Butterflies
of the Water
Brook Woods
Allegheny College
The Golden Goldfish
My grandfather told me a story about the golden goldfish that live in the pond by our village. He told me that they are a symbol of protection, because when they are here, life is good and happy.
Long ago there was a killing frost. It killed the crops. The goldfish left the pond and disappeared. The skies turned black. There was no light. People started getting sick and then soldiers came. The land was being destroyed. It was very sad.
People were unhappy and scared. They prayed the goldfish would come back and bring food, goodness, and happiness to the village.
One day one goldfish came back. He was dark and the sky was gray. He wanted to see if the war was over. If it wasn't, he would leave again.
The people were tired of fighting. They wanted peace and happiness. The goldfish saw this and a little ray of sun came through the clouds. Like magic it touched the goldfish and the people. The goldfish captured the sunbeam with his scales and turned golden red. It was a miracle.
The glow of the fish touched the people and the clouds turned white and went away. The land was healed. The goldfish returned to the pond, the crops grew again, and the people lived in peace. People tell the legend to remember and protect the village from war.
Story & Illustration by Michael, Gr. 2
The Quesla Project
http://www.kc-usd.k12.ca.us/alta/gg.htm
I have always had this weird obsession with naming things. When I grant an object a name, it makes me feel as though I am bringing that something to life, as if I am Cinderella's fairy godmother's sister, and words are my magic fairy dust. I've already named several chairs over the course of this past year: Chunk, Lolly, Purple Peter-Eater, Sold, Rhonda, Buddy Love, and Tipsie. One of my best friends has a houseplant I call Habeeb, and my cactus is Penis. Every single one of my stuffed animals has a name, and I have over fifty. Even the computer on which I write is called Dellroy.
I should mention that when I do feel so inclined to attach a title to something, I do not just choose any ordinary name that pops up the quickest in my little, curious mind. I take into great consideration the characteristics of the anonymous object, such as its color, surface and size. So, as you can imagine, when I was given my first two goldfish, my process of naming them became ridiculously time-consuming. Only after referring to BabyNames.com on several different occasions was I able to grant my goldfish their forenames.
Ask several female college students if they would prefer to read about ecological economics, or recline on their desk chairs and rummage through a baby name book, and I am sure the majority would pick the latter. I did. Who needs cost-benefit analysis when you have Taban (Sunshine) and Pavel (Small), Bahari (Sea Man) and Radwan (Delight)? After two years, my goldfish are still my babies, so taking time to individualize each was well worth it.
It was two years ago, in December, my freshman year in college, when I heard a knock on my dorm door. My moody ex-roommate and I still lived together at the time and, in fear that it was going to be one of her even moodier friends, I was reluctant to pick myself up from my desk and open the door. I admit I was not in a very pleasant mood at the time. Just a few days earlier, I found out my dog, whom I adored ever since I was in kindergarten, had just recently been put to sleep due to the spread of cancer to her brain. At the time, I felt both lost and abandoned over her death and my parents lack of consideration to tell me prior to the euthanization. "Yeah?" I shouted. Silence. "YEEAAH?" Silence again, that is until two familiar, female voices suddenly increased in volume, both in laughter and my friends' miserable, yet amusing attempts to sing, "We wish you a Merry Christmas! We wish you a Merry Christmas! We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!!" I immediately opened the door, and proceeded with one of those instinctive, high-pitched girly shrieks. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE."
And there they were; two goldfish in a large, glass bowl, shaking back and forth like jello. They swam above pink, blue and white gravel and around and around a "No Fishing" ceramic sign. Their delicate fins swayed in the water like paper fans in an un-air-conditioned, elementary school classroom on a hot May afternoon. They possessed large, black, glass beads as eyes and, magnified against the glass, their plate-like scales reminded me of minute, orange, radiating honeycomb. Seventy-cent miniature suns.
Look up information on goldfish (Carassius auratus) in any encyclopedia and you will find that these extraordinary, hardy and lovable little pets, the most common household pets in the entire world, can live up to ten years or more if well taken care of. In fact, the oldest known goldfish ever was forty-one year old "Freda" of Sussex, England. I definitely wanted my two new goldfish to live just as long as Freda, if not longer. "Ha Ha. We can beat that record, guys." At least I thought so. Eden (Paradise), the smaller of my two aforementioned goldfish did not agree in the slightest.
I rose early one brisk, January morning only to gaze into the fishbowl and find Eden feebly lying on the colorful gravel at the bowl's bottom. Not yet dead, but not very much alive either, his gills slits hardly moving at all to obtain oxygen. I was so sad that I became teary-eyed. I stayed by Eden's side during his swim through the valley of the shadow of death. By the day's end, Eden was flushed down the universal goldfish burial, the toilet, leaving his goldfish companion, Samson (Bright as the Sun), to hold down the glass fort until reinforcements were to arrive.
So how was I supposed to know that goldfish bowls are evil? An even slightly dirty bowl can lead to fish contracting one of the billions of goldfish diseases, although I still to this day do not know for sure why Eden died. Perhaps he contracted Septicemia, a bacteria which attacks the goldfish's circulatory system, causing internal bleeding as well as sluggish behavior. It can result from dirty water. The horror. Editorial writer David Nelson once wrote, "Kids, a goldfish is more than that first pet or earliest confidant, it's a responsibility. You need to learn to properly care for your goldfish, or you could end up the sad owner of a dead fish, and you'll … wind up eternally flushed down the toilet of Hell." I felt accountable, awful. I may have shed a tear. "Throw me a Kleenex and the car keys, Mom. I'm heading to Pet Supplies Plus."
