For my birthday in October last year I decided as a gift I would like a goldfish. So off we went to the pet store to get a bowl and a fish. Anyway, somehow we managed to go home with two...well one would have been lonely after all!
We called them Fish and Chips.
Fish was a Common Goldfish
Chips is a Shubunkin
They started life in a big glass bowl and seemed quite happy. However we continued to have water problems and so in the end we decided to get them a nice new home. Which was a 50 litre tank, but to go with that, we needed new plants, a filter, more gravel, more lotions and potions and a light! And of course with the bigger tank came the temptation to buy more fish and so came along Salt and Vinegar (are you getting the theme here!?).Salt and Vinegar were Fantails
Now you will probably notice I have used the words 'was' and 'were', well for some reason poor Vinegar didn't last, he may have been old or there could have been something wrong but he died after just a month, Bethany was great about it and just asked 'when can we get some more?'.
Then came along more water problems, green algae and then eventually our fish were stuck ill. It started with them sitting on the bottom of the tank and not moving, even when we put in food, then they started to get a white coating over them. So we dashed out to the local pet store to find out what was going on.
It turns out it was White Spot which can affect and kill fish within hours. No idea where it came from but we had the solution in hand to 'fix' the problem.
However only problem was that by the time we got back it was too late.
Poor Fish and Salt were gone, and it looked bad for Chips. S/he spent the night alone in a kitchen bowl with all this strange blue solution. Luckily Chips survived and after 12 hours of treatment was happy again. So after a clean out of the tank and another 12 hour treatment, poor lonely Chips was back home.
And of course that leads me to Mango. Chips looked lonely so we decided to get s/he a mate. So we went and bought Mango. We asked Bethany what she wanted to call the new fish and straight away she said Mango!
Mango is a Ryukin
Chips and Mango have been very happy together so far. So happy in fact that after weeks of 'rough play' we have now worked out that Chips is a girl and Mango is a boy!! Awwww they may have baby fish!!
Chips and Mango are still happily 'courting' and as we needed some more supplies for the tank, this weekened we went back to the pet store again...uh oh, big mistake as we came home with Kitt!!
As I named Chips and Bethany named Mango it was down to Michael to name the new fish...he called it Kitt, anyone who wants to make a guess why can do so on our comments feature!
Kitt is a Black Moor
So you are probably wondering why I have made such an effort to post about our fish? Those of you who have never had a 'working' fish tank will never know that it takes a whole load of effort, money, time and love to keep fish.
Its true that they each have different personalities, Fish was beautiful, rich golden and very feisty. He would attack my fingers whenever I went into the tank! Chips is mellow and comes straight to the side when she sees me, Mango is very grumpy and slowly turns his back whenever he sees me and as yet we are waiting to work our Kitt's personality.
I started out with wanting a simple bowl and one fish which really was for decorative effects, now after many problems but much hard work we now feel like our fish are part of our NZ family...
Marrisa
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