What the short life of a goldfish taught me.
A housewife in her 40s, keeping goldfish for the first time
I have never kept a living creature in my life.
My parents were not good with living things in general
Perhaps due to genetics, I also became bad with living things (cats are okay)
I have an allergy to pet fur
I lived in an apartment where pets were prohibited
My husband is also a pet-keeping novice.
So, I thought I would never have anything to do with keeping living things in the future.
That was until my second son got a goldfish at a goldfish scooping stall.
“Mom! Look, look! The goldfish I caught!”
“That’s amazing! But, are you going to keep it?”
“Yeah! I’ll take care of it, so I’m taking it home!”
“Will you really take care of it? It’s not just about feeding it, you know.”
“It’s okay! I’ll definitely take care of it!”
The stall owner, who heard this exchange, gave us extra goldfish and put them in a bag since we were taking them home.
A total of 6 goldfish came to our house.
That said, our home has never kept living things.
Naturally, we had no goldfish bowl or aquarium.
However, we couldn't just leave them in the bag.
We hurriedly changed our plans to go to an izakaya after the summer festival and went home instead.
We filled the largest tub in our house with water and moved the goldfish along with the water from the bag. I realized later after researching that we should have performed a process called “water acclimation,” but at the time, I only thought that letting them swim in a place wider than the bag was the best thing to do.
Relieved that we had released the goldfish into the water, we went to the izakaya to cool off from the summer heat as planned.
Relieved by a salt water bath!?
The next day, my husband, who was researching how to keep goldfish, found a method called a salt water bath.
Goldfish are freshwater fish, but this concentration of salt water actually suppresses the growth of bacteria, disinfects wounds, and prevents the body from weakening. Also, by matching the salt concentration of the water to the salt concentration inside the goldfish's body, it can reduce physical exhaustion and promote self-recovery.
Since we could prepare salt water immediately, my husband and I hurriedly prepared saline for the salt water bath and moved the goldfish. Then, the goldfish, which seemed confused at first, began to swim lively as time passed.
They each have their own personality in how they eat and swim. It is interesting to observe them.
The black telescope goldfish that swims backward was named “Michael Jackson” by the children. Even though it has a large body, its movements are fast.
The Wakin goldfish that swim in a school of four have differences in physique when you look closely, but every one of them bites at the food first when fed. Their movements are also quick.
The Red Cap Oranda, with its white body and striking red growth on its head, moves with a graceful and elegant flair. The way its tail fin flutters is beautiful. However, it is slow, and when I feed them, the Common Goldfish and Black Moor take the food. I am a little worried, but the fish itself seems to be at its own pace.
Just as I was thinking about getting another tank or bucket to separate the Red Cap Oranda so it wouldn't miss out on food.
On the eighth morning, the Red Cap Oranda passed away.
A further tragedy befalls the deceased goldfish
When I fed them the day before, the Red Cap Oranda was swimming leisurely as always.
Saying "See you tomorrow" was the last time I spoke to it.
The Red Cap Oranda was floating, showing its white belly.
With neither its mouth nor fins moving, it was obvious that the light of its life had gone out.
I would no longer see it swimming gracefully.
Having never experienced a living creature die right in front of me, I just cried. I already had as much affection for it as I would for my own child. It is such a pity that it only lived for seven days, and it is painful and sad.
I couldn't help but blame myself, wondering what I had done wrong.
It was when my husband was trying to scoop up the Red Cap Oranda while comforting me as I cried.
The Common Goldfish and the Black Moor were pecking at the deceased Red Cap Oranda. Unable to grasp the situation, we stopped and stared.
The Common Goldfish and the Black Moor had begun to eat the corpse of the Red Cap Oranda, which should have been their companion.
Do goldfish engage in cannibalism?
Not knowing much about the ecology of goldfish, we were speechless, unable to believe what was happening before our eyes. The shock was so great that my tears stopped.
Ignoring us, the goldfish pecked at the corpse one after another. Each time they did, the water in the tub became cloudier.
Deciding that we could not leave it any longer, my husband managed to scoop up the Red Cap Oranda and buried it in a deep hole in a corner of the garden.
Then, he moved the remaining goldfish into dechlorinated saltwater.
Even while my husband was taking care of them, I was too shocked to move.
一番模様が綺麗だった金魚さんが、お亡くなりになりました…
— ゆに (@sunflower_yuni) July 20, 2024
餌あげてもあまり食べないから、気にしてたのよね。
マイペースな子だと思ってたけど、弱っていたんだな。
ちょっと残念。
In truth, it was more than just "a little".
I felt regretful, sad, and deeply depressed as I realized my own helplessness.
Re-exploring the ecology of goldfish
We know far too little about goldfish.
Desperately trying to pull myself together, I researched their ecology and found this information.
Keeping goldfish with different body types together
If you keep goldfish with vastly different body types or physical conditions together, problems such as food not being distributed evenly or stress buildup can occur. While goldfish are creatures that naturally live in schools,
there are several combinations that are incompatible and unsuitable for mixed housing depending on the breed and physique. A representative example is the
combination of Wakin and Ryukin. Because there is a large difference in swimming ability between these two species, when food is given, the Wakin, which is a better swimmer, will take it, and the Ryukin will not be able to eat enough. Also, since preferred water quality can differ depending on the origin and breed, try not to keep too many different types of goldfish together. In particular, delicate goldfish such as the Bubble Eye or Celestial Eye should be kept alone.
"The combination of Wakin and Ryukin"
In our home, we were doing a mixed-housing combination that should not be done.
We were wrong to think that as long as we let them swim in water without knowing anything, it would be fine.
The Red Cap Oranda that passed away had a body type close to that of a 'Ryukin'. Keeping it with a 'Wakin', which has a different body type and swimming style, was a taboo.
So, what about keeping the remaining Black Moor and Wakin together...?
It would probably be best to avoid it.
We have to add one more tank.
The difficulty of handling life and the future
With goldfish, we faced the difficulty of keeping pets.
Knowing their characteristics and habits
You cannot raise them just by thinking they are 'cute'
If you neglect their care even a little, they will die
Because their lifespan is short, they will die someday
Unlike humans, they do not have emotions
I thought I understood, but I couldn't do it at all. However, no matter how much I regret it, the life of the Red Cap Oranda will not return.
Because of this, we became prepared to raise goldfish in earnest.
Goldfish cannot survive on love alone.
You must spare no time or effort in caring for them.
That is what it means to keep a living creature.
It was only after experiencing such sadness that I finally understood.
We vowed to study hard and take good care of the remaining five so that we could be with them for a long time.
And so, I am recording this on note as a memorandum.