Miles and I got and lost our first pet in a day. We went to our friend's 3 yo's birthday party. It was circus themed and they had lots of fun games, activities and prizes. One of the prizes was a cute little goldfish. I was hesitant to take it because I was worried I would take it home and it would just die within a day. However, I decided that if I cared for it correctly, I would be able to keep it alive and be a successful goldfish owner. On the way home, Miles lovingly named it Skullfish. Isn't he so cleaver? (And a punk)
When we got home, I got the bowl out that I knew would be perfect for him and washed it. Miles jumped in and said, "You didn't wash it with soap, did you?" I told him I did. He said that it would kill the fish. I told him I didn't believe him and asked how you're supposed to clean it then. He said with a brush and to look it up. So I did. He was right. (Please take note that I was willing to admit I was wrong.) So I started to look up how to keep him alive. Everything I read basically said that goldfish in a bowl = dead. Apparently they need a minimum of 25-30 gallons to live in, and preferably up to 75 gallons. It said that small bowls stunt their growth, which is why they die young. Goldfish can live 20-30 years. I knew I wasn't up for getting a huge aquarium and I didn't want to watch him die. So I decided to take him to my friend's house (who shall remain nameless, so as not to cause any retaliation from extremists), who had also taken a goldfish home and seemed a lot less concerned about whether or not they survived for a long time. She gladly took him in. Although, I immediately knew it was a death sentence for Skullfish...she had her goldfish in a tall, skinny glass (which had likely been cleaned with soap). Yup. Death was imminent. But I left him there and wiped my hands of it, knowing that I would not have to watch him die. Ugh. I sound terrible. I'm obviously an accomplice.
Anyway...moving on. The next day, I asked her if she could take a picture of Skullfish and send it to me. I wanted to have a picture of our first pet. She texted me back and said, "I feel so bad. I hate to tell you but it died while I was at church. Sadly Skullfish is more skull than fish now." (Oh, and she also may have mentioned that she couldn't stop laughing. Uh huh. Hilarious. *weep, weep* And that her fish was still alive, but she flushed it down the toilet with Skullfish.)
So sadly, our first pet is dead. Skullfish is no more. It was fun while it lasted...all 3 hours or so. Hopefully we'll have more success with our next pet.
6 comments:
Mike's little sister had a goldfish that lived for a several years in some tiny bowl. It must have been an abberration.
I had a couple gold fish that I won at a Halloween Fair when I was a kid. I kept them in a bowl (washed with soap), then moved them to an aquarium when they got bigger (also washed with soap) and they still managed to live long and happy lives...wonder how I managed that? Especially considering I used to pick them up and "cuddle" them...
That's hilarious! (the post, not the fact that skullfish died...) Sorry that we caused problems. It was Curt's idea--not mine! I told him the parents were going to hate us for it! :) P.S. Three of the six fish we had left over died that night.
My last fish was a beta and it lived 2x as long as they were supposed to (4 years instead of 2). I cried when it died. I know that's silly. Oh well. I can't wait for Felix to get a fish...and kill it. It's just part of growing up :) Also, did I read that right, she flushed her live fish down with the dead one? On purpose?
murderer!
Kendra, do you remember when your brother, Kyle had a goldfish in Deseret Towers on BYU campus. They weren't allowed pets but he found a goldfish in the soap dispenser in the bathroom. He rescued it and put it in a gallon sized orange juice plastic opaque bottle. It lived until he came home from school that semester. I think it has to do with the cuddling and lovin'
You know Kyle, he had the heart of a giant.
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