About

My name is Preston Surface and I really enjoy raising my five goldfish. I am going to try to raise them and share all I learn about them to my viewers. I’ve read several different articles about how these fish can live from 5 to 30 years of age.

I am in my mid fifties and coming upon retirement age. My wife and I have become avid photographers over the last few years as a hobby. Also over the last year or so I’ve been raising goldfish, but am very much a novice as of this writing. I plan on combining my hobby of photography along with my growing fascination of goldfish with this blog, Fancy Goldfish and Friends. The friends will be occasional posts of my dogs and cats.

I’m going to estimate starting dates for all my fish so I will have a base to go on.

Fish

In December of 2008 I purchased a ten gallon aquarium from Walmart to set by my computer. I tossed in some Guppies and a Balloon Molly after letting my tank filter it’s water for about a week. The Guppies died within a few days and the Balloon Molly kept on kicking. The Molly impressed me so I went and got another to toss in the tank along with a few neons. However in a few weeks all had died. My little tank eventually cycled through all this death and then I got Fish, my Ryukin goldfish in January of 2009.

I had Fish for nearly half a year before he fell ill.  Thinking back I believe he may have swallowed some of the fine gravel I had in the tank blocking his intestines.  All I knew he seemed to quit eating, had lost his appetite.  At the time I thought maybe he was lonely and needed a friend. So I head down to the pet store and purchase a redcap oranda veiltail fish and placed into Fish’s tank so he could have a buddy, someone to give him a little more spirit and little more mojo.

Mojo (Mojoanna)

Mojo, we now tend to think Mojoanna because the fish is so kind and caring to all the other fish. It is hard for me to believe a male could be so kind. Anyways, Mojo was introduced to be a buddy for Fish and Mojo made a fine buddy. Fish picked up and did well for quite some time. Then one morning I found Fish floating belly up in the tank. I had actually grown quite attached to this fish. Fish was in a tank right beside my computer and was great company for me. I buried Fish outside where I was putting up some new fencing. Right near where he was buried I had planted some bushes. Those bushes must have grown three or more feet since. Fish kept on giving….

Mojo settled in and claimed the tank and was doing quite well for some time. However I figured he might want a pal so I went to the pet store and found a Dragon Eye and placed him into the tank with Mojo. (I should have quarantined Bubbles prior to putting him into the tank with Mojo. This was a lesson I learned a bit later).

(Update:  Mojo died on 15 November 2010 a Monday night.  He was nearly 2 years old and had grown into such a lovely fish.  Not completely sure why he died.  I tend to think  I may have fed him too much, but actually a number of things such as genetics and all could be in play as well.  I had hoped this fish would live for 10 years or more. Here is a tribute I had wrote for Mojo.)

Bubbles

Mojo and Bubbles got along famously.  I had named Fish and Mojo, my wife Anna named all the others.  I tried coming up with names but Anna had a way of matching the name with the personality of the fish.  Bubbles worked great for this fish.  Bubbles was just a little guy and he and Mojo swam and played together for several weeks when I started to get an urge to get another goldfish.  Mojo and Bubbles were living in a 20 gallon tank and a third fish seemed a bit much but I went for it.  I had and have so much to learn about goldfish.

Sun

Because of his bright golden color, Anna named this Oranda Goldfish Sun. Sun shines, glimmers, and sparkles bringing light to all those around him. We quickly fell in love with this little guy only to have to watch him suffer from my ignorance of cycling the water in the new 55 gallon aquarium I later acquired.

I knew a 20 gallon tank was much too small for these three fish so it was time to upgrade.  I set up a 55 gallon tank, put the water from the 20 gallon into it and filled it up the rest of the way with tap water.  I figured this would do just fine.  Quickly I acquired three more goldfish.

Lil’ Fish

I got Lil’ Fish in memory of Fish. Both Fish and Lil’ Fish were Ryukins. Lil’ Fish lived just a few weeks before the deadly water I put him in took his life. I buried him next to Fish.

Unfortunately I also acquired my gray Oranda, Wabi-Sabi. Wabi-Sabi is such a peaceful fish, Anna could not have given him a better name.  Wabi suffered with all the others in the un-cycled tank and survived.  Later Wabi was going to make a surprising transformation.

Wabi-Sabi

Then came Barri, my little Lion Head Goldfish. Barri would quickly swim around the tank making sharp turns and so forth. He looked like a little barracuda when he did that. When the water in the tank started turning sour, little Barri did not swim so quickly. Anna snatched little Barrie from my tank and put him in her little 10 gallon community tank to save his life.

Barri

The main purpose of this blog will be to record the entire life span of these five fish: Mojo-anna, Bubbles, Sun, Wabi Sabi, and Barrie. I intend to provide written experience along with photos and video. This is going to be a total learning experience for me. Your welcome to come along for the ride.