Now think back over a thousand years ago, in China. Imagine an olive-colored carp-like fish-a gibel carp, to be exact-up to 16 inches long swimming in rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and ditches. It was from this East Asian gibel carp, the great-grandfather of all goldfish, that goldfish were first bred and domesticated by the Chinese as early as the Song dynasty (960-1279). The Chinese became interested in keeping goldfish captive in ponds, glass tanks and bowls, enabling short-bodied goldfish breeds to eventually evolve. For them, goldfish, resembling "gold in abundance," came to symbolize good fortune, prosperity, beauty and harmony, which is why the first book on goldfish, "Scarlet Fish," also appeared during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644): to improve goldfish quality. Depictions of goldfish can be found in Chinese art also dating back to this time. For instance, in the eastern suburbs of Beijing, a porcelain covered jar (A) decorated with goldfish and aquatic plants was excavated in 1955. It dates back to the Ming dynasty, Jiajing period (1522-1566), and now rests in the National Museum of Chinese History in Beijing, although I can't even begin to express how great this jar would look sitting next to my fish tank. This is not only because of the jar's vibrant color. I am utterly drawn to this jar because it remains a tremendous and marvelous reminder of the ability of even a brief moment or small creature-such as the goldfish-to immensely influence (and hopefully pleasantly) people for thousandths and thousandths of years. And over more years to come, too.
www.saturn-soft.net/Gallery/Gallery1/China/Html/12.htm
(A)Considering Samson, my two-inch, common pet-store Comet goldfish, I agree with at least the Chinese's symbolic affiliation of "beauty" with the goldfish. Samson is a mobile piece of art. He consistently swims back and forth through the water, like Van Gogh's dried strokes of the brush on his oil on canvas. And turning the corners, the orange brightness of Samson's sides glistens and catches one's eye, like a star in the night.
Synonymous with the goldfish rising popularity, many goldfish, or rather "gold carp," were also gathered in "Let Go" ponds of many famous Buddhist temples. This is because Buddhism, the third dominant religion in the world, maintains that an individual must be kind to all living creatures, for all non-human life is just as divine as human life. So, setting free captive fish became a popular notion in China and beyond, to emphasize the Buddhist doctrine of protecting live animals. Not surprisingly, Buddhists eventually endowed goldfish with symbolizing both liberation from any suffering and eternity.
Need a vacation? I recommend taking a trip to Deer Park of Nara in Japan where the ancient ceremony of animal liberation, called "Hojo-e," continues to be celebrated. Deer Park, a place where deer (Buddhists regard deer as being messengers of universal love) and humans walk side to side, was set aside centuries ago as a sanctuary to experience "brotherhood" of all living creatures. Today, Japanese Buddhists and children, carrying bowls containing tiny goldfish, take turns releasing small aquatic creatures in this park's pond, while parents and grandparents stand by offering their blessings and encouragement.
One more thought. Perhaps I should have named one of my goldfish "8 Ball." You see, some forms of Buddhism (i.e. Tibetan Buddhism) once deemed goldfish, whose eyes could seemingly penetrate through muddy waters, as being capable to know the past and predict the future.
"Little goldfish, would you like me to change your name to 8 Ball?"
"My Reply Is No."
There are over 125 varying, bizarre breeds of goldfish today, and the number is rising. Some goldfish display enlarged or distorted tails (Fantails, Veiltails, Fringetails, and Comets, whose tails and fins are long, flowing, and pointed). Others, such as the Telescope Goldfish, long been considered the most representative of China, possess large, bulging eyes that resemble those of a dragon. Still, many goldfish have eyes that look straight up, such as Celestials, whose pupils lie horizontally in upward-pointing, telescopic eyes. These fish forever appear to be looking upward, as if in deep contemplation. Pick any color; you'll get a goldfish. Red. Gold. Yellow-Gold. Red-Gold. Gold-White. White. Black. Silver. White-Black. Black-Red. Black-Gold. Yeah, Pittsburgh Steelers colors!
Needless to say, more color variations are out there. How about an albino goldfish? Or the rare, scaleless goldfish? It has transparent scales and can come in various shades of red, blue, purple and even spotted patterns. The Argonne National Laiboratory's Division of Educational Programs suggests that perhaps the most famous goldfish the United States has seen, first introduced to goldfish in 1874, is the red, white and blue goldfish used in Liberty Loans campaigns during WWI. Speaking of the States, in the 1920's and 1930's goldfish popularity in this country skyrocketed with the establishment of pet departments in major chain stores, such as Woolworth. The selling of "fancy" goldfish specimens, such as Black Moors (B) and Calico Fantails (C), also skyrocketed, some fancy varieties going for as much as several hundred dollars.
(B) (C)
With the goldfish-farming industry on the rise, Eugene Shireman established Grassyfork Fisheries in Martinsville, Indiana. Expanding to 1500 acres and 600 ponds the Grassyfork Fisheries, reputed as being the world's largest goldfish hatchery in the world, was selling an estimated 40 million goldfish a year by 1970, when it was purchased by Ozark Fisheries of Stoutland, Missouri. F. Lawrence Bailliere established Ozark Fisheries in April 1926 also for the production and marketing of goldfish, but with an emphasis on fancy goldfish specimens. Three generations and 70 years later, Ozark Fisheries operations in both Indiana and Missouri continue to ship goldfish to customers throughout North America and Western Europe, using a light, oxygen inflated shipping container. Ozark Fisheries: "Where better Goldfish are grown."
Now how's that for an American Dream?
Some say that to dream of goldfish means you are trapped in a spiritually confining situation. Although I cannot recall ever dreaming of my goldfish, this dream interpretation is, with no doubt, linked to the fact that goldfish are often kept, and therefore associated, with far too restricting fishbowls. These fishbowls leave the goldfish gasping for air, and provide insufficient room for the fish to grow. Goldfish should have at least one gallon for every inch of fish so that they will not become underdeveloped and die early. With sufficient space, goldfish are able to live for years in a small aquarium, such as my tank, averaging a body length of about three to four inches. However! Turned loose in a larger body of water, such as a pond, the little goldfish (if they survive) are capable of increasing astoundingly in size, some becoming twelve to fourteen inches in length. Still, in regards to my goldfish, personally I say forget fishbowls! Bring on the Mother of all tanks.
So, what did I buy at Pet Supplies Plus? The super duper deluxe 5-gallon AquaTech Galaxy Aquarium, equipped with an illumination system and a built-in filter with the self-cleaning BIO-Wheel. According to the pet store sales attendant, Rita, this tank is one of the best aquariums on the market because "it provides great water filtration as well as efficient biological filtration of the aquarium water." I later learned, after reading the Instructions Manual, that what Rita was trying to say was that this tank's gray, plastic BIO-Wheel provides living space for beneficial bacteria that helps oxidize fish waste that is dissolved in the water. This BIO-Wheel will prove beneficial to the tank's water quality, considering goldfish poop a lot.
