I'm not sure why this feels related, but it does, so I'm going to claim freedom of blogspression. I gave away my fish, Miles, yesterday. He was named after the great jazz musician, as he came into my world shortly after Davis died. I've had him for about seventeen years. At various times in my life I've felt an almost mystical connection with him. As he would thrive, so would I, and vice versa.
Back in my early twenties, I really enjoyed having a fish tank. The cool glow of an illuminated tank always added a special quality to any room. Plus, still learning how to handle testosterone, I enjoyed having "arena tank" where you'd feed smaller live fish to larger ones and have all your friends come and watch. I also enjoyed the balancing act of filtration, plants and diverse species. At one point I had a Jack Dempsey, pleco, crayfish, and my catfish, Miles all in the same tank. Everybody had a job to do.
Miles is a pretty cool fish. We're not sure precisely what kind he is, but likely candidates are Synodontis Decorus or Shoutedeni. A problem with aquarium fish breeds is that cross breeding has been rampant and it's very difficult now to pin down specifics.
I remember bringing him home. One aspect of fish I've always enjoyed was their particular dexterity in three dimensional movement. Some fish lumber, others dart, and some have amazing kung fu like control over their position and velocity. Similarly, you can see how it's accomplished by their fin arrangement and thrust vectoring. Miles always reminded me of some kind of space battleship. I know that sounds wierd. But his primary three fin arrangement was pretty much at right angles, a bit different than most fish. He could stop on a dime, or rotate to any vector of his chosing. He also had a beautiful grey and black spotted color with obviously thick, tough skin.
Unlike some other fish I've owned, he was never aggressive (until he got old and grumpy). He was, however, tough and rarely intimdated by fish much larger than he was. All my other fish died for one reason or another. Eventually, it was just Miles. That's why he was the only one to survive and make it all the way down here to VA with me. I always had tremendous respect for his tenacity and vowed constantly to try and give him a happy, long life.
Over the last few years, however, his lonely situation in a somewhat algae ridden tank began to bother me. It felt wrong to keep a creature who could basically fly in his environment locked up in what was basically a tiny cell. Plants have been hard to keep. New fish are too small and he often didn't tolerate sharing his world. So I came to the conclusion a few months back that I need to either a) set him free or b) find him a good home. Research on a) didn't go very far and I don't see how an animal that has spent 99% of its life in captivity can survive well in the wild.
So I started putting up ads for b) a while back with mixed results, that is until this past weekend. A lovely woman who knows more about Synodontis catfish than I've ever heard about replied to a post. She has a 155 gallon tank with lots of other "like minded" fish. For reference, my tank is a 28 gallon. So I said my goodbyes and helped her get him into a bucket for rapid transport home. It seems as though he's doing well. Here's a snippet of an email:
"You're obviously an "anxious parent" so I'll do my best to keep you informed. I did about a forty minute drip into the bucket, and put our boy (girl?) into the tank. He sat in a corner for about five minutes, then started exploring. Kind of odd, and I've seen it before; they only go about as far as the footprint of the tank they were in last. Not quite the "Born Free" moment I'd been hoping for, but he finally decided to check out the other end of the tank, and found people just like him! He's eating well, cruising the length of the tank upside down and right side up , and basically doing nicely."
EDIT: update the day after...
"He's doing great! Dorsal is up; he's all over the tank, and eating like a pig. Life is good."
I'll post a pic of him in his new home when I get one from his new owner.
To some, this whole ordeal may sound insane. I mean, it's a fish. But I'd reply to all of them by saying that it's actually about respect for any and all living things, especially ones that can fly.
Back in my early twenties, I really enjoyed having a fish tank. The cool glow of an illuminated tank always added a special quality to any room. Plus, still learning how to handle testosterone, I enjoyed having "arena tank" where you'd feed smaller live fish to larger ones and have all your friends come and watch. I also enjoyed the balancing act of filtration, plants and diverse species. At one point I had a Jack Dempsey, pleco, crayfish, and my catfish, Miles all in the same tank. Everybody had a job to do.
Miles is a pretty cool fish. We're not sure precisely what kind he is, but likely candidates are Synodontis Decorus or Shoutedeni. A problem with aquarium fish breeds is that cross breeding has been rampant and it's very difficult now to pin down specifics.
I remember bringing him home. One aspect of fish I've always enjoyed was their particular dexterity in three dimensional movement. Some fish lumber, others dart, and some have amazing kung fu like control over their position and velocity. Similarly, you can see how it's accomplished by their fin arrangement and thrust vectoring. Miles always reminded me of some kind of space battleship. I know that sounds wierd. But his primary three fin arrangement was pretty much at right angles, a bit different than most fish. He could stop on a dime, or rotate to any vector of his chosing. He also had a beautiful grey and black spotted color with obviously thick, tough skin.
Unlike some other fish I've owned, he was never aggressive (until he got old and grumpy). He was, however, tough and rarely intimdated by fish much larger than he was. All my other fish died for one reason or another. Eventually, it was just Miles. That's why he was the only one to survive and make it all the way down here to VA with me. I always had tremendous respect for his tenacity and vowed constantly to try and give him a happy, long life.
Over the last few years, however, his lonely situation in a somewhat algae ridden tank began to bother me. It felt wrong to keep a creature who could basically fly in his environment locked up in what was basically a tiny cell. Plants have been hard to keep. New fish are too small and he often didn't tolerate sharing his world. So I came to the conclusion a few months back that I need to either a) set him free or b) find him a good home. Research on a) didn't go very far and I don't see how an animal that has spent 99% of its life in captivity can survive well in the wild.
So I started putting up ads for b) a while back with mixed results, that is until this past weekend. A lovely woman who knows more about Synodontis catfish than I've ever heard about replied to a post. She has a 155 gallon tank with lots of other "like minded" fish. For reference, my tank is a 28 gallon. So I said my goodbyes and helped her get him into a bucket for rapid transport home. It seems as though he's doing well. Here's a snippet of an email:
"You're obviously an "anxious parent" so I'll do my best to keep you informed. I did about a forty minute drip into the bucket, and put our boy (girl?) into the tank. He sat in a corner for about five minutes, then started exploring. Kind of odd, and I've seen it before; they only go about as far as the footprint of the tank they were in last. Not quite the "Born Free" moment I'd been hoping for, but he finally decided to check out the other end of the tank, and found people just like him! He's eating well, cruising the length of the tank upside down and right side up , and basically doing nicely."
EDIT: update the day after...
"He's doing great! Dorsal is up; he's all over the tank, and eating like a pig. Life is good."
I'll post a pic of him in his new home when I get one from his new owner.
To some, this whole ordeal may sound insane. I mean, it's a fish. But I'd reply to all of them by saying that it's actually about respect for any and all living things, especially ones that can fly.
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