would
practically suck the salt off their whiskers. I guess that was from being
dehydrated after a good dry spell. [:}
We had that fish for 4 freaking years. I finally
learned to keep the hose in the tank on a trickle so that he wouldn't become
fish jerky.
However, we took a little trip and left him
in the care of someone who shall remain nameless. I told
Wendy, don't worry about the fish, he'll be fine. Well, she came to
feed the horses, heard the water running and turned it off. When we got home,
the poor fish was dry and sunburned on one side. One side was white, the other
side was real red. I filled the tank up and he seemed o.k. John said he didn't
look so good because he had stuff oozing out of his scales on his burned side. A
few days later, he died.
I would like to get a goldfish and a placostomus,
(sp? a catfish with a sucker mouth, bottom feeder). They do a great job if you
keep water in the tank. You know, being fish and all.
I think first, I will get an automatic waterier put
on the tank.
Lisa Salas, the Odd fArm
Something is always "fishy"
here!
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