A Very Tough Fish

I've never had much luck with fish as pet...until our most recent one, which is now 7 1/2 years old.

When I was a child, I had mainly gold fish that were won at carnival games.  They usually lasted a few weeks before meeting their eventual end of having their remains flushed down the toilet.   My next foray into pet fish was as an adult.  I bought a used 10 gallon tank setup at a yard sale.  I purchased 10 small non-aggressive fish tropical fish...or so I thought.  Over the next few weeks, a fish would slowly lose its tail and meet its demise.  Even a small crab and small shrimp in the tank met a similar fate of being eaten.  I was never really sure which fish or group of fish were the culprits.  Eventually, I was down to one fish, which then proceeded to die.

My most recent attempt at keeping fish was seven years ago, just before we adopted our daughter.  This time I went big.  I bought a used 50 gallon tank and 5 pairs of baby cichlids, which are semi-aggressive fish.   Although the fish battled a lot, only one pair died and they were replaced.  Before we left for our adoption trip to China, I placed one particularly aggressive fish in a separate 10 gallon tank to keep it from hurting the other nine fish.While we were traveling, the 50 gallon tank developed a leak and lost all its water.  When we arrived home, the only fish still living was the one we put in the separate 10 gallon tank. 

Not only did the fish survive, it has thrived despite me.   Basically, I only feed him, partially change the water once a month, and change the filter every few months.  I don't even use an aquarium heater because the basement stays between 66 and 72 degrees year round.   The fish has even survived three body scratches and a fungal infection in his eye.  In all the cases, I added aquarium salt for the infection, I made additional changes of water.

According to the Internet, our Electric Blue Johanni has a 12 year life span.  So we our fish should be with us a few more years.

For more on  Crossing Generations check back every Thursday for a new segment.


This is not financial or fish advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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