A TENSE SITUATION

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

 

19/XI/2025

 

I was thinking of my fish as to how they would go through in winter. As the temperatures drop, fish become sluggish. They tend to eat less and stop procreating. It is tough for them.

 

With numerous waterlily tubs teeming with fish, it becomes difficult to place each tub in sunlight. Water in the desert, if kept in the open, freezes in winters. Many fish will die, one has to accept.

 

To give the majority a chance to survive, we have put “immersible water heaters” in some tubs. The thermostat is set at 28°C, which is ideal for guppies & mollies to thrive in.

 

Most of them were shifted into these “pre-heated” tanks. They would enjoy the winter in a quilt. Our “Anti Malaria” squad is safe. I expect the rest to adapt in winters, like they did in summers with 50°C plus.

 

There is never a dull moment with fish. Cats are on the prowl and they sometimes like to paw into the fish tanks. They have not been successful in catching a single one. Fish know who feeds them and who is looking to feed itself.

 

This morning, I walked in after tending to the garden. I heard our maid who was sweeping the floor outside shout in Marwari, “Uncle ji, Machhi bahre kood gaya sa”. A fish has jumped out of water.

 

I rushed to check. Cats are the first to be blamed for obvious reasons. “Mar gayi kya”, I asked her. Has she died? She moved it with the broom. The site was gloomy.

 

My Orange Molly lay motionless and stiff. She was a full grown adult about two inches long. Girl was dry as a bone. She lay ‘still’ in my palm.

 

I have seen them jump out when fresh water is added to the tub. Her dryness indicated that considerable time had elapsed since she was out of water.

 

It was time to bury it. My heart was heavy. Darling was with us for about two years, which is the life span of a molly. Could this be a reason for her to end her life?

 

Dead fish are given a decent burial in pots in our veranda. This doesn’t give a chance for the cats on the prowl to meddle around. Plus, they make good manure for plants. There is no fishy smell and a tidy way to dispose them off.

 

Before I buried her, I knew that fish can stay alive, even when out of water for some time. This is a memory from childhood, when fish caught on our fishing trips with dad would be alive when we returned home. We would fill the sink and put them in. Many used to start swimming.

 

Should I try and put it back in water? I must give it a try. While in my palm, I lowered my hand in the tub. This girl just lay on her side and was confirming my apprehension that she had ‘moved on’. A minute passed, nothing happened.

 

Should I resuscitate and try to revive her? I was not sure if it would work. Why not give it a try. With my other hand I pressed it close to its gills a few times so that water flowed inside.

 

Just before I was about to give up, I saw a little movement of her ‘side fins’. Could it be due to the circulating water? It wasn’t. She was coming back to life and flapping her fins.

 

A few more presses to her chest, still lying on her side, she started to gasp. She had come back to life. I straightened her so that she became upright like a normal fish in water, but she turned turtle. Then she wagged her tail. This gave me assurance that she will live.

 

For about five minutes she was as good as dead, but now she started to wriggle a bit to get back to the world she had left. I kept holding her till she started breathing normally but was still in stupor.

 

I lowered my hand in the water but she started to sink. I cupped my hand again to hold her a little longer till her breathing became rhythmic. Then with a jerk she just twisted and rushed deep into the tank.

 

Sluggish initially, then she got back to normal. Other fish came to check on her. She joined her tank mates to tell her story about the horrors of the ‘waterless world’.

 

This was a first time experience to bring a molly back to life. Luckily, no cat visited that area or she would have been a snack. I felt so relieved and gave a pat on my back. The maid felt relieved too and went to work.

 

Have you guys been through such a tense situation? I wonder!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

©® NOEL ELLIS