If I happened to be the manager of Pet Supplies Plus, I would reward Rita with the Gold Star Employee of the Month Award. She took all the cash in my wallet like one of those all sweet and cute little Girl Scouts who unexpectedly show up at your door and ask you to buy a box or two of their delicious Girl Scout cookies. You can't say, "No." Not to the innocent face of that child, who assures you that proceeds of your 'America's Best Cookies' purchase are going towards helping young girls across America grow up strong. Rita explained, "In addition to the tank, you need to buy the following so that a strong future for your innocent goldfish can be assured: filters, a bubbler, gravel, and decorations, because goldfish love hiding places that they can retreat to, particularly when feeling stressed. Honey, the lives of your goldfish are in your hands."
And so I bought a plastic plant. I made sure its leaf edges were not too sharp. By no means, considering Eden's death, did I want Samson to die too. I can just imagine how the article would read in the Goldfish Post Gazette. Cause of Samson B. Fish's death: Stabbing.
Oh, and of course I bought the other tank necessaries too. They include:
1. Enough gravel to coat the tank's bottom, providing a good place for beneficial bacteria to grow. Recommended gravel amount: 1/8 of an inch.
[$2.49]
2. A plastic scuba diver bubbler, which, when attached to an air pump, sends tiny bubbles into the water that help to keep the water oxygenated. (It was the scuba man or this massive, plastic pearl oyster shell, which opened and closed with the periodic discharge of air bubbles. The shell reminded me of my neighbor's white, fat cat's jaw. The cat's name is Puddin. It kills and eats anything and everything. No.)
[$4.49 (air pump) + $1.79 (plastic air tube) + $3.29 (scuba man)]
3. A small, glass thermometer to ensure that the water temperature stays at room temperature, about 65º F to 75º F.
[$0.99]
4. A gravel siphon, to be used during the recommended weekly 20% water change. This siphon vacuums the gravel, removing any leftover food and waste.
[$5.39]
5. A package of Galaxy 5 EZ-Change filter cartridges, which purify the water by collecting the debris. To be changed every time the tank is cleaned (in my case, every three weeks).
[$6.89]
6. A bottle of Goldfish Water Condition, which softens and dechlorinates facet water.
[$3.57]
7. A small can of Omega Goldfish Flakes, so that my goldfish can get all of the protein (for muscle), vitamins (to resist disease and strengthen bones), and carbohydrates that they need.
[$2.29]
8. Two more, as the Chinese would say, "butterflies of the water."
[$1.40]
You know, now that I think of it, I could have even used the innovative Goldfish credit card to pay for my purchases. Yeah, now here is a great idea. Well, at least this Goldfish Card, issued by Goldfish Bank Limited (registered in England and Wales) claims the world of Goldfish (Ok, ok. So it isn't referring to real goldfish…) is a surprising one. The Goldfish Mastercard: "Hello. We're Goldfish. Breathe Easy. With great rates on personal loans."
* * *
Loneliness breaks the spirit. Samson seemed lonely. For the next six hours following Eden's death, Samson ceaselessly and slowly swam back and forth. It was now dark outside, and snowing. The small lamp on my dresser cast a golden glow throughout my brown-carpeted bedroom. Onward Samson continued to swim, in the little round bowl atop my nightstand. My relentless and halfhearted goldfish. Scientists have determined that goldfish possess a memory span of three seconds. Perhaps they are wrong. I think Samson was searching. Searching for his long lost, and greatly missed little Eden, only to find, each time he turned around, the adjacent side of the transparent, glass bowl.
Comet Goldfish, named for their long and trailing tail, or caudal fin, resemble most the Common Goldfish, but their bodies are longer and narrower, enabling them to move quickly. As the only goldfish type to have originated in the U.S., Comet Goldfish are also one of the easiest types of goldfish to care for, which is why I purchased two more Comet playmates for Samson, Ilo (Light, Joyous Sunshine) and Lewey (Light). Although out of the three, Samson remains my largest and slowest moving goldfish, he is the most contemplative and sensible, never getting wedged in between the leaves of plastic plant like Lewey. Nowadays, when I say my "Hello, Fishies," and ever so slightly tap on the fish tank's glass, it is still always Samson who first, detecting my voice with his acute inner ear hearing, and sensing the vibrations with his lateral line, approaches me, face to face. Goldfish's lateral line system, which detects both low-frequency vibrations and directional water flow through sensory cells, serves as the goldfish's distance perception function. Perhaps Samson, with the tilt of his head, is still trying to figure out whether or not I myself have my own lateral line system. "Is she who stands before me a fish?? But where in the world are her gills? By goodness, she is gill-less! No, dear me. She can't be a fish. But aren't those large, protruding body parts fins? Ah, and her eyes! They are gigantic!"
Because goldfish can become territorial, I was a little apprehensive at first at putting Samson, Ilo and Lewey in the same fishbowl together until I could properly set up the fish tank. At first, I was afraid Samson might chase Lewey and Ilo to death, or nip off some of their five separate types of fins: the paired pectoral and pelvic fins, and the anal, dorsal and caudal fins. The goldfish's pectoral and pelvic fins prevent the fish from rocking up and down lengthwise in the water. The anal, dorsal and caudal fins prevent the fish from rocking from side to side.
The perfection of this balancing system reminds me of the "'V' of Death." You see, my goldfish are swimmers; I am a runner. During workouts, other track team members and I often engage in a 15-minute ab workout in which a different form of "sit-up" is performed every minute (the "'V' of Death" is naturally last). Oh, and it is the death of us. We balance on our butts and spread wide our arms and legs, our "fins". Like the goldfish, we can slightly sway our "fins" back and forth in order to keep ourselves balanced on our bottoms. Yet, if our "fins" for some reason move too far to the right or left, we topple over on our sides like fish with buoyancy issues. Yes, balance is key.
After a little while, I became not so much concerned with my three goldfish fighting, but over whether or not Samson would attempt to mate with Ilo, Lewey, or both. Hey, even the quiet ones need some action every once in a while.
