OUR FISH POND

 OUR FISH POND

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

 

28/IX/2022

 

            Aquariums have been fascinating me since childhood. At my Grandad’s place, there were many aquariums with different kinds of fish. One could watch them frolicking all day long. How hard we tried but we could never count fish. They swam so fast and mixed with the others.

 

            We could sit and watch bubbles emerging out of a clay fisherman kept at the bottom of the fish tank with a pipe fitted at the wrong place. A frog too would open its mouth to croak and out would come a bubble of air. Watching the fish feeding frenzy was an amazing site.

 

            They also had an outdoor tank full of the most colourful fish one had ever seen. What types were they, one doesn’t remember. The only thing that one can recollect is that some were black, some orange, some spotted, some with funny faces, some with fluffy fins, bigger than their bodies, some kept chasing each other playing fishy games. Hide and seek was their favourite in the weeds filled pond.

 

One yearned to have an aquarium one day. That thought turned into reality. Though it is not a typical aquarium but a make-shift one. Nevertheless!

 

We made use of our discarded bathtub and kept it on the roof. We planted ‘water lilies’ in the soil-manure mix and topped it up with water. Soon algae and mosquito larvae began swarming inside it. The only way to keep mosquitoes from breeding in the tub was to add fish. This is how the whole thing started.

 

Once the water lilies had established themselves and leaves started floating on the surface of water, it was time to make the tub more fish friendly. Stones picked up from an under-construction house which were placed strategically to give fish hiding places. Other ‘aquatic plants’ were introduced thereafter. Things were taking shape.

 

Molly and Guppy fish were best to eliminate mosquito larvae as suggested by the shop owner. Ten pairs of fish, a fish net and fish feed were picked up. A solar powered fountain which we already had could now be put to better use to aerate the water. It floats freely on the water surface, with water jets from its fountainhead shooting up to two feet high which keeps the water oxygenated.

 

Five pairs of fish were kept in a fish bowl indoors, just in case the tub water didn’t suit them. From clear waters of an aquarium shop, to murky waters, could be a shock for the fish, was my apprehension. The heat too was a cause of worry.

 

My excitement made me rise well before dawn the next day. The ones in the bowl were fine. I sprinkled ‘flake food’ and went for a walk. To see the fish agile and playful was very consoling. So far so good. Ones in the bathtub were yet to be inspected. I waited for the sun to come up.

 

After my walk, I went to the roof and saw only a few of them on the surface. Where are the rest? This thought gave me a creepy feeling. My shadow had alerted them and made them dive deep. Like an old hand at fishing, one stood absolutely still.  Soon, they rose to the surface and started frolicking. I breathed a sigh of relief.

 

One waited for the bright sun for the fountain to start functioning. It was a fantastic site.

 

One by one the whole ‘gang’ surfaced. The aquarium man told me, if you see kingfishers, that means fish are thriving. I have yet to see one though.

 

They would multiply soon, if they find the atmosphere conducive. The mosquito larvae would be gone in no time, he said. The fishbowl ones were also released into the bathtub to join their friends. Fingers were crossed but all went well.

 

Will the fish enjoy their new abode? I wonder!!!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

© NOEL ELLIS