I once had a Goldfish

Well, over my childhood I had several goldfish - as you do - but this was a Special goldfish, and I was a grown-up.

My then father-in-law took my then young son to a travelling fair, and came back with a small goldfish in bag as a prize (I'm not sure that this is allowed these days). Well, I kitted it up with a tank etc, and as the fish had white fins and tail, my son with devastating originality named him Whitey.

For some years, Whitey was another of Mum's chores and a boring one at that. One Christmas when all the family were gathered and needed looking after and the room grew hot, I was nearly relieved of the burden of Whitey when I found him floating belly-up in his tank. I put him into some fresh cold water and he came back from the dead, dammit.

But not long after this Whitey changed - his white fins and tail grew longer and longer, and more and more like the finest silk gossamer, and soon this little slim golden fish was a vision of beauty with white fins and tails wafting around him like the most glamorous bride. I was captivated by him.

One day I returned home from work, to be greeted as usual by my lovely Dobermann Rio. Hang on, what's that bit of carrot doing in the middle of the living room floor? I went to pick it up - it was Whitey! Dead as a hammer with a canine-tooth-shaped hole neatly through his body.

I cried like a baby.

Aww no, poor Whitey! And poor you!

Awww, noooooo!  

Naughty Rio - I hope she was suitably embarrassed!

I've got over it now, thank you (muffled sob)

I don't think Rio realised what she had done - she never knowingly hurt man or beast.

I'd love to have another fish like Whitey, if only I knew what the heck he was (and I'd put a lid on the tank this time!)

I know next nothing about fish! We had a couple of goldfish when I was quite young, but as to what variety they were...no idea!!

Sounds like it could be a Veiltail goldfish




Do they look anything like Whitey?

They're lovely fish Eleanor and thank you, but no they're not a patch on Whitey.

He was gold like the second one but not fat. His fins and tail were white like the first fish (without the spots) but even more profuse than the second fish.

I think he was a freak; a one-off.

They come in all sorts though - some fat, some thin, some gold, some white.

What about this one (ignore the orange fins)?



It's possible that he was just a very special fishy

I think he was a very special fishy Eleanor!

Bless him!

Yeah, well, whadya know.

He was gorgeous to look at but gave nothing back in the way of affection (well he was only a fish after all!)

He was a very pretty one-off.

Has anyone else had or still got special fish?

They make up for it with their pretty, shiny colours!

I've never had a fish myself, but there was a Giant Gourami on my course that I got very attached to. Her name was Rover and she was trained - she'd follow your hand around. I also taught her to, when you waggled your fingers, do a big 'nom nom nom' movement with her mouth and attempt to 'eat' your hand. She died when she was about 30/40 years old. I actually cried when it happened

I'm afraid that although I had goldfish when I was a child, they were just, well, goldfish to me.  

Awwwwwwwww whitey!! I love those little goldfishies. I got one from the school fete that i appropriately named Splash, because he kept jumping out of the bowl. He was like a dolphin! I would frequently find him on the floor just sitting waiting to get picked up. I had Splash for a good 10+ years!

Aww, bless!

LyndaW wrote:Yeah, well, whadya know.  

He was gorgeous to look at but gave nothing back in the way of affection (well he was only a fish after all!)

He was a very pretty one-off.

Has anyone else had or still got special fish?

NAUGHTY RIO!
&poor mum. But you knew it was going to be your job as they arrived home!  

I had one (it had no name). I had it (going to say 7yrs). Motley colours. Gold & black flecks. Only?? 4cm? Nothing flash, just a goldfish. Came home one day to find the tank water WHITE, everyone was dead! He? Had numerous friends for yrs. He was gasping... right... plastic cont with tap water quickly.

He made it!!! No one else did. He got another original name. Lucky Luke. We had him for 3 yrs after that & the damn fish has a burial site in my yard! He was a top fish, soon as I turned on the aquarium light he'd rush to the surface... tuckers up!!!

Gotta say... he was a cutie!

I currently have 10. Suppose I should add them to my avatar. 

Oh oh oh! I forgot to mention "mr fred"! Named after my dads turtle. He was a browny, shimmery gold. I was???.... tiny. 4?5?

I can still see him vividly today. Long, sleek, a skinny fish. Mum said he went to see his friends a long way from us....it would be after santa that he would come back. THAT LONG? It must be far to his friends...
Poor little bugger passed as I wanted to take him out to pat him too often.
I didnt realise he needed constant water   

RIP Whitey.

I had a red Siamese fighter male and 2 comets that I won at a fair. He would eat out of your hand and loved to have his head stroked - although you shouldn't touch them. I then got a Black Moore and even after all the quarantine procedures it gave my original 3 a virus. They died one after the other. I also cried and buried them one by one. The Fighter was last to go. It was terrible. I'd had them for 6 years. They used to travel in jam jars on the bus with me when I went home from Uni. They even mostly froze of the cold a time or 2.
I detested the murderer so moved the tank to our shop.
Got Murderer 2 friends and after a few months the Municipality changed something in our tap water and after a tank water change they all died.
The Pet shops in MosselBay all lost loads of fish over that time.
I stopped drinking tap water round about then.

Fish can make surprisingly good companions!

I love to see all the different fishes in properly run aquaria. But nothing beats the many happy hours I spent when I was younger and fitter snorkelling around the coasts of Spain, Greece and Jamaica seeing them in their natural habitat.