Breeding is not a difficult task if the goldfish is over two years old. But wait. Let's put the reproduction process on hold for just a moment. Did you know that according to an Australian Urban Legend, a twit stands for a pregnant goldfish? According to the Webster's Dictionary, a twit is defined as n. Informal. An insignificant or bothersome person. Well, ok then. I supposed I shouldn't pass up my chance to argue that any individuals who consider pregnant goldfish as "twits" are HUGE twits themselves! Here is a fun fact for all of you: Female goldfish do not get pregnant; they lay eggs. Egg-laden females will lay anywhere from 500-2000 (depending on the size and condition of the female) sticky eggs, which the male goldfish then have to fertilize. (Oh, and please pardon my name-calling. It is all in good fun ).
Upon fertilization, the eggs and goldfish should be separated, for goldfish parents consume their own eggs, a somewhat voracious act that mystifies author Anne Dillard. In Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, the sales manager of Ozark Fisheries comments, 'We produce, measure, and sell our product by the ton.' Dillard describes this "pressure among growth among animals" as a kind of "terrible hunger." The way Dillard sees it, goldfish eat in order to "fuel their surge to sexual maturity" so that they can spew out thousandths of eggs. Dillard is right. The fact that goldfish parents eat their eggs is not monstrous (if, in fact, any of you think so). It is our human species' own excessive emotions that contribute to our squeamishness over the way the world really is. I explained the egg situation with my roommate Leigh, and she commented, "Goldfish? They don't think that much about it at all. For them, the eggs are a food source." It is as simple as that. Sometimes, we all worry too much.
After a week or so, give or take a few days depending on the water temperature, the opaque white goldfish eggs, approximately 1.5 mm in diameter, will hatch. The fry, as newly hatched goldfish are called, are transparent at first and then turn a shade of brownish-gray. They resemble tadpoles kind of, although tinier and almost colorless. For about three days the fry will feed off of the yolk sacs (attached near their "stomachs"). When the yolk is consumed, the fry will need to be fed quality food three times a day (morning, noon, and night). What should they eat? Frozen brine shrimp. Microworms. Crushed hard-boiled egg yolk. Dried flake food (after about a week). Care should be taken not to overfeed the fry because the excess food will pollute the water, which will ultimately kill them. If fed properly, these baby beauties increase in size fast! But give the well-known golden scales about three to five months to develop.
Honestly, there have never been little goldfish fry swimming around my aquarium. Perhaps this is because all three of my goldfish are truly male. I admit. At first, I assumed Samson, Ilo and Lewey were male without assuring their proper sex. I wanted male fish. Place females of any species into a room together, and you are bound to get petty, vicious scuffles every once in a while (Case in point: my two roommates and I). Eventually though, a spark of interest triggered me to look up information online so that I might learn how tell the difference between boy goldfish and girl goldfish. The most practical way? Male goldfish usually have raised dots called "tubercules" on their gill plates and the edges of their pectoral (front) fins, as if these manly fish were attempting to grow face-hair. They also tend to be the more aggressive.
Aside from Samson, Ilo is the smallest, sweetest, and calmest of my goldfish. Perhaps the cutest too, if it is even possible for one goldfish to be any cuter than his two delightful fish friends. When I look into my tank, it is Ilo who most frequently gives me the brief "OOOhhh my goodness! ONE of my fish are missing!!!!" panic attack. Ilo likes to take his 29 or so scales and chill in the far back right corner of the tank, under the pee-green, long, oval-shaped leaves of the plastic plant. I read in a book that goldfish, like Ilo, hide for any of the following reasons: (A) Ilo is protecting himself from predators through camouflage, (B) Ilo is resting, or (C) Ilo likes the soft tickle of the leaves' tips upon his body. Touch is one of the strongest of the five senses goldfish maintain.
"Annnnnnnswer?"
"B….?"
"Thaaat's correct! Bob, tell them what they've won."
Yes, I choose (B). And it is because Ilo often rests his belly on the bottom of the gravel, which is exactly what goldfish tend to do when they sleep. Another thing. Goldfish do not have eyelids and therefore cannot close their eyes when they sleep. In other words, when Ilo rests at the bottom of the far right corner, he becomes unaware of both the expressions of his eyes and any images that appear before him. It is not until I gesture my forefinger up and down a few times on the glass closest to Ilo, that his pectoral fins begin waving back and forth with the artificial current of the water. It is always as if Ilo, coming out of his trance, is waving a hand hello. "Hello Brooke. You were looking for me. I'm down here. Don't worry." Putting his bladder into motion, which allows him to voluntarily rise and sink, Ilo begins to swing his caudal fin from side to side, achieving S-shaped rolls of his body. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. He makes his way towards the front of the tank to greet me. Upon arrival at the glass, he stops by extending both of his pectoral fins, as if making a screeching halt on roller skates. I stick my forefinger in the water and touch Ilo's body. It is soft and smooth, like leather.* * *
No matter how hard I try, I never manage to touch Lewey. He is the most rambunctious of my goldfish. A ladies' man. Forever showing off. Forever in style. Whereas Samson and Ilo wear golden Ralph Lauren Polos, Lewey sports a gold and white- patched leather jacket. He never stops swimming, scoping out all that's going on. And he lifts weights.
One day I found Lewey digging into and displacing the gravel with his orange face and orange and white-scaled sides. As if he was lifting the rocks as part of a weight lifting program, building his skeletal, smooth and heart muscles. Using skeletal muscles for both swimming and moving their bones and fins, goldfish rely on smooth muscles to operate internal organs, such as the stomach and intestines, and heart muscles for efficient heart function. Shortly thereafter, I determined that Lewey was searching the gravel, with his nostrils and mediocre sense of smell, for more food. A girl's gotta love a determined fish with an appetite.
