Something’s fishy

Since  inheriting the garden pond from the previous owners more than a year ago, we were under the impression that there was only a bright orange goldfish in it.

It is very shy and likes to hide between the thick water weeds. Sometimes we don’t get to see it for days and it only eats when nobody is watching. We named it Wally because you always had to stand at the edge of the pond and look all over, wondering Where’s Wally?! If it was your lucky day, you’d get to spot a splash of orange.

A few weeks ago, I went to feed Wally and to my astonishment, I realised there is another fish in the pond. It is also a goldfish but it’s black with white patches and a ginger top! I can’t believe it took us so long to discover Wally isn’t alone. We’ve even come very close to getting another goldfish to keep him company. Anyway, due to its elusive nature, I have named the new fish Phantom.

These days, it’s freezing cold and as I approached the pond yesterday, I noticed that the fishes were not moving. That caused me to panic big time as I thought they were dead. I changed the water in an attempt to revive them. As I did that, they did swim around but in a very slow and clumsy way.

While the pond was filling up with water from the hose, I dashed indoors to google ‘limp fish in winter’, and realised that they could be hibernating. During the winter months, there is no need to feed them as they will minimise their food intake and swimming activity in order to conserve energy. Also, feeding them could result in ammonia buildup in their system and their environment which could be deadly.

This morning, I first thing I did when I woke up was to open the back door and walk to the pond in my pyjamas. The ground was covered in frost and the temperature is barely above freezing. The surface of the pond was frozen and I didn’t notice any fish activity. Hopefully, they are resting at the bottom of it and not dead!

Oh I’m such a worrier I think I shouldn’t be allowed to have pets or babies.