Goldfish 911 Emergency
August 9, 2007 – 2:34 amFor the last year, our only pet has been a goldfish named Pierre. While the first several fish perished in the great tainted fishbowl incident of 2006, Pierre survived, grew fat, and prospered. His home was small but he was well fed and happy. And we grew to enjoy each other’s company.
A few weeks ago, when we were experiencing unseasonably rainy days, Jay decided that a perfect activity for the weekend would be to get an aquarium and some fish friends for Pierre.
And so we stopped at our local Petco, picked out a 10 gallon tank, and brought it home. After it was all set up and bubbling, we dropped Pierre in. He was thrilled! Delighted! In fish heaven! He flitted around happily, sniffing the plants and rocks, and generally having a grand old time.
Perfect.
Next we just needed to get Pierre a friend. And so, one day after preschool, CJ and I stopped by Petco again to pick up a bright orange and rather rotund fellow who we named “Frankie the Swimmer.”
It sounds like a mobster name, right? Let me tell you… this guy looked like a mobster! With a big round gut and a funny lump on his head, I always imagined Frankie talking in a heavy Brooklyn accent and saying things like, “Oh yeeah? I’m Frankie the Swimmah!”
To Pierre, Frankie was a dream come true, the friend and confidant he’d always longed for. Our little fish followed Frankie incessantly, wiggling happily and bumping up against him in a display of deep affection.
We noticed that Frankie liked to lay on the bottom of the tank. And then Pierre started to lay down there too. Which was funny, because even when they sleep, all the goldfish I’d seen still floated in the water. How silly! We said to each other, Frankie is totally out of shape! and How cute! Pierre is copying his friend!
But a few days later it stopped being cute and started being worrisome. Frankie and Pierre didn’t look so good. They’d stopped frolicking. And we noticed little white spots covering Frankie’s body. Pierre may have had them too, but they were harder to see against his white scales.
After some frantic internet research, we discovered that our fish had been infected by the ICH, a parasite that preys on fish, embedding in their skin and living off of them. If left untreated, our fish would die.
And so we moved into Goldfish 911 Emergency mode, which is a lot like Grey’s Anatomy only with more water and less interns. My own Dr. McDreamy added salt to the bowl (as per the internet instructions) and we waited with bated breath to see improvement.
Only there wasn’t improvement, at least not fast enough. We woke the next day to find Frankie belly up. After a solemn memorial ceremony around the toilet, we flushed him to his watery grave. We were sorry to see him go, but after all he was the carrier that brought the cursed parasites, so we didn’t feel that bad.
Pierre, on the other hand, was our darling. He was family. And we watched over him in nervous anticipation. He didn’t look so good.
Jay said to me one night as we were getting ready for bed, “I don’t WANT Pierre to die. I’ve gotten really fond of the little guy.”
Me too. And I’m glad to be married to a man who can become bonded to a goldfish. It’s an excellent sign of character, I think.
And then, slowly, Pierre started to come around. Today he’s almost back to his old self. Eating, swimming, and no laying on the bottom.
So, in closing, there’s just a couple things that need to be said.
***
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By Carla on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
I am so very proud of you and I think Pierre is one lucky fish!! We just flushed our 4th Goldy yesterday. :(
Moving on to turtles I hope.
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By sam on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
RIP Frankie Swimmer.
Even losing goldfish is sad. Congratulations on bringing back Pierre!!
I killed numerous goldfish by smothering them with love and clean tanks.
The longest living fish I had were in college. They lived in an algae filed tank with little to no care.
They are resilient little buggers.
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By Deb - Mom of 3 Girls on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
RIP, Frankie! And I’m glad that Pierre is ok. We had a goldfish when I was growing up that lived quite a long time (my brother actually won him at the state fair even) and my mom grew very attached to him over the years!
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By Jenn on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
Our family has had one of those giant goldfish for the past six years. His name is “Goldie.” We had a serious case of Ich nearly every time we intro’d new fish into the aquarium.
The salt works well…and you can buy an Ich remedy, which works faster. If you plan to add another fish to the aquarium again, put it in quarantine first (your old fishbowl) and treat it as if it already has Ich. That will prevent contaminating poor Pierre again.
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By Karen on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
Been there, done that. ICH is….well,… ick!
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By Chris on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
Well, I feel bad for saying this because no one else really did.
But.
ROFLMAOPIP.
That was the bestest and funniest post I’ve read in a long time.
I am sorry about Frankie. I guess he truly is ’swimming with the fishes’ (I so couldn’t resist).
And I think any man that can bond with a goldfish..oh yes. He is most definitely a keeper. (that fish pun was totally unintentional)
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By chilihead on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
This post makes me miss you. A lot. Sure you don’t want to move to Oklahoma?
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By Day Dreamer on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
The gangstah’s always have the roughest friends…..
Glad you saved the little guy!
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By Sarah on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
Damn mobsters sending in Frankie to whack off your Pierre!
Good thing Pierre is a trouper…
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By Gustogirl on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
Your post made me laugh, hahahaha! When you get a goldfish that survives the first few weeks, I swear they can make it through anything! Long live Pierre!
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By Worker Mommy on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
I love that you “doctored” the fish!
We don’t have goldfish anymore…I just can’t manage to keep them alive.
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By Jen on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
The best thing about the ICH medicine that you can buy is that you can put a tiny bit of it into someones food and it will turn their pee green. At least that’s what I’ve heard.
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By Kimba on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
I’m so pleased Pierre is pulling through! My husband’s goldfish, Jeeves passed away earlier this year after an amazing 13 year lifespan! His demise came as a result of overfeeding…I cried & still carry the guilt. Over a goldfish…yes, I am pathetic!
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By summershine on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
I’ve been through it all with fishies. Parasites, getting sucked into the filter, cannibalism, unnaturally long life, (I’ve had my current beta 3 years) and death.
Ah the joys pets bring!
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By Jennifer aka Binky Bitch on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
I was going to start crying if you had told me Pierre died! I can’t handle pets dying stories.
RIP Frankie. Swim in fishy heaven.
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By carrie on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
I never knew how attatched I would eventually become to the fish in my son’s tank.
So weird.
I can’t tell you how many nighttime vigils we’ve held when one of those little guys doesn’t look so good!!!
Yeah for Pierre!
Carrie
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By Lizarita on Aug 9, 2007 | Reply
RIP little fishie! We used to have one that tried to commit suicide every other day. Crazy little swimmers!
HI! I’m Lizarita. And I’m JUST NOW getting around to visiting everyone’s blog from BlogHer. It was great to meet you and I hope you’re going back next year, too!
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By Nadine on Aug 10, 2007 | Reply
Poor Frankie the Swimmer. May he live happily in fish heaven.
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By nell on Aug 10, 2007 | Reply
You are a much more diligent goldfish owner than myself. I am ashamed.
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By Rachel on Aug 10, 2007 | Reply
Whooohoooo for Pierre! Does he talk in a French accent?
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By Maureen on Aug 10, 2007 | Reply
Ah, best wishes to Pierre, for we two are owners of three goldfish.
And a tropical aquarium.
And a dog.
Two cats.
And did I mention the gecko?
So yeah, no matter how small they are, they still touch our hearts.
Swim on, Pierre, swim on!
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