Although they do have many taste buds, the goldfish sense of taste, like smell, is not as strong as their other senses, but they will eat just about anything one places in front of their mouths (proper goldfish flakes or pellets are most recommended). One time, Samson began suffering from some swim bladder trouble that is most often a result of goldfish constipation. When a fish is constipated, gases build up inside the goldfish's stomach and/or intestines, offsetting the equilibrium of the fish. Needless to say, Samson resembled a lopsided helium balloon in mid-deflation. And so I fed him a defrosted, green pea which has been known to cure the swim bladder trouble quite well. This remedy is recommended by the Goldfish Sanctuary, an organization dedicated to the humane treatment of fish everywhere (more on this organization in a bit!). Needless to say, Samson ate the pea right up, and a few hours later, a long strand of pure green, slimy waste came out his other end. It floated on the surface of the tank water like a strand of saliva-coated grass in a dog dish filled with water. A little green poop, and Samson's bladder problem was cured.
* * *
Every morning, when Meadville weather allows, sunlight bounces off the white walls of the common room, and dances down our houseplant's outspread fingers all the way to their tips. This eight-inch tropical plant rests on a shelf, just above and slightly off to the right of my fish tank. Many of the plants silky, thin leaves hang over goldfish land, like a waterfall pouring over a large, rocky cliff. I like to imagine that sunlight flows off of this plant's leaves and down upon the tank of my grateful goldfish, providing gushes of brightness.
Light, in addition to space, is a beneficial factor in the lives of my goldfish. Goldfish raised in a dim environment will maintain pale coloration, whereas fish residing in bright environments acquire perkier, brilliant coloration. In other words, if I were to keep Samson, Ilo and Lewey in a dark room for a long period of time, they would eventually turn white. Even more amazingly, if my goldfish were to return to the wild, they would after only a few generations revert back to the natural colors (brown, green, gray, bronze) of their wild ancestors.
I often attempt to imagine how the common room would appear, gazing out at it from the inside of my fish tank, or even a fish bowl. The whole concept reminds me of the movie Honey I Shrunk the Kids, where everything, from the television to the couch to the left, to the #2 pencil sitting right on the table in front of the tank, is gigantic in size, although in this case, a little blurry too.
I take the dive.
The tank's bottom is contains a thick layer of vivid sky blue, pink, and gray gravel, along with eight smooth, charcoal gray rocks, sporadically located, and each no bigger than two quarter lengths in width. I stand in the tank's middle upon one of the larger gray rocks, facing the back of the tank; to my right side is the green, plastic plant with its thick leaves. To the left, the glass thermometer, as well as the pink and black, four-inch scuba man holding a green treasure chest under one arm. My gosh, he is ugly. Bubbles of air gurgle out both sides of his silver helmet, as if large chunks of his brain were constantly spewing forth. These bubbles are what produce the burbling sound throughout the fish tank.
I swim towards the thermometer. 75ºF. A bright, simple and comfortable little world. Rounding the corner, I suddenly come face to face with six goldfish eyeballs, six black holes. Ilo spastically jets under the plant. Samson slowly moves aside so that I may pass. Lewey, with a raised brow, asks, "Who the hell are you, oh pale one? And what the hell are you doin in my crib?"
I join Lewey's side, so that he might show me around the tank. Both of us can see perfectly inside the tank (although I just know my eyes are going to be extremely blood-shot by the end of this swim). The difference between Lewey and I though is that whereas I can see all around the fish tank, Lewey is nearsighted. He can see colors and shapes, but nothing in the distance very well. In other words, looking out toward the common room, Lewey can see the long, horizontal shape and tannish coloring of the pencil, but not the couch and television across the room. Geez oh man, I can only imagine what I look like to my goldfish when I approach the fish tank. "OOOHHHHHH NOOOOOOOO!!!! INNNCOMING!!!!!!!!!" Lewey must shriek, "HERE it comes, the MASSIVE HEAD again!!!!!!!" Poor fish.
Gazing into Lewey's eyes, I also notice that like the missing eyelids, Lewey also does not have an iris, the part of one's eyes that changes size to let more or less light enter. Although he does have a retina, the part that helps our eyes adapt to light and dark, Lewey, Samson and Ilos' retinas work very slowly.
"Aaaah. So this explains why, when I turn on the fish tank light, you, and Samson and Ilo frantically bolt for cover under the leaves of the plant. Your eyes can't adapt that quickly to the sudden increase in brightness."
"Yes, you got it! Good Job! Oh, and Brooke, it is not very nice to stare."
* * *
We have many visitors to our common room, some invited. The various ways our guests act toward my goldfish, whose home sits on a wooden desk placed against the wall, always amuses me. Most people are immediately drawn to the humming, translucent dwelling like magnets. "Awwwwww. You have gooooooldfish! They are sooooo cute!" Pleased, I beam in delight.
But then there is my mom, who, like any mom, worries too much.
Mom visits me here at college quite often because she is always driving up from Pittsburgh with Dad to cheer my twin brother on at the home football games. Specifically, my mom possesses a bubbly personality, which I admire, and she is often quite emotional and even dramatic. For instance, there was this one evening this past June when my mom and I went out to dinner and we began to discuss the television medical drama, ER. Suddenly, my mom begins crying in the middle of the restaurant over Dr. Greene's death, which occurred during an episode two weeks prior! I was shocked, yet ecstatic at her unleashed ER devotion, naturally because I am truly ER's biggest enthusiast. Nevertheless, from fake doctors to goldfish, my mom is a worrier.
I always expect her to ask about the goldfish. It is a tradition. "How are your goldfish?" she asks, before walking over and inspecting the tank herself. "When is the last time you cleaned the tank? Did you change the filter? Brooke, do you remember to feed these fish? I don't think you do. There, there, liiiittle fiiiiishies. I know she is a bad mother. You need to come back home where I can take care of you."
"Mom, I am not a bad mother."
"Oh, Brooke, look at your room. You don't even keep your room clean."
"No, but I do keep the fish tank clean."
"I see dirt."
"What? Where? Show me."
"Right there. By that plant."
"That round thing?"
"Yes. Dirt."
"Mom, that's a rock!"Another room regular, Greg, habitually chooses (intuitively or not) to sit on the hard desk chair closest to the fish tank. Gazing into the fish tank, he often expresses his worry over whether or not Samson, Ilo and Lewey are getting enough oxygen. Placing his forefinger on his chin, he turns his face towards me and speculates about the tank, like he hasn't done it a million times before. "There just aren't enough bubbles."
