Introducing... My Darlings

The defining quote of this blog is "People with many interests live, not only longest, but happiest." (See above). Today, I share yet another of my interests with you... My babies.

Meet Maverick (black) and Goose (gold). Taking photos of fish is tricky business, so forgive the poor quality. Maverick and Goose refused to sit still and pose. It was probably the severity of the flash hitting their giant eyes, but whatever.

I bought Maverick for my little 1-gallon tank at school in March. Some dumb mistakes on my part killed Purl, who had been my faithful companion all fall, and Maverick was Purl's replacement. He was tiny when I purchased him. And my, how he's grown! With the help of the internet, my goldfish care skills have dramatically improved. I bought the 5-gallon tank this summer and rescued Goose a few weeks later. Now they are two of the happiest goldfish out there! Maverick is a Black Moor, one of the hardiest kinds of goldfish and - in my opinion - one of the most beautiful. Poor Goose was slowly dying in a pet store when I walked in one day, looking for telescope-eyes. I saved him from a potentially horrible fate. Within a few days his fins brightened and he was alive again! The two have become the best of pals and tend to follow each other around the tank. Don't let anyone tell you that fish don't have personalities. Maverick, especially, tends to be moody and shy. Goose is sort of dumb and adventurous. Since Goose entered the picture, however, Maverick's confidence has improved and I've even watched him explore their tiny cave (A note about the cave: it was specifically chosen to be small enough that they wouldn't attempt swimming into it, but that didn't stop either of them and I nearly lost it when Maverick swam in there. I'm convinced one of them will lose an eye that way. Don't laugh, it happens with telescope-eye goldfish!).

Some things you might not know about goldfish:

• Goldfish are completely capable of eating vegetables. Peas, cucumbers, lettuce!
• Goldfish are prone to overeating and constipation. So you have to be careful with the amount of food given to a goldfish.
• You can leave a goldfish for the weekend - don't worry about feeding him, he'll be fine. They're great pets for frequent travelers. (Or people who live in two cities at once...)
  
• If a Black Moor is exposed to warm water, his color will become more golden.
• Telescope-eye and bubble-eye goldfish are handicapped. They just don't see very well and tend to run into things. Care must be taken not to expose them to sharp decorations and to give them plenty of time to find food and eat.