Aquarium Fish Stories

One of the bright points of my day is reading comments submitted by readers about their fish. They range from controversial to touching to the downright hilarious. Here are a few that caught my eye. Do you have a fish story to share?

Hot Dog Fish
"I posted awhile back w/the title"cheek bugger" I tried w/ the 135 gal. cichlid tank but he was too much of a hellion for the other residents. After much chasing about, I managed to catch him(or rather he caught himself by leaping out of the tank like a missile) He moved into the 125 gal oscar tank. He ignores the oscars & vice versa. However, one longtime resident is a rather stout convict cichlid coming in at 5+ inches. It was great fun watching them go round and round. But alas ( a month or so) the convict lost & was missing eyes & fins in the morning.One day I ran out of food 4 the oscars and fed them sliced Oscar Mayer wiener(no pun intended) they begrudgingly accepted it however the leporinus finds this absolutely delightful.For a treat he gets a half inch portion which he move like lightning to get before the oscars know it hit the water and zips to the corner to eat it in peace. Now when guests come over, they wish to see the "hotdog fish" in action."

Loach Ness Monster
"I have a 75gal dedicated to loaches and botias w/ the exception of 2 angelfish and 4 barbs. The kuhlis swim in circles in the bubble curtain and my gold dojos drape themselves over the wand. But get this..I have a HUGE olive drab colored dojo and while I was watching him, he started acting like a cat coughing up a hairball. I became concerned and then four large bubbles erupted from his rear. He FARTED!!! I couldn't believe it and had the best laugh of the week. I just love loaches and they're fun to watch.

Glowfish Controversy
"I think today I'll paint myself fluorescent green and go to the mall shopping. Now how silly would I look? Or maybe a white toy poodle would look better bright orange? Give me a break."

Hypocritical Nonsense
"So keeping a Betta in a vase is like keeping a human in a closet? Well then keeping a Betta in a 10 gallon tank with a filter and a heater is like keeping a human in a small bedroom with a ceiling fan and air conditioning. How inhumane is inhumane, after all? I'm sure the Betta would like to be returned to their native paddies and schools and eat home cooked bloodworms, just like our metaphorical person would like to be released from their small bedroom and returned to their family and friends. Adding cool amenities to your captive livestock outfit doesn't make it less inhumane... it just keeps your prisoner alive longer and more comfortably."

An Autistic Child Loves Them
"An autistic child loves them I was cruising a local fish store and came across these glo fish. I feel strongly against the painted and tattooed and actually prefer the natural coloring of fish. But when I saw another person looking at them I asked what she thought and her answer made me think - there is a place for these fish. These fish are beautiful in there own right and do not know how they became to glo as they do. They now exist good or bad to give us pleasure and to enjoy lives in our aquariums as well as for science. This person has an autistic son who she states is calmed by watching these glo fish in a tank by his bed and they help him go to sleep. Something he had difficulty with before. Please put your focus on banning those fish tattooed and painted as well as the practice of selling baby future monster fish to the unsuspecting. Now that is unethical - to the person and to the monster fish."

Oldest Fish
"I've had my kisser fish for about 8 years now. He has not shown any signs of aging. Originally, I had 2 other fish in addition to the kisser fish. He ate both of them with no remorse.I literally take no care of him. He likes harmonica though. God bless."