I have to admit that at first, Greg's concern for my fish was somewhat shocking and I guess I am still not sure whether his care is genuine or not. Greg is a sarcastic guy. He is very laid back, not caring much about sports and the latest fashions. And almost every phrase that leaves Greg's mouth has to do with either alcohol and parties, or sex.
"Greg, my fish are fine. They can breath. See, I even have a scuba man to make more bubbles."
"Okey then. … Soooooo, I hear you are taking Yoga. That's good. Yoga makes you flexible, and you're gonna need to be tonight."
"Aaaaaahaha."
I take pleasure in people who are genuinely interested in my goldfish, like any mom would when someone speaks highly of her child. Naturally, I detest when certain individuals, such as my twin brother and my friend, Jen, consistently fail to acknowledge my goldfish. It is rude, if not self-centered. "They are boring," Brian says. Ok, I can see why Brian would think that, considering he is a hardcore DVD and Play Station 2 kind of guy. And Jen? I swear sometimes I think she doesn't even know I have three goldfish in the common room. Jen is a hectic, always-thinking-about-twenty-different-things kind of girl. Intelligent, but she hops in her red Ford Explorer, turns up Madonna's Immaculate Collection, and drives towards Grove City Outlets to go shopping, a lot. You can't wear my goldfish as earrings dangling from your earlobes, or as gold rings wrapped around your toes. We live in a material world. And Jen is a material girl.
* * *
I never asked for my three goldfish. In fact, I never possessed the urge, before they were given to me, to obtain one myself. But I have always loved my goldfish, and could never bear to see them mistreated or harmed. Why do I love my goldfish? They are straightforward and durable creatures, social. Samson, Ilo and Lewey have undergone long, bumpy car rides to and from Meadville and Pittsburgh on numerous occasions, and yet have remained healthy and well. And my goldfish seem to actually like it when a person sticks their finger in the water of the fish tank, for they swim right up to it. Pepperidge Farm claims that 1/3 of households with kids age 12 and under in the U.S. have goldfish in them, noting that this is because goldfish are exceptional vehicles for teaching children responsibility. That, and goldfish are fun to watch (the chief benefit of possessing a home aquarium, according to a survey by The National Aquarium in Baltimore in 2000).
Yes, I enjoy watching my goldfish whirl around. And I envy them for the simplicity that they unwittingly stand for. A few sprinkles of fish food flakes into the tank, and my goldfish are as happy as little kids at a zoo, for they dance. All three are conditioned. Every time I open the tank's black lid, they shoot themselves up towards the surface, whipping their tail fins. Twice a day, I drop the dry flakes onto the water, and each of my goldfish consistently bop the "fish-version" of a plié. Naturally, their dancing tempts me to sing.
I love the fishies 'cause they're so delicious…Gone Goldfishin'. I could eat 'em every day…And my mom says that's OK. I love the fishies 'cause they're so delicious…Gone Goldfishin'. Gone Goldfishin'.
Ok, forget watching goldfish for fun, for now. Who can resist swallowing a goldfish? "What better comfort food can you find?" asks Pepperidge Farm, clearly referring to their "wholesome snacks that smile back until you bite their heads off!" These tasty, light and crispy Goldfish® snack crackers have been around since 1962, and today, are enjoyed around the globe in vast quantities. Goldfish® are sold in 40 countries, with about one million snack crackers being made in an hour (2000 in less than 1/3 of a second). Talk about a whole lotta fish in one BIG aquarium. Did I mention that Goldfish® now come in more than six different flavors too? These flavors include: Original, Cheddar, Pizza, Parmesan, Pretzel, Reduced Sodium, and new Flavor Blaster. I can't say that I have ever tried the new Flavor Blaster flavor. I can't say that I will ever be able to tell you what a real Goldfish (a la member of the carp family) tastes like either.
Although the following individuals can: Lothrop Withington Jr. (Boston College); Frank Hope Jr. (Franklin and Marshall College); George Raab (Franklin and Marshall College); Irving Clark Jr. (Harvard University); Gilbert Hollandersky (University of Pennsylvania); Julius Aisner (University of Michigan); Michael Bonner (Albright College); Albert Hayes (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); Jack Smookler (Northeastern University); Gordon Southworth (Middlesex University); Joseph Deliberato (Clark University); Marie Hansen (University of Missouri); Betty Hines (Boston University).
Call it repulsive. Call it awe-inspiring. It came to be called the all-out collegiate "fish wars" of our grandparent's generation.
Would you swallow a live goldfish if a friend offered you $10? I tell you what, if someone ate Samson, Ilo or Lewey for any given amount of money, I would be one pissed off momma. But on March 3, 1939, Lothrop of Boston College, eager to attract attention in order to win the freshmen class president campaign, could have cared less about the doomed three-inch goldfish that wiggled before him. Surrounded during dinner hours by a crowd of spectators and a Boston journalist in the dining hall of The Freshmen Union (What was for dinner? Ironically, fried filet with tarter sauce), Lothrop apparently plopped the cold, wet fish into his mouth, chewed and swallowed it as if it were candy. "The scales caught a bit on my throat as it went down," he remarked, before breaking out a toothbrush. Little did anyone know at the time that Lothrop would lose the class election, but win $10 and gain recognition among daring college students across the country.
The wild, if not sickening collegiate fad that emerged? Writes Sarah L. Gore of fm, a weekend magazine of The Harvard Crimson, "[to] strive to outdo one another in speed and volume of goldfish consumption." In other words, forget the sweater vests and cowlicks. Bring on the goldfish!
Ugh. Gag me.
No more than three weeks later, Frank of Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA claimed Lothrop was a "sissy." Frank sprinkled a little salt and pepper on three goldfish and swallowed them whole. Bon appetite.
But wait.
George, also a student of Franklin and Marshall, swallowed 6 goldfish the very next day.
Then there was Irving '39. He still holds the Harvard campus record of 24 goldfish. "They're kind of bitter, but they go down easy." Irving also started pricing other "indelicacies." A bug for a nickel, anyone?
