h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My daughter Iz was on a three-week residential photography and multimedia course over the summer, with other like-minded teenagers. On the day she finished up, I took some time on my way to work to meet her teacher, then I collected all her stuff, including suitcases, clothes, ukulele etc.

As we were leaving her room, she said "Oh there's one other thing" and produced a fish in a transparent plastic bag full of water. One of the other students foolishly bought him but had no way of bringing him home as she lives in West Cork, a good day's journey away. Iz agreed to find a home for him.

I had to drive to work, put my car in the work car park (which I hadn't been in since the same time last year) and then fill up the fish's bowl with water and transfer him from the bag to the bowl. (He couldn't stay in the bag because he was only supposed to be in it for three hours and I wasn't going home until much later).

When going home, I had to put him back in the bag.

At home, we transferred him once again into the bowl.

Next morning we found that there was a crack in the bowl, so we had to buy a replacement.

Then daughter El started researching goldfish, and announced that the bowl was far too small and that he wasn't getting enough oxygen. We had to get a bigger tank. Mrs G's brother had an old aquarium with a broken pump which he no longer used. So we took this, I fixed the pump and the little fish is now swimming in a giant 90-litre aquarium. He looks very happy.

Aha, a familiar story. The followed you home, could you keep him?

Just hope he IS a goldfish. Occasionally, they're golden orfes - which can grow rather large.

Or a Koi Carp. Now imagine the aquarium you'd need for a 3' one of those!



Have fun!

MMF

Does the tank have a lid? Or your will go fishing...

We haven't got a cat so there's no problem there; just 3 guinea pigs and a tortoise.

I wonder why I thought you had a

I had a cat, but he died back in the 90s.

Didn't you keep the receipt?

You could put the tank in the garden and let the fox adopt it.

You guys are so mean!

Nature: red in tooth and claw and all that.

Unless you're a mollusc - they have blue blood.

Especially this one. http://imgace.com/pic/tag/blue-dragon-mollusk/

Red in tooth and claw. The goldfish gradually was turning red over the last couple of weeks. He died on Saturday night. We think he must have had a fungal infection since the time we got him, as he never seemed to have enough oxygen and was constantly gulping air from the surface, or surfing in the jet of water from the filter which would have more oxygen in it.

My brother-in-law, who gave us the tank, later arrived with a fish to go it. So for a while we had two goldfish. Now we're down to one, but he looks very healthy.

So Mrs G is thinking of buying a few more.

How about a multi-storey carp ark?

I'm sorry for your loss. But good luck with the fish tank.

Thanks, R and Dmitri.

Yes, the carp ark idea is good.