R.I.P., Jafar

Over the last few weeks and even months, we've been noticing how huge our goldfish have been getting. The current two, Jafar and Rajah, were replacement fish for the originals, Aladdin and Jasmine. While Al and Jas died off pretty quickly, we've had Jafar and Rajah since August or September (that's a pretty long time for goldfish). But lately, these two had been looking lethargic. My theory is that they had grown so much that there wasn't enough room for them to move and play in the tank. We were actually contemplating setting them free somewhere--in a pond or perhaps an area where tourists might gather and feed them (Opryland Hotel came to mind).

This morning, when I went to feed them, I noticed that one was on his side--but his mouth was still moving and his gills were still flapping. Not sure how to resuscitate him, I tried feeding them and also adding some filtered water to the tank (thought perhaps the level was too low for the filter to properly aerate the water). But before I left for church, the sick one had floated down below the filter, and eventually his little gills gave up.

Because the two had grown so much, I couldn't tell if it was Jafar or Rajah who had perished. They look pretty much just alike now (one had more black on him than the other when they were small, but growing to six times their original size changed things). When I told Reagan that one of her fish had died, she asked which one. I said I wasn't sure, and she said, "I think it was Jafar" without even looking. So, we're going with that.

Rest in peace, Jafar. You were a good little fish...and then you were big. Our little tank just couldn't support you. We'll try not to feed those who come behind you as much or as often.