For months following Lothrop's first initiation, the "fish wars" continued among schools across the country. Gilbert of the University of Pennsylvania consumed 25 goldfish, before quickly eating a steak dinner to get rid of the goldfish after-taste. Julius ate 29 goldfish. Michael with 33. Albert with 44. Jack with 38 (in front of Boston's Opera House). Gordon with 67 (in a mere fourteen minutes, pulling the goldfish one by one out of a pail!). Joseph consumed 89 in early April. Oh, but leave it to the ladies to spice things up a little. Although Marie Hansen of the University of Missouri became the first female to swallow a goldfish, it was Betty Hines of Boston University who first cooked up "goldfish sugar cookies." Although Martha Stewart might find pleasure in Hine's endeavor, a pathologist at the U.S. Public Health Service warned that goldfish may contain tapeworms, which could cause humans to become anemic. Just what I want to purchase in my local grocery store: packaged, Chips A' Goldfish Scales, anemia cookies. Need I say more?
Today, goldfish are the most common, most adaptable, and most inexpensive household pets in the world. They are also one of the most mistreated, abused, and underfed of all creatures. Even goldfish swallowing continues to occur "behind the scenes," although I myself do not know of any particular accounts. I verified recent occurrences while searching the internet. Talk about a traumatizing investigation. I was innocently lured to a site advertising photos of recent occurrences of goldfish swallowing. The photos dated September 2001 if I recall correctly, although I wasn't about to stare too long at the photos in fear of going blind. Let's just say I never knew goldfish swallowing could be such a sexually intriguing activity.
The Goldfish Sanctuary argues that, "A goldfish is inexpensive, yes, but its life is not a worthless one."
As I mentioned earlier, the Goldfish Sanctuary (GFS) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for goldfish everywhere. Its Mission Statement reads:
We maintain that the life of a goldfish is precious, that like all creatures, the goldfish is worthy of respect and deserves to live a healthy life under the care of responsible, loving caretakers. We pledge to oppose misinformation and maltreatment wherever we may find it, in this way helping to ensure that where we have passed, the goldfish will be able to live out his potential in happiness and dignity.
Remarkably, the Goldfish Sanctuary has over 12 chapters around the globe, who work "independently and collectively for the universal well-being of the goldfish." In doing this, the online Goldfish Sanctuary home page (http://www.petlibrary.com/goldfish/goldfish.html) provides a great deal of information on how to care for goldfish (feeding, appropriate tank sizes and equipment, etc.), goldfish ailments (diagnosis, diseases, quarantine, water), and also information on different varieties of goldfish.
Free fish to a good home! Why yes, here is your chance to put even The Goldfish Sanctuary's Adoption Services to the test, and obtain your very own goldfish. Individuals who no longer wish to care for their goldfish can contact The Goldfish Sanctuary to find the nearest GFS chapter for their area. The healthy goldfish are then posted on the GFS Adoption List (some may even include a photo, although none are present at this time) and are free to a good home, determined by the GFS.
Aren't interested in becoming a goldfish owner? (Might you reconsider?). Well, are you interested in becoming involved with the organization, perhaps as a GFS Member, Contact or Sympathizer? A GFS Member is simply a generic term for any one who joins the Goldfish Sanctuary. Membership is free, and members receive e-mail copies of the GFS newsletter. A GFS Contact provides GFS Headquarters with the situation of goldfish in their particular regions (such as recommended, humane pet stores, local vets) and assist with goldfish adoption. As for myself? I have recently become a GFS sympathizer, a person who has pledged herself/himself to the task of learning and educating others about goldfish. If I happen to stumble across fish-owner brutality, I shall not remain silent, for I have taken a special oath called the "Sympathizer's Pledge of Honour" (refer to the following page). Hey, I love my goldfish. I merely want to spread the love.
The Goldfish Sanctuary Sympathizers Pledge
As a Sympathizer of the Goldfish Sanctuary, I pledge my loyalty to the cause of goldfish everywhere. I hereby affirm and support the proposition that goldfish deserve humane living conditions and happy lives. I pledge not only that I shall provide this for any goldfish in my care, but also that I shall advance this ideal by offering good advice to other fish keepers as well as
encouragement that they may also treat their goldfish well. Further,I pledge that I shall learn everything I can about goldfish and their proper keeping in order to support the ideals of the Goldfish Sanctuary to their fullest potential. By signing this Pledge, I, __________________________________ declare that I shall faithfully uphold these assertions as a Sympathizer to the Goldfish Sanctuary.
(Please return a copy to the Goldfish Sanctuary at this e-mail address: d.chatham@mci2000.com)
In 1849, Henry David Thoreau asked, "Who hears the fish when they cry?" This sympathetic question continues to urge people to both consider and inquire about the pain that humans inflict on animals, particularly those hunted or pursued. Even goldfish. Sorry, Thoreau. Technically, from a scientific point of view, goldfish are incapable of crying, but I'm sure you already knew this. Goldfish cannot cry because they lack the appropriate information processing "architecture" that us humans have, such as the ability to comprehend concepts and knowledge. However, goldfish can feel pain indeed. According to findings from the paper "Neural Responses in Goldfish Under Adverse Stimuli" (Hastings, Hatchet and Paine, 1982, UNPUBLISHED), goldfish do react negatively to unpleasant stimuli, as displayed by fluctuations in goldfish EEGs. For these authors' research project, goldfish were placed on a flat surface and sharply rapped by the experimenter's knuckle. 72% of these goldfish displayed a neural response to the unpleasant stimuli. Likewise, 88% of the goldfish displayed this neural response when "vigorously smashed between the thumb and index finger" for 20 seconds (results rose to 100% after 45 seconds of this same adverse stimuli). Ouch man. Those poor fishies. I hate reading about experiments such as this, but…all the more power to the expansion of goldfish knowledge. Now we know.
The good thing is, there are numerous animal rights groups throughout the world that would just about rip peoples' arms off if they hurt a goldfish. Ok, not quite. But there still are a bunch of animal rights groups, organizations, and even government officials, who make a significant positive difference in the lives of goldfish. Take the Boston Animal Rescue League, for instance. This organization is responsible for intervening and putting a stop to the "fish wars" just months after they started, proclaiming the swallowing of live goldfish as inhumane. This League warned that goldfish swallowers would start to be arrested if campus officials did not put a stop to this horrific behavior, and so many colleges outlawed further contests.
