My three sons...errr...Fishes.

I'm not sure exactly when I actually took the small plunge and brought home Sal and the gang but I would guess it's been about a year. Happy homecoming fishes! :)

In the year since I've had them I've lost 3 for unknown reasons but if I would have to guess, it would be tank overcrowding. Goldfish need their space. They are, as I once read: eating, swimming and pooping machines.

I sure do enjoy taking care of the little guys. Everyday when I come home they actually greet me! Well, they greet anyone who is likely to feed them but greet me they do. They rush the feeding ring for a fast snack then settle down until late evening for their real supper.

Over this past year it's been interesting to me how their personalities, quirks and foibles have come emerged. Sal is the aggressor and he constantly bumps my chunky white and gold colored fish, Mimi. And for the most part, she allows Sal to get away with it. Oh, I should say that I really have no clue at all which fish are male and which are female because for some odd reason, they all just look the part.

Anyway, after their meals, they all do some rather odd swimming. Sal sucks up rocks looking for more food. One morning when I came into the room, I found 3 rocks stuck to the filter intake. It took a while to figure it out but every now and then, Sal will suck up a rock and spit it out on the filter intake which is located about 4 inches from the bottom of the tank. Why, who knows? Just Sal being quirky I guess. ;)

Lenny, the bubble headed goldfish is the smaller of the group. I'm thinking the reason for his small size is that he simply can't see the food and can't get to it fast enough before the others gobble it. He is however, getting better at food-finding. While Sal is sucking rocks, he just scours the area where the others refuse to go and finds the coveted morsels.

Mimi, the chunky little goldie has scared me to death because of her antics. She loves to play "dead" every now and then. Really! From time to time she will float upside down and barely wiggle her long flowing fins. Then, she suddenly snaps to life and swims upright again. It's a fish bladder issue but I think she has learned to do it whenever she feels like...now I know why I have a couple of gray hairs added to my collection.

I have enjoyed keeping these fish over the past year and I totally recommend it. They don't require an excessive amount of work and they can be very soothing just watching them swimming around the tank. And despite what my older, goofy friend Derick has to say about goldfish...(trust me, you don't want to know!) they are well worth the effort and the rewards are are felt everyday around feeding time. Enjoy!