Treatment Success!

Tatsu (my male calico short tail ryukin) recently went through a hydrogen peroxide treatment on his injury and I am happy to report he hasn't succumbed to any infection or issues. I was SO nervous to give him the treatment, took him out of the water and did the swab, and felt so bad when I put him back in the water and he wriggled about upset with how it felt on his wounds. But I'd rather have that moment of nervousness than to watch him slip away like my female fish.

I believe it helped him recover and he's back to swimming around beautifully and being super active again. Thankful for resources like Jenny from Solid Gold's videos, and other fellow goldfish enthusiasts with experience who have been around the block when it comes to their care. I know that some of my family probably think I'm obsessed, but I just love my goldfish and having one die (like my one female fish) was so frustrating, but it's all a learning process for me and now I know how to treat injuries and do salt dips and administer salt treatments. I'm hoping the next time I receive shipped goldfish, even if one of them is damaged, I can get them on the right path to recovery from the start. I've learned what the short tails need now and since they are one of my favorite varieties I will be getting more in the future (for now I don't have the space).

I will say having Tatsu as part of my goldfish family is so worth all the work and I'm happy to have him.

Ordering my Short Tail Ryukins Part 2

They're here! I was so excited when their box came.  I believe pictures speak louder than words, so here are some pics I took.

Getting them acclimated, fifteen minutes of bag dipping

this one is my favorite of the two, a robust male with great short tail ryukin body structure!

the female is a little worse for wear from the shipping, I have been treating her with salt and hope that she doesn't get an infection

another shot of the male, they are so chubby and adorable! The pictures really don't do them justice!

I got them and my little girls were so excited when I opened a box and there were two live fish inside!  I was very pleased overall with my experience with Coast Gem USA, their fish are reasonably priced and so far I'm finding them to be of good quality, my female fish definitely didn't take shipping well, but I'm wondering if it's because she's such an active fish and really struggle around in her bag a lot during the shipping. My male fish however is doing incredible and look and acts as if he wasn't even shipped.

Will keep my blog updated on the female and on how she's doing. When I first got her all she wanted to do was bottom sit. I could definitely tell she'd struggled in her bag a lot cause she had some torn fins and some of her scales were ripped a bit. Her eyes also were pretty cloudy. As of this morning she's swimming around with her dorsal fin raised and is as active as the male. A good sign, and if she heals up and doesn't get an infection she should be fine. 

Ordering My Short Tail Ryukins Part 1

For a long time I've been considering ordering some quality goldfish (particularly short tail ryukin goldfish) from a specialty dealer. As of now I've never kept my favorite kind goldfish variety, the short tail ryukin, but thanks to Coast Gem USA, my first two calico short tail ryukins are coming on Wednesday in the mail. I'm excited and super nervous for their arrival as I've never ordered fish and I hope I don't mess up on acclimating them. The customer service at Coast Gem USA was great, sending me close-up pictures of the fish I pointed out in their videos and pictures of their tanks. It was a great way to pick out the very specific look I wanted. From the pictures I'm pretty sure my fish are a male and female fish, but we'll see once I can get a look at them live. I'll keep my blog updated on the experience.

In short tail ryukins I look for a high back and deep body. These two are just babies, but from what I see they have a lot of the qualities I like and I'm excited to see them grow.

Here are pictures of the two fish I ordered:

I can't wait to meet them!

Goldfish for Kids?

A pet can be a beneficial experience, but are Goldfish the ideal pets for children? From a parent's perspective they aren't going to mess up the house, they are quiet, they don't require a specialized pet sitter if you have to go away, and they kind of just do their thing. Here are my pros and cons as to having a goldfish as a pet for a child.

Pros:

Goldfish are quiet, they don't bark like a dog would or screech like a parakeet would.

Goldfish don't make messes, one just has to enjoy the trials of puppyhood to understand some pets make messes and lots of them.

Goldfish won't rack up a bill for immunization costs or vet bills

Goldfish are fun to watch

Goldfish won't give you salmonella like reptiles and other small pets

Cons:

You need to work with a lot of electric/water set ups and will have to teach your child how to do this safely. There must always be a drip loop in your cording and you need to follow the instructions on all electrical items to the T when it comes to water. 

You will need to do water changes (sometimes weekly) and scrub ornaments or tank walls from algae. This can be a time consuming task. And it can be a difficult task for a small child if they have to haul heavy water buckets around during water changes.

Goldfish are not bowl fish. They take up space and as they grow may require a bigger tank even. Tanks can be expensive.

You can't pet a goldfish. Yes, you are able to handle them or feed them out of your hand, but they are not "lap pets". This may bore some children as they are not very interactive compared to a hamster or cat. 

On your first attempt with figuring out how to cycle water or if there is an ich infestation because you bought your fish from a pet store or other over crowded low quality source, you may lose your initial fish to disease or improperly cycled water. This can be very sad for a child to experience the death of a pet.

To sum it up...

So, parents, keeping goldfish, like with any pet, will require your supervision and help. If you feel like you can handle helping your child keep up with water changes, supervising the set-up of the tank, and the research required to keep a healthy tank and prevent disease or treat disease, goldfish are not a bad choice for a child's first pet.

Forever - Brush and Ink

Serenity - Brush and Ink

What is Art of Goldfish?

For starters, I love goldfish. I appreciate their uniqueness, their beauty, and their character, not to mention they are therapeutic to observe as they bob around their tank. At my own wedding where we had catered authentic Thai food (my husband and I are both crazy about asian cuisine) we also had a lovely Tancho Oranda for our center piece at our table (don't worry those who know a lot about goldfish keeping, the little guy only staid in the bowl as long as the reception.)

My husband and I both have a love for fish keeping (he has plans for a koi pond), and although I'm now a mother of two busy little girls, I still enjoy goldfish keeping. At this point I am the caretaker of two graceful and personable calico fantails, Miku and Halo, but I am looking to expand. I'd love to get started in calico short tail ryukin especially, but am interested in keeping a few ranchu as well.

I feel when many people go to a pet store and see the goldfish they think "cheap fish I can keep in a bowl and who will probably live a week" or they think "kids fish I have to keep replacing". That definitely doesn't let the goldfish (or any fish) live up to their potential! In my blog I'll discuss my own learning process in the beginning of my goldfish keeping and how much I've learned about fish keeping in general since I've started. I truly believe there is an art to keeping goldfish as they've been kept for hundreds of years. 

But this blog, Art of Goldfish, isn't just about fish, it's about my art. Specifically my ink and brush art. I am in love with ink and brush art and my artwork will also be displayed here on my blog along with stories behind my work. 

I hope those of you who visit enjoy my art journey as well as my goldfish stories. <3