And what about the Goldfish Society of America (GFSA)? Formed in 1972, this national organization has a global membership, "run by the members for the benefit of propagating the fine species of goldfish." I had no idea such an organization even existed, until I stumbled upon it once while searching the internet for proper Goldfish Care tactics. Catering to breeders, collectors, and goldfish enthusiasts of all types, this society (the largest devoted to goldfish in the world) is primarily committed to successful keeping and enjoyment of goldfish. It publishes its own bimonthly magazine, "The Goldfish Report," which represents goldfish knowledge, experiences, observation, events, and advertisements from breeders and suppliers through ten columns, featured articles, and society services (such as a hotline and pen pals list). GFSA, trying to encourage the competitive yet proper exhibition of goldfish (GFSA judges, following proper show management guidelines, help protect the safety and health of the fish), also holds annual conventions/shows around the world. All its members are volunteers, and I myself can become an active member if I pay my monthly dues, which, searching the GFSA homepage, I failed to pinpoint.
If I were to join GFSA this Fall, I unfortunately couldn't travel to any goldfish showings, for all the US shows have been wrapped up. Although in Japan, the major national Ranchu (round, dorsal less breed of goldfish)(D) show will be occurring this November for any interested. Perhaps I should join GFSA next Fall, next year being the 500th anniversary of the introduction of Ranchu goldfish to that country.
(D)
DENMARK--Goldfish soup, anyone? And I mean pure goldfish. This is exactly what one Danish artist, Marco Evaristti (of Chili), had in mind. The sicko. Two years ago, Evaristti's art exhibit in Trapholt Art Museum consisted of ten regular kitchen-blenders plugged into the wall, each containing a goldfish. The idea was to provide the museum's visitors with a choice of whether or not to activate any of the blenders and grind the fish up. There was uproar by an animal rights group, clearly arguing that the lives of the goldfish were in jeopardy. The government intervened and Danish police eventually removed the "work of art" after consulting a local veterinarian in Kolding, a Danish town. CNN website polled its readers on their reactions to the exhibition, after it was reported to the American media. Seventy-two percent viewed the exhibit as 'definitely not' art. I definitely agree. I mean goodness! I am totally cool with people expressing themselves through creative endeavors such as dancing, sculpture, and drawings. Even when baking, the creation of fancy cakes can be considered art. To put it bluntly, I feel art is an expression of oneself and one's realm of what is beautiful. But! When individuals incorporate inhumane measures in order to express, this, my friends, is not art. It is cruelty. Hostility. Stupidity.
Evaristti is cruel. Perhaps someone should staple Evaristti to a wall somewhere and give people the choice whether or not to spit on him! And people could also choose whether or not to shove goldfish poop down his throat. And then CNN can take another one of their surveys! Would you consider this unforgiving deed as art now, Evaristti? Either way, I bet you would not enjoy it. What goes around, comes around.
I think my idea calls for a toast. In fact, I think my idea calls for the Goldfish shot:
1 oz plain or Citrus vodka
1 oz Peach Schnapps
2 wedges Mandarin (canned).A toast. To goldfish and goldfish love, around the world.
* * *
The clouds are gray out. It is a cold, early December evening. The still streets are blanketed in ice and slush, and the orangish glow of the street lights bounce off the blankets of snow. Large snowflakes steadily fall. The only sound fluttering through the nighttime darkness is drip. Drip. Drip. Drip of the snow off the slanted roofs of nearby buildings. Through a white-, chipping-paneled window, the glistening of candles can be detected. On a brown desk chair, a girl sits Indian-style, in jogging pants; her hair half-heartedly pulled into a high ponytail. Her chin rests on folded arms. The girl is gazing into a fish tank, which sits on a wooden table. She turns. The flickering shadows of three small goldfish swim across an adjacent white wall. The girl smiles. She returns to the tank, staring into this serene, sparkling home of water for long hours into the wintry night.
· To learn more information about the Goldfish Sanctuary and its membership positions,
visit http://www.petlibrary.com/goldfish/join.htm.· To adopt a goldfish of your own,
visit http://www.petlibrary.com/goldfish/adoption.htm.
· To learn more about goldfish (ie seasonal advice), the Goldfish Society of America, how you can go about preparing your goldfish for showing, and/or worldwide goldfish events,
visit http://www.goldfishsociety.org/.· To swim with a goldfish,
visit http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/goldfish/home.htm
Goldfish Facts O' Fun:
· From a BBC pet guide, only one better pet than a goldfish?….yep, a monkey
· The most popular name for a goldfish in Great Britain and the United States is "Jaws"· On Sesame Street, Bert's goldfish were named Lyle and Talbot, presumably after the actor Lyle Talbot. What were the names of Loretta Hager's two pet goldfish in the TV series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman? "Conway" and "Twitty." "Bianca" is the name of Mickey Mouse's pet goldfish and Pinocchio's was "Cleo."
· The Game and Fish Department in Silver City, New Mexico suspects the goldfish came to populate Lake Quemado by the thousands from a stash dumped out of a fisherman's bait bucket years ago."Back in late winter, early spring, we got a report in Las Cruces that the goldfish were going bonkers in Quemado," a spokesman said. "When we got there, I was shocked. The whole cove by the boat ramp was orange." Fishermen aren't interested in catching the goldfish and the Game and Fish Department removed more than five tons of the goldfish - about 45,000 - but it didn't put a dent in the population.
· It's against the law in Seattle, Washington, for goldfish to ride on a bus --unless they lie still.
· The Associated Press reported in December 1985, in Eugene, Oregon, a 6-month-old kitten set a Christmas tree on fire while batting at the lighted bulbs. The heat of the fire cracked a nearby fishbowl, and water from the bowl doused some of the fire. Firefighters arrived within minutes of the fire starting and put out the fire, which had spread to the carpet. A goldfish named "Clyde" was found lying prone in the cracked bowl, and when put into another bowl with water, was quickly revived and survived the ordeal. The water in Clyde's bowl had prevented the fire from getting out of control.
· And finally…(The American Heritage® Dictionary)
gold·fish (g ld f sh ), n, pl. goldfish or gold·fish·es. a freshwater fish (Carassius auratus) native to eastern Asia, usually having brassy or reddish coloring and bred in many ornamental forms as an aquarium fish.
