050 | FUR, FINS, AND FEATHERS! | OUR BELOVED PETS WRITING COMPETITION | FISHKEEPING
There and Back Again by Bilbo the Flowerhorn
Bilbo’s Journey to the Undying Land
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Losing its ability to swim is the worse thing to happen to a fish. Unfortunately, this is what happened to Bilbo, my Flowerhorn. As a member of the cichlid family, swim bladder disease is common among them.
It is a cruel condition where the bladder doesn’t function properly, affecting the organ responsible for buoyancy control. With Bilbo’s swollen belly, keeping the body in a vertical position was a struggle.
Normally, it is easy to treat, and as a fishkeeper, I thought I could save him. I did every recommended treatment. Firstly, I changed two-thirds of the water in the tank. Then, added aquarium salt to the tank and refrained from feeding him for two days to empty his bowel.
Next, I tried to feed him boiled green peas, which would help him recover from bowel diseases due to the high fiber content. I have done the same remedy earlier, and it was a success.
However, this time was different; Bilbo refused to eat at all. I tried to force-feed him, but he held the food in his mouth and later spat it out.
After consulting other experienced fish keepers, I was recommended to use a certain medication that could improve Bilbo’s condition. It was hard to find that medicine, but after searching several stores, I finally found it.
Despite my efforts, the medication did not seem to help him recover. So, Bilbo eventually gave up the fight. On May 07th, 2023, he drew his final breath.
The story of how Bilbo came into my possession is quite interesting. One day, a coworker who knew about my love for fish asked me if I would like to have a Flowerhorn.
Initially, I was hesitant because Flowerhorns are commercially bred hybrid fish. They were typically more expensive than what I could afford. In addition to that, they need a specific diet and daily maintenance.
But my coworker was persistent and told me that if I agreed to look after him, I could have the fish at no cost. He explained that one of his friends was trying to get rid of a Flowerhorn. I reluctantly agreed, but truth be told, my impression of the fish was not positive.
When we arrived at his friend’s home, we were directed to a small tank that contained the Flowerhorn. I was surprised by the sheer size of the fish. It was a fully mature fish with a magnificent body. His dorsal and anal fins were elegantly curved, increasing his beauty.
I tried to get his attention by tapping on the glass but didn’t get any reaction. Normally Flowerhorns are known for their friendly and interactive behavior. As soon as they sense our presence, they become active and want to engage with us — like your beloved dog.
I asked the owner what was wrong with the fish. The owner explained that the fish was not used to the presence of people because it had spent most of its time in a small corner tank.
At this point, I was curious to know the reason. I couldn’t imagine why no one cared about this stunning fish. The owner explained that the fish’s color pattern had a flaw, so it did not have a good market value.
I closely check the fish. Flowerhorns have alternative color patterns on their body. They also have a distinctive dark mark along the lateral body line. Those dark marks, aka ‘Flowers’, are the reason to get their name, along with their hump, also known as the ‘horn’.
But the color pattern in this particular fish changed abruptly into a soft fade in the middle of his body resulting in a negative impression. Before it came to the current owner, the fish had changed at the hands of several owners, and no one wanted to have this fish.
The current owner did not care about the monetary value of the fish and kept it because he loved it. However, with his other fish breeding, he needed the space for the juveniles. Therefore he was looking for someone to look after the Flowerhorn.
I couldn’t believe his story. Is it possible to neglect this fish simply due to its color? It is not fair. And it seemed to be a crime, let it exist a Flowerhorn who didn’t know how to react to the love.
He reminded me of the story of White Fang — the dog that was treated harshly and didn’t even know the meaning of love. So, I wanted to take care of him.
But I had a few problems. So far, I have been more into smaller fish. I didn’t have experience looking after a larger one that needed daily care. Due to my profession, I spend most of my time away from home. It would be a challenge to take care of the fish.
Additionally, my wife and mother may not have favored bringing another fish home — I had plenty already. Even if I had managed to solve all these problems, it wouldn’t have been an easy task to transport the fish to my home.
Despite these problems, I couldn’t keep this beautiful creature in that small tank until someone else decided on his destiny. So, I made up my mind to look after him. I asked the fish owner to hold the fish until my next vacation.
I am not going to explain my troubles with transporting the fish. Because it was negligible compared to the real drama that began after we arrived home. Both my mother and wife were against keeping him. In the middle of their objections, I brought the pre-arranged tank from one of the neighbors and placed the fish inside it.
The beauty of the fish made a huge difference. Even my mother and wife started to admire him. Eventually, they agreed to keep him for a few days until I found a suitable place.
In the meantime, my sister wanted to give him a name and suggested Bilbo, after Bilbo Baggins from ‘The Hobbit.’ Everyone liked it except for Bilbo, who remained silent in the corner of the tank.
We decided to give him time to get used to his new surroundings. The first few days, he didn’t seem interested in food, and he kept bashing his head against the glass on several occasions. It was a common condition, as they express their stress.
On the third day, he started to eat his fish pellets, showing a clear sign of adapting to the new environment. So, I ask my mother to take care of him until the next week. I promised her to find a suitable place for Bilbo in the meantime.
The next week when I visited home, everything had changed. Bilbo had become the center of attention. My mother had shown him to all her friends and neighbors’ kids.
And all talks for sending Bilbo away now disappeared. Who am I to remind that? — so I kept my mouth shut.
We tried to train him. He was a very slow learner. It took over three months to respond to us when we tapped the glass. And even further time was needed to come closer when we called him. Although he didn’t learn to show his love by actively swimming around the tank, considering the initial condition, we have achieved something here.
We didn’t know Bilbo’s true age. My best estimate was that he was about 5 years old when I found him, but I can’t be sure. Normally, a Flowerhorn has a lifespan of about 10 to 12 years under good conditions. Therefore, I expected him to live with us for at least 5 years. However, our luck only lasted two years to have him with us.
Later, we provided him with a larger tank and tried to introduce him to another young Flowerhorn named Frodo. Unfortunately, Bilbo didn’t want to share his home with the newcomer. So we had to install a separator dividing the tank into two spaces.
After the initial period, Bilbo rarely got stressed out. It was a clear indication to say he was happy during his period. It is the only thing I can be happy about after his demise.
Perhaps it is the end of a chapter for Bilbo, and the next chapter will be written by Frodo. So far, Bilbo had stolen all of our attention, and we almost didn’t realize that Frodo had become a mature one.
Unlike Bilbo, Frodo had been trained from a young age to interact with us. He will help to ease our grief, especially my mother’s feelings. But it will never replace those large, expressive eyes of Bilbo that were once unfamiliar with love.
I was overjoyed when I learned about the upcoming competition about our pets. Because I never miss an opportunity to share the details of my beloved aquarium fish. So I planned to write about each one of the aquarium fish collectively.
However, my Bilbo had some other ideas. He was always an attention seeker and insisted that the entire article was solely about him. So this bloody rascal decided to pass away on me. He left me no choice but to talk only about him.
So, here it is. Bilbo, I hope that you are happy now.
This was the third time I have lost a fish within a month due to three different reasons. First, it was Garth, then my Black Moor Telescope Goldfish, and this time Bilbo. So, I needed something to uplift my spirit. This competition provided me with the perfect opportunity with plenty of tales.
As an example, this story from Conni Walkup Hull gave me a good vibe to boost my mood.