Gone To The Fishes

There was no time to visit the puppies on Saturday, as it was our local aquarium society auction - I guess "aquarium society" sounds better than "fish club" (which makes me think of someone hitting someone else over the head with a frozen carp!). Fish are my other expensive and time-consuming hobby. No, obsession is probably a better word! And like showing & breeding dogs, fish sales help keep my hobby afloat. And again like dogs, there is no way you ever even begin to break even, but it is part of the fun. My fancy hi fin swords and platies are bred to a standard, just as we breed dogs. It's not just a case of putting two fish together - just as we do not let our dogs pick their own mates! Most of the other fish get to pick and choose, although we only breed from healthy, well-formed fish.

Most aquarium societies have regular auctions, where the general public and fellow fishkeepers can add to their collections by purchasing locally raised healthy young fish. Unlike with dogs, fish auctions are socially acceptable. There are puppy auctions in other parts of the country, but those are an abomination, with commercial breeders buying and selling substandard, unsocialized, poorly cared for "breeding stock". UGH! Dogs are NOT livestock!

So I set off to the auction with a variety of young fish to sell. Peacock Gudgeons, Desert Gobies, Koi Swordtails, Sawfin Goodeids, Sailfin Mollies, Crescent Goodeids, Paradise fish. Nope, not your average petshop fish. We don't actually call them by their common names, but more often by their scientific names. I've learned a lot of latin since I got seriously involved in fish! I also had two large tanks to sell off, as I was not using them.

Auctions are social events, with friends from all over the area showing up to buy and sell. Some of the sellers have fabulous fish rooms with automatic water changing systems - a big timesaver. Others of us just have a lot of tanks! I've long since outgrown my fishroom - it wasn't large enough for 46 tanks! The fish sold well, especially the first bag of Peacock Gudgeons, beautiful peaceful small pink & blue striped fish with gold edged fins. I've been very successful with them, and they have helped financially quite a lot. They sell for $19.95 apiece around here, if you can find them, so people were pleased to bid on a bag of 5 young fish.

We also do a lot of bartering, so I swapped a breeding group of Sawfin Goodeids (they spent the summer in my pond and produced MANY offspring) for a group of gorgeous Characodon lateralis "Los Berros" - one of the many fish with no common name, and the location where they are found is an important part of their identity. And I purchased 4 bags of fish and 2 of plants - gotta keep those tanks filled up. Part of the fun is in breeding new and usual kinds of fish. Because many fish are extinct (like the tequilas) or endangered in the wild, it's hobbyists who must maintain the populations. Also purchased two small tanks and picked up a large one I had previously purchased. I'll need them someday!

Got home late and spent the evening acclimating fish, with time out to go to dinner with Ron and go for a walk with Argus - they were both feeling neglected.

Today I get to see the puppies, and take some new pictures. See you tomorrow!