In Memory of Bob, the Oranda

It was a year ago today that our goldfish, Bob, passed away.  He wasn’t one of those little “feeder goldfish” you see swimming around in a tiny fish bowl, but he was a very large, almost baseball-sized oranda.  He was completely orange, although we he first came to live with us I think he had some black markings, like a moustache.  I’m sure one of the reasons he grew so large was because he had an 80 gallon aquarium to himself.  We’d purchased a companion for him, but I guess the companion brought in some flukes, so about two weeks after the companion fish came to live here I woke up one morning and the companion fish was dead, and Bob was quite sick.  That was the beginning of a very amazing year and a half for me and Bob (so named because he would swim to the glass of the tank and it looked like he was saying “Bob” over and over again.  Or perhaps he was saying “Mom").  In any case, the day Bob died I wrote up a little story about our time together, and rather than try to rewrite it, I think I’ll just repost it.

September 14, 2004

Our goldfish, Bob, died this morning. He’d had a tumor on his head for quite some time, as well as other internal problems which started about 18 months ago. Every day since April 2003 I’d fed Bob by hand because he could no longer swim upright. I’d put a large net into the tank, he’d swim into it (sideways), and then he’d eat his goldfish pellets from my fingers. He liked it if I rubbed his belly or rubbed under his chin, too. He’d eat shrimp but only if I peeled them and removed the legs first—he was fussy about those things. He knew his name, and he’d get excited when he heard our voices when we got up in the morning. I tried to remove the tumor about two months ago but it was larger than I expected and it seemed to be growing internally as well; about a week ago he started to show signs that I suspected could be indicative of kidney failure. He seemed to die quite peacefully—the only strange behaviour he showed last night was that he didn’t want to eat.

So, I’m not necessarily posting for sympathy, but just to relate a little story about how personable fish can be. Bob was a pretty big fish (I needed two hands to lift him out of the aquarium this morning and he weighed about two pounds), but I think even smaller fish can have really noticeable personalities. I’ll miss him, but I’m glad he “went in his sleep” and that I didn’t have to euthanize him.

We now have no fish, but I think we’ll run and get a cheap plecostamus in the next day or so to help clean algae out the nooks and crannies in the tank. Then, in a month or so, we’ll see about getting a couple of new goldfish. I’ve always said that I didn’t want any more fish after Bob, but we love the little guys so much it doesn’t seem right to not have any. Also, I learned so much from Bob—how to tube feed, how to give injections, how to do minor surgery—it seems wasteful to just toss that all aside.

As I said, it’s now one year later, and while we do have the plecostamus, we never did buy another goldfish.  Nancy’s been enthused about it, but every time I see goldfish at the store I just see immense responsibility, and I still feel sad about Bob.  I got so attached to him.  As mentioned in the piece I quoted, with Bob I learned to give injections of antibiotics, I learned to tube feed him (that lasted about a month) to get him over the worst of the fluke infestation, and I ultimately did some minor surgery on his head to try to remove what I could of his ever-growing tumour.  I had the help of our vet, who was wonderfully supportive of me and took a lot of time discussing treatment options and getting me supplies.  I gave her a copy of Dr. Erik L. Johnson’s book, Fancy Goldfish : Complete Guide To Care And Collecting as a thank-you, because that book taught us both everything about antibiotic dosages, how to inject, how to anaesthetize, etc.

When my cat died last year, I didn’t think I wanted another cat, yet it just took a couple of weeks for me and Flippy to feel the emptiness and to know we’d start looking for one (yes, we were only looking for one, even if we ended up with four).  I certainly didn’t love Sweet Pea any less than I loved Bob, but I think I like the fact that with the cats, dogs, and birds, I can share responsibility for them with our vet.  If they’re sick, I can turn them over to her and say, “Fix it!”.  With fish, the responsibility is all mine, and I still don’t feel ready for it.

Bob was laid to rest last autumn under a ghost eucalyptus which we bought especially for him.  He was joined in the burial by the remains of two other fish, Bob #1, and Priscilla, who’d been in our freezer for literally years just waiting to be put some place special.  The tree is flourishing, and we do call it, “Bob’s tree”. 

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 09/13 at 09:10 PM

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  1. Bob was the most fabulous fish EVER.

    Posted by Flippy  on  09/13  at  10:19 PM

  2. Thanks for sharing your memories of Bob. 

    I have never owned a fish, but I don’t doubt that the do have personalities of their own and likes and dislikes.  He sounds like he was a wonderful companion and taught you a lot - not only about caring for a special needs fish, but about friendship as well.

    Posted by Expat  on  09/14  at  05:18 AM

  3. It is amazing how animals who seem so insignificant and non-descript can have the most amazing personalities!  They can really form amazing attatchments with the people who are lucky enough to know them.  What a great post in memory of a great fish.

    Posted by vetmommy  on  09/14  at  03:42 PM

  4. I lost my oranda today. Big Boy was with me for three years, along with his girlfriend, Lady Jane and Bubbles. He and Lady Jane were very attached to each other and this evening she will not eat. I hope I don’t lose her too.

    Posted by ellenann  on  09/27  at  02:03 PM

  5. Was Big Boy ill, and is there any chance Lady Jane could be infected with the same thing?  The only thing that ever killed my fish with no warning was a fluke infestation, and it’s easily treated with Droncit tablets (which I’m pretty sure you can buy at Petsmart).  Check out the Koivet board (http://www.koivet.com) for lots of great advice regarding fish health and disease.

    Sorry to hear about Big Boy, though—I hope Lady Jane will soon regain her appetite, and will one day be ready for another suitor.

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  09/27  at  03:27 PM
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