It was a lonely day just like any. Having dropped off my father at the hospital and buying some groceries I
went to the usual aquarium shop. I started searching for the ideal fish for my 20-gallon aquarium. None
of the nano fish were of my interest so I started searching in the big fish section. Cichlid fish have been
piquing my interest lately. Purebred fish unlike hybrid fish are easy-going I’ve heard. This made
me more interested in Oscar Fish and not parrotfish or jewel cichlids. I have heard that Oscar Fish is the
most personable fish in the fish-keeping hobby. I brought a copper Oscar neglecting the typical Tiger
Oscar Fish. The bag was heavy and was filled with oxygen. As I came back home I put the bag in the
aquarium starting the acclimatization, I started wondering if the 20 gallons was enough for the fish.
As I opened the bag he jumped into the tank splashing water everywhere. He looked dull at the
beginning and was hiding in the corner of the aquarium. His big round eyes and colorful red body
grabbed the attention of everyone in the house. On the second day itself, I grabbed a glass pane and
tried to create a tight-fitting enclosure as best as I could. Feeding once a day and changing water on
multiple occasions of the week have become a habit of mine.
These huge but lovely fish have developed a personality that puts a smile on everyone’s face in the house. Lovingly we called him or her Zombie which seemed appropriate at the beginning. This fish greeted us right at the top of the aquarium every time someone entered the room. Now all that was left to do was to watch him grow up and reach his full maturity. Although I knew that a fish of this size couldn’t grow to its full being in a small aquarium I tried to enjoy him the best I could in the meantime. After 70 days of buying him, he started developing white spots on the side of his dorsal fin which worried all of us. No amount of water changes or medication could solve the problem.
We had to give back zombie to the aquarium shop for credit with a heavy heart. Even though this Oscar Fish was in our lives only for a short period he shall remind us of our childhood and live in our hearts at least for the near future.
