Gazing at fish in an aquarium, they say, is very soothing for your nerves. It brings down your blood pressure, reduces levels of anxiety and creates a feeling of serenity. I wouldn't know, for I can never see the fish that live in the small aquarium in our dining room; I wouldn't even know if they’re living at all. In fact, trying to catch a glimpse of the fish through the aquarium’s moss-covered glass sides is enough to raise your stress levels for they live in the strictest possible privacy with algae to the right of them, algae to the left of them, algae in front of them and algae all around them. It’s not even a game of hide and seek they play with you; it is blind man’s buff.
My husband prefers it that way. He says they are best left to themselves. ‘Why do you want to sooth your nerves by looking at the fish? How can you be sure their anxiety levels don’t rise when they look at you? Do you know that fish get stressed out too and lose colour when that happens? We don’t want pale, jittery fish in our tank. Let them live happily in their own world.’
He’s in charge of the aquarium and after setting it up with great care he has more or less passed on the responsibility to nature. It’s a great big secret now, but there is actually sand and gravel at the bottom and there are shells too. A closer investigation might reveal small rocks and smooth stones arranged in the corners to form caves for the fish to play peek-a-boo. We had fun finding the right plants and finally buying the fish. We had jumped at water wisteria and Java fern and Amazon something or the other when the pet shop assistant said these water plants needed only minimal maintenance. He warned us against vallisneria because fish sometimes ate it. We promptly purchased it. What if we forgot to feed the fish?
We were cautioned about introducing different varieties of fish into the tank. Certain fish just don’t thrive in the company of certain others; so we decided to play safe by going for just guppies. There’s nothing guppies are passionate about than one another’s company and began multiplying like mad, as if they had been set a deadline to populate the aquarium. Now that the water seemed to be okay for the fish, we transferred almost all the guppies to the pond outside and decided to experiment with other varieties. Going by names, we introduced gentle varieties like angel fish, widow tetra and a solitary goldfish. They became great friends. Getting bolder, we introduced the beautiful fighter which, however, appeared quite tame.
As time passed, the novelty faded, the aquarium got shrouded with moss and algae. A friend who dropped by was curious about why the tank was so dark and murky. My husband began a lecture. ‘Fish don’t like light and need to sleep too. It’s healthy for the fish to live in sombre, shadowy environs, with an aura of mystery.... ‘‘But this looks like a murder mystery!’ The friend exclaimed, cutting him short. She had spied a dead fish floating in a corner.
That shocked us. My husband peered into the tank and asked me accusingly, ‘What’s this floating here?’ ‘What’s what floating where?’ I countered, playing for time. ‘This thing. What did you put in?’ ‘A bit of dosa,’ I confessed. ‘I thought it would be very nourishing.’
That was it. He took complete control of the aquarium. But the next day another fish was found dead. So it wasn't the dosa. I was relieved at being absolved of the crime. Could it be the fighter, finally playing true to its name? We isolated it. But the plot thickened. The deaths continued and we kept removing one fish after another and finally discovered the culprit when accidentally my husband’s finger went too deep into the water and something gave it an eager, carnivorous jab. It was the docile angel, grown large on the meat of its fellows, and now biting the hand that fed it.
After that we've never had more than two or three fish at a time. My husband continues to show his love for them by keeping them well hidden in the dark, cool waters.
I love fish too, on my plate. Gazing at it soothes my nerves, brings down my blood pressure and creates a feeling of serenity and, of course, anticipation...
[khyrubutter@yahoo.com]
(A fortnightly column by city-based writer, academic and author of the Butterfingers series)
