Blood is thicker than water: for a goldfish

Goldfish have feelings

This time, I deviate from the usual genetic theme of my goldfish blogs.

Instead, my focus in this post is to document a goldfish experience that I could never forget.

Back in the early 1990s (around 1991-1992), one of my linear scale comet goldfish jumped out of my fish tank and landed on the lounge room floor. It was not discovered for quite some time.

By the time it was found, it was quite 'dried'. The eye which was against the floor kind of stuck to the floor, and although I was able to remove it, the cornea was damaged and my Linear goldfish survived the ordeal afterwards with a blinded eye.

The thing that left a lasting impact on me from this was when I returned this Linear scaled goldfish back into the tank was one of its tank-mate, a part-red and white comet swam close by it and kept circling it. The Linear was pretty exhausted from the near death ordeal, and was lying flat on one side grasping. The part-red and white comet swam around the Linear scale goldfish, and on many occasions, tried to use its head to help the Linear scale goldfish to balance 'upright'. It repeatedly used its head to nudge the Linear scale and did that for quite some time to try helping the other fish to balance upright.

None of the other goldfish in the same tank did anything at all, they all ignored the Linear scale goldfish.

The Linear scale goldfish eventually recovered its strength and was able to balance itself upright, then the part-red and white comet swam away. My linear scale goldfish survived the 'out of tank' experience and lived for about a year longer.

When it got sick again later and died in the tank, the part-red and white goldfish did not pay any attention to the Linear scale goldfish, as it once did.

However, what the part-red and white comet did on that particular day when the Linear scaled goldfish jumped out of the tank was purposeful and was deliberate. To me, it's only purpose was trying to help the Linear scale goldfish.

It was something that I witnessed and which I could never forget. I can only think that goldfish have feelings too and at least in that instance, I saw one goldfish trying to help another when it was sick.

Blood is therefore thicker than water for a goldfish too...

© Bill L 6 June 2009