Do Fish Have 9 Lives?

[kmp1191]

For the 2nd time, the Goldfish has jumped out of his bowl!!

We had 2, and one jumped out after a few months, and I didn't find him until it was too late. Now then, a few weeks later, the other fish jumps out. I got up one morning and the dog was sniffing something on the floor. It was the fish. I bent over to pick it up and it was still..."somewhat" alive. I put it back in the bowl, and after a few taps on the side, it started swimming again.....somewhat sideways...but it did survive.
Now then, the stupid thing did it again last night!! I walked past the bowl and looked in and it was empty! UH OH!! I saw water on the top of the table and followed the trail.....sure enough...there he was...on the floor AGAIN!! I picked him up and tossed him in the water....and yep...there he goes, sideways swimming!!! I tried telling him that if he keeps jumping out of the water, one of these days I'm not gonna find him in time and he won't be sideways swimming....he'll be upside down floating! He just looked at me like I was crazy...I guess he thinks he's invincible!!

Anyone want an invincible, sideways swimming fish with 9 lives? He's down to 7 now though!

 

[freckles and boo]

When we built a small pond this summer my kids insisted on getting fish. I bought two 4" long, $5 goldfish. One didn't survive a critter attack (a raccoon or an oppossum) but the other appears to be indestructable. It is now about 9" long and has been "pet" by many children because it is too dumb to swim away. The guy at the garden center said that it if flopped out it could probably survive for quite a while. And it is very, very pretty. I hope it survives the winter.

 

[Cindy B]

We had a fish that survived everything. This fish cheated death about 7 times. I wound up renaming the fish Rasputin because of his ability to never die!

 

[disneygirl_wdw]

We got a goldfish from my brother-in-law. We found this fish in mucky water covered with algae, the tank hadn't been cleaned for months. The water heater ended up giving out turning the water temp close to boiling, he thought after that all the fish were dead and stopped the filtration and feeding them. 2-3 months later my husband was cleaning out his place to move and saw something swimming, a fish had survived. We brought it home and cleaned the tank. 1 month later I was out of town and my husband had to clean the tank, which I told him not to. I would clean it when I got home. Anyway he forgot to decholrinate the water and the fish had died that night. I had a feeling something like that would happen. The fish survived all that, but couldn't survive my husband.

 

[Disney Doll]

When we built a small pond this summer my kids insisted on getting fish. I bought two 4" long, $5 goldfish. One didn't survive a critter attack (a raccoon or an oppossum) but the other appears to be indestructable. It is now about 9" long and has been "pet" by many children because it is too dumb to swim away. The guy at the garden center said that it if flopped out it could probably survive for quite a while. And it is very, very pretty. I hope it survives the winter.

My neighbor had one of those ponds and there is stuff you have to do so they survive the winter. First off, the pond has to be deep enough for them to get down lower into the ground, where it will be warmer, believe it or not. Most better garden stores have info as to how "winter over" those outdoor fish.

 

[JimmyPicker]

Fish don't have 9 lives. Or at least, not the fish that I have. I have a saltwater aquarium, and those fish can be really hard to maintain.

Thankfully, though, all my fish seem to be doing fine now. I wanted to just get a beta fish or something for the kids, but no. My husband came home with a 75 gallon tank instead!

 

[nataliela]

Fish don't have 9 lives. Or at least, not the fish that I have. I have a saltwater aquarium, and those fish can be really hard to maintain.

Thankfully, though, all my fish seem to be doing fine now. I wanted to just get a beta fish or something for the kids, but no. My husband came home with a 75 gallon tank instead!

wow- BIG difference from beta to salt water!!!

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

That's so creepy!
One of my angelfish survived a -- something -- that affected its swim bladder for a few days. It was fine after that and lived for a total of four years.

I think it killed all my guppies, come to think of it.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

DS has a fish like that.

About 6 years ago my mom got a goldfish at the State Fair. It lived in a plastic pitcher on top of her kitchen counter. She was going out of town and asked DS if he would take care of the fish while she was gone. OK, fine. When she got back she told DS he could keep the fish.

We have now had that fish for about 4 years. One night a LONG time ago he flipped out of the bowl. DS heard some strange noises and found the fish on the shelf next to the bowl. He tossed the fish back into the water, and the fish is fine. We do keep a washcloth over the top of the bowl now, held in place with a rubber band. The fishbowl is just that - a glass fishbowl full of water. No rocks, no plants, no filter, just de-chlorinated water.

Our pet sitter is always astounded when she hears that fish is STILL alive. She takes care of our cats and the fish when we go to WDW. She asked me once if I wanted her to get a replacement in case he goes belly-up while we are gone, but this fish only has one eye so DS would know if there was an imposter in the bowl.

 

[kmp1191]

DS has a fish like that.

About 6 years ago my mom got a goldfish at the State Fair. It lived in a plastic pitcher on top of her kitchen counter. She was going out of town and asked DS if he would take care of the fish while she was gone. OK, fine. When she got back she told DS he could keep the fish.

We have now had that fish for about 4 years. One night a LONG time ago he flipped out of the bowl. DS heard some strange noises and found the fish on the shelf next to the bowl. He tossed the fish back into the water, and the fish is fine. We do keep a washcloth over the top of the bowl now, held in place with a rubber band. The fishbowl is just that - a glass fishbowl full of water. No rocks, no plants, no filter, just de-chlorinated water.

Our pet sitter is always astounded when she hears that fish is STILL alive. She takes care of our cats and the fish when we go to WDW. She asked me once if I wanted her to get a replacement in case he goes belly-up while we are gone, but this fish only has one eye so DS would know if there was an imposter in the bowl.

Yeah....I think it would be hard to replace a one-eyed fish!!

The fish is in a bowl w/ some glass rocks and 1 plastic plant. All the basic necessities. Anyway, he is a school carnival fish that DD won back in February. DS said we needed to put a towel over the bowl, but then said "No...that would suffocate him!"

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Yeah....I think it would be hard to replace a one-eyed fish!!

The fish is in a bowl w/ some glass rocks and 1 plastic plant. All the basic necessities. Anyway, he is a school carnival fish that DD won back in February. DS said we needed to put a towel over the bowl, but then said "No...that would suffocate him!"

Tell him our fish hasn't suffocated yet, and the washcloth has been over the top of the bowl for at least 3 years now.