First attempt, three tiny gold fishes from wal-mart, one not-so-ornate fish bowl, three names (Inu, Minu, Teenu) and a few exciting phone calls (to inform of the arrival of these fishes) later, a totally disappointed, heart-broken and almost in tears me, the three fishes don't survive more than a couple of hours in their new environment. After checking the instructions on the internet and then making sure I had followed the instructions to the 't', and after a couple of consolation phone calls, I put this incident behind me and move on...
Couple of months later, two small gold fishes from Petsmart, the same fish bowl, no names, trying not to be attached to the pets yet, no exciting phone calls, and an hour later, the same disappointed me emerges, for the fishes don't survive this time as well - they did not even survive an hour! No cribs to others, 2 more lives added to my victim list, a couple of gloomy hours to clean up the mess and later, I move on...
I had almost resolved not to buy fishes anymore when my friend tempts me into buying a couple of them again - difference I am told, could be that bigger fishes could survive better... Not really yielding to the temptation but to give it a try one more time with all my hopes, I buy 2 big (about 4 inch) gold fishes, pay slightly higher price than the ones bought earlier, take them home, no air of celebration, all prayers and hopes, they manage to cross the 2-hour jinx!
They looked quite adorable, and were very active; was quite a sight. And the soft sound that emerged when they tugged at the pebbles in the fish bowl, filled me with delight, probably because I assumed they liked the environment. Well, they did cross their limits and lived through one night, as I excitedly said Good Nights to them; Woke up, checked them first thing in the morning, they were still quite active! But the water had become very dirty just over night, I decided to change the water. After changing the water, one of them was not taking the change quite well for he (or she) seemed to do crazy things like move sideways etc. Standing near them and observing them only delayed my start to work. After some heartfelt prayers, I move on to work, the day very busy but still these two lives at the back of my mind, first thing I see when I am back in the evening is that both of them are dead.
I did not know what exactly to feel - anger on my own self for trying again or sadness at the loss of another two lives. And, I end up feeling a mix of both.
So, where exactly should perseverance to pursue my childhood desire end? Where should the value to the other being begin? Where do I draw the line? People may find this an over-reaction to a trivial thing but who am I to trivialise a 'life'? Is a fish's life insignificant than ours? If I had not bought it, it might have survived a few more days (or may be not!). Who knows? Every creature has a right to live; And I feel I have deprived seven fishes of their lives that could have been significantly longer for them.
With regrets and some not-very-pragmatic philosophies in my mind, I decide not to pursue this interest anymore - in the interest of other lives!
May those seven innocent souls R.I.P. Peace!!!
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1 Responses:
No offense to your sentiments, but you need not give up! Different species of fish require different level of care and maintenance. As with any other pet, growing fish also need some education on how to take good care of them. Start off with fish that require minimal maintenance (White Clouds, Betta or Corydoras Catfish) and spend some time to educate yourself to grow your favorite fish.
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