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SHIFTING THE FISH

 SHIFTING THE FISH

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

 

03/II/2023

 

Summers are fast approaching. In the Army, it used to be a norm that ‘winter dress’ would be worn after Diwali and ‘Angola’ shirts would be rested till the next winters after Holi. ‘Unless’ the Chiefs felt cold or hot and ordered a change of dress code earlier. Or, put in other words, troops ‘could’ feel hot or cold if the Chiefs felt that way. Pun intended.

 

Be that as it may. My Guppies and Mollies in the tub on the roof were feeling cold at night and extremely hot during the day. With the sun shining with full intensity, they were uncomfortable with nights still being cold. It was time to shift them to their summer capital, like the erstwhile ‘J&K Darbar’ moving from Jammu to SriNagar and vice versa in the good old days.

 

Summer capital for the fish had to be created absolutely new. The bathtub was too big to be shifted as it would have occupied too much space. We decided to get a smaller water tank used for watering cattle. In case of emergencies, this could serve as an infirmary or hatchery also.

 

I was not happy with the ‘green water’ of the bathtub. It was taking a chance to put fish in clear water in this new tank. My wife advised me against shifting all the fish in one go. There could be casualties due to sudden change in water conditions. Experts say that water changes should not be done more than fifty percent. But then I decided to take a chance.

 

A decent sized tank was picked up from the potter’s colony and brought home. It was cleaned and topped up with water. The water had to be rested for about three days to lose all its chemicals as also the tank to soak up and be cured and saturated.

 

‘Operation Fish’ began by draining water from the tub to touch rock bottom. It becomes easier now to scoop out the fish. A bucket full of water from the new cement tank was lugged to the roof to receive the fish. The temperature difference was tremendous. The fish would have gone into shock had they been put in directly. Good sense prevailed.

 

This bucket was left for about an hour to come to a similar temperature as the tub. There was another issue of the quality of water as the tub had algae and was full of planktons. Besides, it also had a water lily and other water plants growing in it.

 

The cement tank could take one pot. It had to be the water lily one. The others were left behind. The fish were tense when the level of water kept reducing. Their space to manoeuvre was diminishing. When about an inch of water was left in the tub, they were caught and transferred to the bucket.

 

Fish were uncomfortable and sunk still to the bottom of the bucket. The water was too clean for their liking I suppose. I kept praying for them to adapt and survive. One would have been heart broken had the change of water and location brought a catastrophe.

 

The bath tub was cleaned to perfection and refilled with fresh water. The two water plant pots were placed back. Fish were now ready to be introduced to their new summer home. Water in the cement pot felt ice cold. Taking a chance, the fish were transferred into it.

 

Sudden change of weather is a nightmare for me. Catching a cough and cold or a runny nose is terrible. Could the fish suffer too? Was the question troubling me? Rightly so, one lost a couple of fish that night. A heating rod and a water aeration pump had to be inserted to maintain ideal temperature and oxygen levels.

 

Could I have left any fish behind was a passing thought? Snails had been collected and reintroduced to the freshly changed water. Land snails are lethargic but the water snails are too energetic.

 

Next day, in the evening I went up to check the bathtub. It was nice and clean, with no algae and dirt. That is the time when I saw two baby black molly fingerlings swimming away to glory. I was taken aback for a moment but then I realised they must have hidden themselves in the pots. Being black in colour made them difficult to spot.

 

Destiny kept them alive. Should I leave them or bring them down to the new tank? I wonder!!!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

© ® NOEL ELLIS




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